Nick to launch pre-school block on Freeview

Nickelodeon is to launch a new pre-school block on Freeview via music station TMF, Broadcast reports today.
Airing daily between 7am and 9am from the end of the month, the strand will be branded ‘Noggin’, the name of Nickelodeon’s pre-school channel in the US. Programmes will include pre-school favourites Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Tank Engine.
Noggin will be the first FTA commercial station available via Freeview, beating ITV’s new kids channel to the air by a fortnight. It will also air via TMF on satellite and cable.

“We have wanted a presence on Freeview for quite some time and have the added benefit that it will be the first commercial offering,” said Howard Litton, Nickelodeon UK’s director of channels. “Like ITV, we see the opportunity because the BBC gets a disproportionate amount of viewers in Freeview homes.”

Meanwhile, the magazine also reports that US-based indie 4Kids has abandoned plans to launch a standalone channel in the UK.