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Nicktoons to become ad-supported in the US from August
MUMBAI: Nicktoons, the animated kids channel from the Nickelodeon stable, will beam ads from August.
Nickelodeon Television president Cyma Zarghami says, “Nicktoons’ emerging popularity enables us to use another screen as an avenue to reach kids in a more targeted way. Now that it is in almost 34 million homes, Nicktoons is well on its way to becoming a top viewing destination for animation lovers and a sought-after brand with an identity all its own.”
Featuring current and classic programming that is 75 per cent exclusive to the channel, Nicktoons targets kids and tweens. Launched in May 2002, Nicktoons has been a commercial-free television network and website since its inception.
Nickelodeon Digital Television executive VP and GM Tom Ascheim said, “It is exciting for us to be bringing another one of Nickelodeon’s networks to the ad sales market. Under the leadership of general manager Keith Dawkins, Nicktoons will continue to develop its own unique flavor and showcase original animated programming from around the world, building on the current line-up of classic Nicktoon hits.”
As had ben reported earlier by indiantelevision.com next year Nicktoons will launch three new series. Skyland is a sci-fi action adventure series set in the year 2251 that follows a heroic young brother and sister team searching for their parents in a new world order. Kappa Mikey centers on an American actor named Mikey who inadvertently becomes a huge star in Japan after joining the cast of a struggling Japanese anime series. Shuriken School — produced by Xilam Entertainment is a quirky comedy with a martial arts twist about a boy’s adventures at Ninja school.
MAM
Axel Springer to acquire Telegraph Media Group in £575 million deal
Deal sidelines rival bid from Daily Mail owner DMGT
BERLIN: German media conglomerate Axel Springer has agreed to acquire the UK-based Telegraph Media Group in a deal valued at about £575 million, marking one of the most significant cross-border investments in the British news industry in recent years.
The agreement involves an all-cash purchase of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, bringing months of uncertainty over the ownership of the historic newspaper titles to an end. The move also sidelines a rival proposal from Daily Mail and General Trust, the parent company of the Daily Mail.
Axel Springer chief executive Mathias Döpfner said the acquisition reflects the company’s long-standing interest in the publication and its legacy in British journalism. Owning The Telegraph, he said, is both a privilege and a responsibility.
Döpfner noted that Axel Springer had attempted to buy the newspaper more than two decades ago but failed at the time. The new agreement, he added, finally fulfils that ambition.
The Berlin-based media group plans to launch an investment programme aimed at strengthening the Telegraph’s operations and expanding its business footprint. As part of the strategy, the company intends to grow the publication’s presence in the United States and broaden its international reach.
Telegraph Media Group was put up for sale in 2023 after its former owners, the Barclay brothers, ran into mounting debt obligations. Several takeover efforts have since collapsed before reaching completion.
In 2025, a bid from Daily Mail and General Trust had been agreed but later faced regulatory scrutiny.
UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the government has initiated a review of the proposed ownership change, citing concerns that the deal could affect the diversity of viewpoints in Britain’s media landscape.
She added that the Competition and Markets Authority will examine potential competition implications, while communications regulator Ofcom will assess broader public-interest considerations related to the transaction.
