Nickelodeon Launches Summer-Long Campaign to Encourage Kids of All Ages to Be Active and Healthy

Nickelodeon Launches Summer-Long Campaign to Encourage Kids of All Ages to Be Active and Healthy

Initiative Culminates in Nickelodeon's Second Annual Worldwide Day of Play on October 1 - a Global Playdate Where Network Goes Dark and Encourages Kids to be Active

Campaign Includes All-New 'Let's Just Play' On-Air Spots Emphasizing Importance of Play and 'Power Play Summer' Packaging on Nick Jr.

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, Nickelodeon encourages kids to get up and be active with an on-air campaign on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., featuring interactive interstitial programming and brand new spots that incorporate healthy messaging. The campaign will culminate on Oct. 1 with Nickelodeon's second-annual Worldwide Day of Play, part of the network's "Let's Just Play" initiative, where Nick will go dark for three hours to empower kids around the world to learn about active, positive lifestyles and make better, healthier choices.

Nickelodeon will introduce a series of on-air spots that emphasize the importance of play, as part of the network's ongoing "Let's Just Play" pro-social initiative, which encourages kids to lead active, healthy lives. The first of the spots is entitled "Bring Back Play," which highlights the importance of play in kids' lives and how play can help kids' bodies, minds and compositions. Subsequent spots, which will roll out in July and August, emphasize different ways to be active, different reasons to play and how to be an advocate for play. All feature original music, developed exclusively for the "Let's Just Play" campaign. The spots will air several times per week on Nickelodeon from now through August.

Nick Jr. will host "Power Play Summer," the network's new summer packaging, hosted by hit show LazyTown's enthusiastic, pink-haired heroine, Stephanie. The packaging includes interstitial programming with themes like 'Love to Dance,' 'Love to Get Up and Go,' and 'Love to Move,' and incorporates the message to kids to 'Get Up, Get Out, and Go Play.' In the segments, Stephanie, joined by her LazyTown friends Sportacus, Ziggy and Pixel; Nick Jr. host Piper; and real kids, encourages viewers to move the Nick Jr. "Power Play Meter," an on-screen meter that measures the activity level of preschoolers at home. By playing along with activities like jumping jacks and learning the 'bing bang' dance from the show, Stephanie engages the audience by asking questions and requesting viewers to participate in her activities. The "Power Play Meter" is also featured in the lower-left corner during regular Nick Jr. programming to continuously encourage kids to keep the activity going while watching TV. All-new LazyTown episodes premiered June 6 in the series' regular timeslot at 10:30 a.m.(all times ET/PT) on Nick Jr.

Nickelodeon will culminate the summer-long on-air campaign on Oct. 1 by celebrating the second annual Worldwide Day of Play and going off the air for three hours. The network will pre-empt regularly scheduled programming with full-screen images showing kids playing, a Worldwide Day of Play logo and messages encouraging kids to be active and engage in physical play. More details about this year's Worldwide Day of Play will be announced in the coming months. The first-ever Worldwide Day of Play, held in 2004 as part of the "Let's Just Play" program, resulted in 1800 grass root events and participation from more than 250,000 kids and families.

Currently in its third year, "Let's Just Play" is Nickelodeon's pro-social commitment to encourage kids to participate in active, healthy, and playful lifestyles -- a much needed antidote to reports of the rise in childhood obesity, the concerns about reduction of PE in schools and in after-school programs, and the over-scheduled and sedentary lifestyles of kids today. In addition to using the power of Nickelodeon's air, online sites, and celebrity support, the channel devotes significant year-round resources to building a grassroots infrastructure that supports physical play opportunities in communities everywhere. "Let's Just Play" was recently awarded four Cable Television Public Affairs Association Beacon Awards, which recognize excellence in the public affairs industry.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS (check local listings). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 89 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, joanna.roses@nick.com, or Nancy Hostler, +1-212-846-7491, nancy.hostler@nick.com, both for Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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