Digital TV Guides

Nickelodeon

Wednesday 26 July, 2011

By Kelvin Goodson - kelvin@consumerchoices.co.uk

Want to keep the kids entertained with their favourite shows? From SpongeBob Square Pants to Zoey 101, Nickelodeon has something for boys and girls of all ages.

When it comes to kids’ TV, Nickelodeon is many parents’ first choice of channel. Famed for showing some of the best-loved children’s programmes, including Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, Kenan & Kel and Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Nickelodeon has been broadcasting for over 18 years.

So how do you get Nickelodeon in the UK? We show you how to get the channel at the cheapest price…

What’s on Nickelodeon?

Launched in 1993, Nickelodeon is one of the UK’s most-watched children’s channels. It broadcasts a variety of programmes, for kids of all ages.

While previous Nickelodeon schedules have been home to the Rugrats, Sister Sister and The Wild Thornberrys, some of the highlights on the channel now include:

• SpongeBob Square Pants - One of the most popular kids’ TV programmes of the last decade, SpongeBob Square Pants follows the misadventures of a sponge and his friends Patrick and Squidward, who live in a pineapple under the sea in Bikini Bottom.
Nickelodeon is famed for showing some of the best-loved kids' programmes
• Zoey 101 - Starring Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn, teen comedy Zoey 101 is about the youngsters at Pacific Coast Academy - an all boys boarding school that has begun accepting girls.
• House of Anubis - In a place where one secret leads to another and not everything is as it seems, Nina and her classmates at English boarding school Anubis House discover clues that unravel the mysterious history of the house.
• The Fairly OddParents - In this fun animated show, Cosmo and Wanda are Timmy Turner’s fairy godparents - who just can’t seem to get anything right. The show is the third longest running programme on Nickelodeon, behind Rugrats and SpongeBob.
• Genie In The House - Genie In The House is a British teen sitcom about two sisters that find a magic lamp in the loft of their new house. The lamp is home do Adil, a 1,500-year-old genie with wish granting powers and a penchant for mischief.

Many of these programmes are shown in super sharp high-definition (HD) on Nickelodeon HD - the high-definition simulcast of the main channel.

And, if your children are pre-schoolers, click over to Nick Jr. for episodes of Blue’s Clues, Angelina Ballerina, Dora The Explorer and Lazy Town, among other shows aimed at younger children.

Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. broadcast for 24 hours a day, and both channels have their own dedicated websites, where kids can watch clips of their favourite shows, play online games and download activity sheets.

How do I get Nickelodeon for my kids?

If you want access to the Nickelodeon channels, you’ll need a subscription to a TV package from Sky, Virgin Media or TalkTalk TV. The prices of the packages vary, so it’s important you compare what’s available and sign-up for the cheapest deal for you.

Here are the channel numbers for each service. Just punch these numbers into your remote control to get viewing:

Sky - As a Sky (www.sky.com) customer you can get the Nickelodeon channels if you take the Sky Extra, which costs £25.00 a month. Whether you’re an existing Sky customer and do not currently have the Sky Extra, or you’re thinking of subscribing to Sky for the first time, call 0844 241 1407 to sign-up for this pack.

Virgin Media - Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) customers can watch the main Nickelodeon channel, at no extra cost, if they subscribe to L TV packages. For the other channels you’ll need a subscription to the XL TV deal. Virgin Medial TV deals start from £6.50 a month, providing you take a cable phone line. However, it is important to note that Virgin Media’s TV service is only available to households that live in an area that can receive cable. To find out if you do, run a postcode search using our online digital TV calculator.

TalkTalk - Though TalkTalk is no longer available to new customers, all existing Tiscali TV/TalkTalk TV customers can get access to some of the Nickelodeon channels if they sign-up for the Kids Mix package.

You can also get episodes of your favourite shows from BT Vision, Top Up TV and iTunes, available on a on-demand pay-per-view basis.

Sky TV packages		Virgin Media TV packages
from £10 a month + FREE Sky+ box + £25 M&S voucher + FREE installation	from £17.62 a month + FREE Sky+HD box + £25 M&S voucher + FREE installation	from £10 a month + FREE V HD Box + FREE installation	from £36.15 a month + FREE V HD Box FREE installation
Online exclusive Sky TV - pick one viewing pack	Online exclusive Sky TV - pick one viewing pack Sky HD pack (1/2 price for 6 months)	Virgin Media M+ TV - 75 channels Up to 30Mb speed Unlimited downloads FREE UK weekend calls and calls to Virgin mobiles	Virgin Media XL TV - 175 channels Up to 30Mb speed Unlimited downloads FREE UK weekend calls and calls to Virgin mobiles
Visit Sky.com or call 08442 410582	Visit Sky.com or call 08442 410582	Visit VirginMedia.com	Visit VirginMedia.com