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MTV Networks International (MTVNI), owned by Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today that Tiao Zhan Xiao Yong Shi, the Chinese format adaptation of Nickelodeon’s GUTS, will premiere on China Central Television (CCTV) during Summer 2009. The format deal builds upon the success of a long standing relationship between the two broadcasters and is the first time a kids’ format will air in the Chinese market. The new prime-time series will follow Nickelodeon’s groundbreaking original hit formula with an hour-long action-sports game show. Each episode will allow kid contestants to live out some of their greatest sports fantasies in a competitive arena. Several different types of sporting events and obstacles will feature throughout the series, including basketball, high jumping, wave pool, racing track, and the “Aggro-Crag” – the show’s famous mountain-climbing challenge complete with falling boulders and trap doors. “Our unique collaboration with China’s public broadcaster, CCTV, has been a long and mutually beneficial syndication relationship which we’ve been building for more than a decade and has seen some of Nickelodeon’s best-loved kids’ shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants and CatDog, deliver consistent ratings and viewership for CCTV,” commented Caroline Beaton, Senior Vice President, International Programme Sales, MTVNI. “This next evolution of our partnership, with CCTV picking up its first-ever kids’ format series, will continue to help us further strengthen our business in China.” Over the past 14 years, MTVNI has significantly grown its multiplatform presence in China, launching a 24-hour MTV channel in March 2003 in the Guandong province reaching 13.8mm households across the region. More recently MTVNI has established a burgeoning consumer products division in China along with several strategic syndication deals for Nickelodeon hit properties including Clarissa Knows It All, CatDog and SpongeBob SquarePants. The iconic animation’s recent return to China on CCTV Kids Channel, on 25 December 2008, was a phenomenon, topping TV ratings in 15 key cities as the number one show among kids aged 4-15 yrs for the period 25 Dec 08 – 4 Feb 09, bowling out all other cartoon programmes and reaching 20.5 million home viewers. A multi-genre, multiplatform, multi-brand one-stop shop for broadcast clients, MTVNI is a long time producer of formats such as Pimp My Ride and Blue’s Clues and digital rights are available via the MTVN Web Catch-Up+ service. |