This year (2007) marks the milestone 20th anniversary of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, the only awards show that offers kids the chance to vote for their favorites in movies, television, music, books, sports, video games and more. The annual kudos-cast/mess-fest honoring their opinions and filled with appearances and performances by their favorite stars debuted in 1988.
The idea stemmed from Nickelodeon's research with kids, which revealed that they wanted to voice their preferences and feel that they held some sway in the world of pop culture. So in 1987, Nickelodeon created The Big Ballot, the first national poll of kids' choices, which blossomed before long into Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. Since then, kids have voted yearly online, in stores through participating sponsors, by phone – and phones with web browsers. Last year's Kids' Choice voting broke all previous records. More than 25 million kids cast their ballots.
Each year, the event/live telecast continues to grow. Today, its guest list reads like a Who's Who in Hollywood, and media have dubbed it a "mini-Oscars." Superstars appear to let kids know how much their vote matters to them. The likes of Brad Pitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Mel Gibson, Robert DeNiro, Madonna, *NSYNC, Eddie Murphy, Drew Barrymore, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Queen Latifah, Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Adam Sandler, Bruce Willis, Britanny Murphy, Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, George Lopez, LL Cool J, Lance Armstrong, Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Allen, Tony Hawk, Damon Wayans, Anne Hathaway, Cindy Crawford, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Toby Maguire, Serena Williams, Shaquille O'Neal and Aerosmith pepper the two-decade list of presenters and performers. Each year, too, the show has been hosted by a celebrity beloved by kids. This year's host, Justin Timberlake, joins an honor roll that includes Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Mike Myers & Cameron Diaz (co-hosts), Rosie O'Donnell, Whitney Houston, Holly Robinson, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Joey Lawrence, Wil Wheaton, Corky Nemec and Tony Danza.
Because the show is produced for kids, it has acquired a unique look and feel that sets it apart from the other stuffy Hollywood awards shows. At the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, the winners are announced by surprise reveals. A banner may drop from the ceiling or a favorite animal star may carry the name onto the stage in its mouth. Perhaps the most unpredictable element of the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards is what has become an annual tradition and one of the hallmarks of the show: sliming a celebrity. Regarded as Nickelodeon's highest honor, being doused with green goop has become synonymous with the network.
Nickelodeon's 7th Annual Kids' Choice Awards was the first to air internationally in 1994 on Nickelodeon's channel in the UK and now, more than a decade later, the US show is seen in more than 205 million households across Nickelodeon's 34 channels in the UK, Europe, Russia, Israel, Asia, Australia, Latin America and Brazil. Since the first KCAs premiered in the U.S., Nickelodeon has launched eight fully localized versions around the globe starting with Meus Premios Brasil in 2000 and Mis Premios Nick Mexico in 2003. Annual events now also take place in Sweden, Holland, Italy, China and Australia.
The franchise's 20th year will see the debut of two new Kids' Choice Awards in the biggest television markets in Europe. For the first time ever, Nickelodeon UK is bringing the Kids' Choice Awards to the UK later this year. The UK event will be produced by Nickelodeon UK, together with the team behind MTV's European Music Awards. The UK event date and all-star lineup will be announced this spring. Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards Germany will take place in fall 2007.
Nickelodeon's TurboNick serves as the interactive broadband home base for all things Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards. In 2006, for the first time in kids' broadband history, Nickelodeon simulcast the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards on TurboNick. The broadband video service on Nick.com offers kids an opportunity to personalize their Kids' Choice experience, allowing users to choose from several webcams capturing the awards show to choose various camera angles such as behind-the-scenes, audience cam and more. Multiple themed playlists, exclusive clips, mini-games and links to the official Kids' Choice Awards website are also available. In addition, free promotional KCA Podcasts are available on Nick.com for various media players. These Podcasts also are available on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com) for download to iPods.
Beginning in 2006, Nickelodeon joined forces with Comcast's broadband platform Comcast.net to feature a half-hour Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards nominee special running on the FanTM, Comcast's multimedia broadband player on its consumer portal, Comcast.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).