Nickelodeon's New Animated Series SANJAY & CRAIG Delivers 3.6 M Viewers

Nickelodeon's new animated series Sanjay and Craig tallied 3.6 million total viewers for its Saturday, May 24, premiere, driving double-digit gains with kids 2-11 and kids 6-11 and ranking as the number-two kids' program on all TV for the week-second only to top-ranked SpongeBob SquarePants. Sanjay and Craig, which follows the misadventures of a 12-year-old boy and his best friend-a talking snake-earned a 6.0/2.0 Million kids 2-11 (up +22% over last year) and a 6.4/1.3 million kids 6-11 (up +31). SpongeBob SquarePants was number one with kids 2-11 (6.9/2.3 million, up +33%) and kids 6-11 (6.8/1.3 million, up +36%) for the week, as well as being the month's overall top animated program among kids across all TV.

As it did in April, Nickelodeon finished first in May as basic cable's number-one network in total day. For May, the net was first with kids 2-11 (2.6/866,000, +10%) and total viewers (1.6 MM, +6%) in total day. Additionally, Nickelodeon's preschool block (M-F 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. ET/PT) topped with kids 2-5 (4.3/579,000, +10%). This performance also marks the network's 18th straight week of year-over-year growth.

Sanjay and Craig, produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios, follows the adventures of Sanjay, an excitable and irreverent 12-year-old boy (Maulik Pancholy, 30 Rock) and Craig, a smooth-talking snake and master of disguise (Chris Hardwick, Nerdist, The Talking Dead). Together, they embark on Epic kid-inspired quests that are at times totally ridiculous, absolutely gross and weirdly sweet. The only thing that stands in their way is their unhinged, snake-phobic neighbor, Mr. Noodman (Tony Hale, Arrested Development), who's always on the verge of figuring out that Craig can talk. Additional voice actors include Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks) as Megan; Matt Jones (Breaking Bad) as Hector and Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) as Vijay. The series joins Nickelodeon's hit Saturday morning animation lineup, airing regularly at 10:30 a.m. ET/PT.

Nickelodeon, now in its 34th 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, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 18 consecutive years.

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