Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, commonly referred to as Nick, is an American cable television channel that made its debut on December 1, 1977, and officially launched on April 1, 1979. It holds the distinction of being the first cable network specifically designed for children. Owned by ViacomCBS through its domestic networks division, Nickelodeon is headquartered in New York City. The channel primarily targets kids aged 2 to 17, although some of its programming is designed for a wider family audience. The journey of Nickelodeon began in 1977 as part of an early cable service called QUBE, which was available only in Columbus, Ohio. During its trial phase, QUBE's Channel C-3 featured "Pinwheel," an educational series created by Vivian Horner. The show received positive feedback from viewers, prompting Horner to envision a full-fledged channel for children. Thus, Nickelodeon was born, launching nationally on April 1, 1979, with "Pinwheel" as its first show. Initially, the network operated without commercials and maintained this ad-free model until 1984. In 1986, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment sold Nickelodeon, along with its sibling networks MTV and VH1, to Viacom.