SpongeBob SquarePants 'Pest Of The West' Earns Basic Cable's Total Viewer Top Spot for Week of April 7

SpongeBob SquarePants 'Pest Of The West' Earns Basic Cable's Total Viewer Top Spot for Week of April 7

SpongeBob Special Marks Nickelodeon's Fourth Number-One Program on Basic Cable this Year with Total Viewers

NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- SpongeBob SquarePants "Pest of the West" (Friday, April 11, 8 p.m. ET/PT) marked the fourth Nickelodeon telecast this year to shoot to the top of basic cable among total viewers this year, as well as handily ranking as number-one on broadcast and cable TV among kids 2-11, 6-11 and tweens 9-14. A total of 6.1 million viewers (P2+) tuned into the half-hour "Pest of the West" special, where everyone's favorite porous pal discovers he is related to a famous Bikini Bottom Western hero.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080415/NYTU149 )

SpongeBob "Pest of the West" joins other 2008 Nickelodeon toppers Zoey 101: Goodbye Zoey (Jan. 4, 8 p.m. ET/PT); The Fairly OddParents Fairly OddBaby special (Feb. 18, 8 p.m., ET/PT); and Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards (March 29, 8 p.m. ET/PT) as number-one programs on basic cable with total viewers and across all television with kids and tweens for the year. The SpongeBob "Pest of the West" special earned a 10.0/3.5 million with kids 2-11, a 11.3/2.4 million kids 6-11 and a 7.3/1.6 million tweens 9-14 in its premiere airing.

Leading up to the special, kids visited a dedicated "Pest of the West" show page that garnered more than 1.5 million visits. The SpongeBob-themed online casual Game of the Week on Nick.com -- "Pest of the West showdown" -- garnered more than 2.3 million game plays in a little over a week, and the "Pest of the West" content on TurboNick earned more than 4 million streams since March 13. Additionally, more than 1.3 million votes were cast for kids' favorite SpongeBob vs. Plankton episodes, which aired in an on-air marathon leading up to the "Pest of the West" special.

Currently in its sixth season, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop-culture phenomenon and one of the most popular series in kids' television history. It has been the number-one animated program with kids 2-11 for more than six consecutive years and its Saturday morning airing ranks as the top-rated program on television among kids 2-11. Adult viewers also continue to tune in and have increased by 85% since the premiere of the show in July 1999.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th 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 96 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) .

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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080415/NYTU149
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, Thamar Romero, +1-212-846-7491,
or Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613

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

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Profile: International Entertainment