Nick At Nite Barks Up New Awards Show

Nick At Nite is going to the dogs.

Nickelodeon’s nighttime programming block Nick at Nite will debut in July The Worldwide Fido Awards, which will showcase the best-looking canines as voted by viewers – part of the network’s new slate of programming announced Tuesday.

Viewers can upload user-generated videos of their dogs to www.worldwidefido.com to compete in six categories, the winners which will be chosen through online voting, according to the network.  

“This truly is the first award show of its kind,” said Nickelodeon executive vice president, original programming and development Marjorie Cohn in a statement. “People are just crazy in love with their dogs, and pet videos are the second most watched videos on the Internet.  A special programming event which showcases this user-generated content to celebrate the family dog is a perfect fit for Nick at Nite.” 

The Worldwide Fido Awards will be produced by Worldwide Biggies, headed by former Nickelodeon programming executive Albie Hecht. Worldwide Biggies will also produce Nick-At-Nite’s new sports competition series My Family’s Got GUTS premiering this fall, in which families compete against each other in a number of action sports activities.

In other NAN news, the network will bring the 1980’s favorite nerd Steve Urkel to the network when it launches the comedy sitcom Family Matters June 19 with a seven-hour marathon.

The series, the second longest running series featuring an African-American cast, will air Mondays-Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to the network.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.