Nickelodeon Greenlights Brand-New "Lip Sync Battle Shorties" Series

10-Episode Order Showcases Talented Kids in Epic Musical Showdowns, Based on Spike's Global Hit Series

NEW YORK -- Nickelodeon, the number-one kids' network, is putting real kids center stage with the greenlight of Lip Sync Battle Shorties, a spinoff of Spike's Emmy-nominated global phenomenon, Lip Sync Battle. The half-hour, 10-episode series will feature real-life kids lip-syncing pop songs in celebration of their favorite artists and builds upon the success of Nick's hour-long special of the same name, which premiered in December 2016 and posted double- and triple-digit gains with kids. Lip Sync Battle Shorties will begin production later this year and the series is set to premiere in the fall. The news was announced at Nickelodeon's Upfront presentation, held today in New York City.

"Lip Sync Battle Shorties is so illustrative of how kids have changed," said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group. "Our research tells us this generation believes they are all one step away from being famous. This show celebrates real kids with real talent, but more importantly a passion to perform and the confidence to do it."

Lip Sync Battle Shorties drew more than two million total viewers (Live+7) when it premiered in December and content from the special has garnered over 20 million views on Nickelodeon's YouTube channel.

Kid participants on Lip Sync Battle Shorties can personalize their performances, allowing them to make decisions on all creative elements from song and costume selection, to choreography and staging. Each episode will feature three talented real-life kids, the Shorties Dance Crew and a host that will be announced soon.

Lip Sync Battle Shorties is created and executive produced by Casey Patterson Entertainment and Matador Content, with John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant and Eight Million Plus Productions also serving as executive producers--the same team behind the original award-winning Emmy-nominated Lip Sync Battle on Spike.

Based on the pop culture phenomenon of lip sync battling, the original Spike Lip Sync Battle series features celebrities going head to head--lip-syncing the song of their choice--battling for the coolest bragging rights on the planet. The series is a ratings and multiplatform superstar for Spike and is the most-watched original series in the network's history.

Nickelodeon year to date is the number-one kids' network, with the top shows on all TV in every key demo--the top 10 among Kids 2-11; nine of the top 10 with Kids 6-11; and six of the top 10 shows for Kids 2-5. Nick recently marked its third straight year at number one with kids, outpacing the competition most recently in 2016 by double digits. Nickelodeon also had the top shows in every demo in 2016: nine out of the top 10 with Kids 2-11; six of the top 10 with Kids 6-11; and six of the top 10 preschool programs.

Nickelodeon, now in its 37th 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 more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIA, VIAB).