Christmas comes early this December with a month-long free preview of
Nickelodeon

Available in over eight million households, Nickelodeon offers live-action comedies, animated favourites and timeless hits 24/7 from December 15, 2009 to January 18, 2010

TORONTO , Dec. 3 /CNW/ - For an entire month, Nickelodeon will be available free of charge in over eight million households. Beginning Tuesday, December 15 through to Monday, January 18 , this free preview will allow viewers not currently subscribing to the channel to sample one of the world's leading entertainment brands for kids.

Giving Canadian kids more Nickelodeon more of the time, Nick's roster of award-winning programming includes: live-action comedies such as iCarly (starring TV Tween Queen Miranda Cosgrove ) and True Jackson , VP (starring Hollywood starlet Keke Palmer); animated favourites like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Penguins of Madagascar , Dora the Explorer and Amy Poehler's The Mighty B!; as well as classic hits for the kid in everyone such as Ren & Stimpy, The Angry Beavers and CatDog.

Available in over 99 percent of Canadian homes with digital service, Nickelodeon's free preview will be accessible on all participating carriers, including Rogers Personal TV subscribers (channel 231), Shaw Direct (channel 182), Shaw (channel 135), Cogeco (channel 142) and Bell TV (channel 559).

NICKELODEON FREE PREVIEW PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

Giving viewers a chance to check out popular programs that Nickelodeon has to offer, the month-long free preview includes special programming events and exclusive premieres of new Nick live-action series such as The Troop and The Fresh Beat Band.

12 DAYS OF DRAKE & JOSH

Nickelodeon dedicates 12 days to Drake Bell and Josh Peck beginning on Monday, December 14 through to Friday, December 25 , when viewers can catch the funniest episodes of Drake & Josh in the show's regular timeslot at 5 p.m. The event will come to a close when Nick premieres the holiday special Merry Christmas , Drake & Josh on Friday, December 25 at 5 p.m. In this 90-minute special, Drake and Josh get in trouble once again. This time, it's on the roof of the mall during Christmas.

FANBOY AND CHUM CHUM MARATHON

For those not currently subscribing to Nickelodeon, viewers won't want to miss this opportunity to catch up on episodes from the newly launched Nick animated series exclusive to the network, Fanboy and Chum Chum. On Saturday, December 26 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. , viewers can join the fearless comic book-loving 10 year-old Fanboy and his best friend and trusty side-kick Chum Chum with back-to-back episodes of Fanboy and Chum Chum. Combining classic squash and stretch animation with CGI technology, this series features the voices of Josh Duhamel and Jamie Kennedy .

THE TROOP - SERIES PREMIERE

Viewers taking in the Nickelodeon free preview will be the first to catch the exclusive Canadian premiere of The Troop. Premiering with two back-to-back episodes on Saturday, January 2 at 8 p.m. , this new half-hour live-action comedy blends sci-fi adventure with CGI animation. Jake, a typical teenager struggling with adolescence, discovers a whole new existence when school counsellor Mr. Stockley ( John Marshall Jones ) reveals that he has unknowingly aced an aptitude test for admittance into a secret Troop. With the ultra high-tech headquarters hidden under their school, Jake and his new found crime-fighting companions, the smart and outgoing Hayley, and socially challenged Felix, are faced with the task of protecting their town from the paranormal.

THE FRESH BEAT BAND - SERIES PREMIERE

Marina, Kiki, Twist, and Shout are the Fresh Beats - four best friends who go to music school together and love to sing and dance. With a preschool appropriate music curriculum, this series covers self expression through music, music appreciation and comprehension of music terminology and concepts. Introducing all genres of music from classical, jazz and reggae, the Fresh Beats can take any situation and lead it to a full-blown song and dance performance. From the moment they wake up, everything that the Fresh Beats do is expressed through music. This live-action series set to original pop songs with preschool-friendly lyrics, will air Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1:30 p.m. beginning Monday, January 4 .

NICK CLASSIC SUNDAY

Chock full of award-winning properties, the Nickelodeon schedule also offers viewers timeless Nick favourites. For 24 hours straight on Sunday, January 10 , from 6 a.m. to 6 a.m. kids young and old won't want to miss Nick Classic Sunday, with popular Nick series airing back-to-back such as The Angry Beavers, Rugrats, CatDog and Ren & Stimpy.

About Nickelodeon ( Canada )

One of the world's leading entertainment brands for kids, Nickelodeon in Canada features a line-up of award-winning Nick properties, from current live-action comedies, animated favourites, special events such as the Kids' Choice Awards, to classic hits, 24-hours-a-day. Putting kids first in everything it does, this service gives viewers more Nick more of the time. Nickelodeon in Canada is a licensing agreement between MTV Networks International and Corus Entertainment. Visit www.nickcanada.com.

About Corus Entertainment

Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation. The company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, CosmoTV, VIVA, Movie Central, HBO Canada , Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

All Nickelodeon times are ET.

For high-resolution images, please visit:

http://www.corusent.com/home/MediaCentre/Television/Nickelodeon/tabid/2147/Default.aspx

For further information: Molly Ray, Senior Publicist, Corus Entertainment, [phone], [email protected]