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Rob Gronkowski, the big football star who acts like he hasn't grown up, will be the host of Nickelodeon's new sports clip series Crashletes.
Crashletes was one of two new Rob Dyrdek-produced series announced at the kids network's upfront presentation in New York Wednesday evening.
Nickelodeon, the leader in ad revenue among kids networks, is trying to bounce back from deep ratings decline two years ago caused partly by stale shows and party by young viewers moving to digital entertainment. Even if that digital entertainment came from Nick, much of it isn't included in traditional TV ratings.
At the upfront, Nick announced that it would head into the new season with more than 650 episodes of new and continuing series.
"We have worked hard to deepen our relationships with our audience, our partners and the creative community to keep our momentum growing, and we remain unwavering in our mission to put kids first and devote every resource to making the world a more playful place," said Cyma Zarghami, president of the Viacom Kids and Family Group.
In addition to Crashletes, which was picked up for 20 episodes filled with viral sports clips and personalities from sports and entertainment, Dyrdek is bringing to Nick Jagger Eaton's Mega Life (working title). The show follows the 15-year old skateboarder as he skates the world and hangs with his idols.
Other new live action series are Ride, about a girl who moves to an equestrian boarding school in England, and TheOther Kingdom, about a fairy princess who enters the moral world for 90 days.
Previously announced live-action series coming to Nick include School of Rock, All in with Cam Newton, The Dudas, The Ludwigs and I Am Frankie.
Nick renewed live-actions shows Henry Danger and Game Shakers from producer and former child star Dan Schneider, as well as The Thundermans.
In animation, Nickelodeon said it renewed SpongeBob SquarePants, Harvey Beaks and Pig Goat Banana Cricket.
Upcoming Nickelodeon animated series included The Loud House, Bunsen Is a Beast!, Mysticons, Welcome to the Wayne and Pinky Malinky.
For preschoolers, Nick will be adding:
Rusty Rivets, slated to premiere later this year, features a boy who invests his way out of jams, introducing viewers to concepts from science, technology and engineering (26 episodes).
SunnyDay, which follows the best hairstylist in town who solves problems with determination and creativity (40 episodes).
At the upfront the company said it was renaming its marketing group as Nickelodeon Velocity.
Attending the upfront was NFL MVP Cam Newton, who has a new show on the network, and NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who is launching a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles clothing line. Recording artist Flo Rida performed.
