MAM
Nick, Movie Park Germany renew licensing deal
MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Nickelodeon and film and entertainment theme park Movie Park Germany have announced the renewal of their strategic partnership around Nickland, the popular Nick-themed 50,000 square-foot interactive adventure area at Movie Park Germany in Bottrop-Kirchhellen.
Under the new, six-year licensing agreement, effective April 2012, Movie Park Germany will retain theme park rights to incorporate Nickelodeon’s beloved characters into attractions and features at its theme park.
Since it opened in April 2007, Nickland (the first NICK-themed adventure site to launch in Europe) has offered kids and families immersive attractions based on Nickelodeon’s children’s TV programmes, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora The Explorer and Jimmy Neutron. The renewed partnership between Nickelodeon and Movie Park Germany will include the development of re-themed attractions, co-branded merchandise and expanded marketing campaigns in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Nickelodeon Germany MD Patrick Alders said, “Nickland has been such a thriving and exciting destination for kids and families to interact with Nickelodeon’s brand and characters, and we’re really looking forward to expanding the Nickelodeon experience there over the next six years.”
Movie Park Germany GM Wouter Dekkers said, “During the last year, Nickland has played an important role in our success story and it is an everyday pleasure to see kids hugging SpongeBob or Patrick. We are looking forward to welcoming new Nickelodeon family members during the next years”.
Brands
Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
