Nickelodeon Inks Deal with State Farm(R)

Nickelodeon Inks Deal with State Farm(R)

Marks Network's First National Partnership with an Insurance Company; Multiplatform Sponsorship Spans Nick Assets to Reach Families

State Farm to Serve as Co-Title Sponsor of Nickelodeon's 2007 Go, Diego, Go Live! Tour

Nickelodeon to Promote State Farm Child Safety Day Events with On-Air Public Service Announcements

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, has partnered with State Farm, the nation's largest insurer of cars and homes, in a multi-platform advertising and promotional sponsorship. The new alliance will incorporate several Nickelodeon assets that primarily reach parents, kids and families. The agreement was announced today by Jim Perry, Executive Vice President of 360 Brand Sales, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group, and Mark Gibson, Assistant Vice President -- Advertising, State Farm Insurance.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070108/NYM180LOGO )

The advertising and promotional agreement with State Farm, a first in the insurance category for Nickelodeon and the first time State Farm has partnered with a kid's network, will be divided among several Nickelodeon platforms including the Nick Jr. preschool programming block on Nickelodeon television, Nick Jr. Family Magazine, and NickJr.com. State Farm will serve as the exclusive insurance sponsor and the official co-title sponsor of the Go, Diego, Go Live! Tour, which begins in February 2007 and will travel to 50 markets.

"We are excited to welcome State Farm to Nickelodeon as our first advertiser in the insurance category," said Perry. "A partnership with a family focused company like State Farm takes advantage of Nickelodeon's comprehensive, multiplatform offerings for marketers that reach all demographics in the kids and parenting space. This is truly a collaboration of two brands equally committed to bringing the very best to those they serve."

State Farm will begin its national advertising campaign with Nickelodeon in January 2007. It will also be featured in all the marketing and advertising materials for the Go, Diego, Go Live! Tour, including national television spots on Nickelodeon, on Nick Jr.com, and in Nick Jr. Family Magazine. Local television, newspaper, radio, and direct mail advertising purchased by Nickelodeon to support the live tour will also feature the State Farm logo. In addition, State Farm signage and its logo will be included at all tour venues and on collateral materials.

"This partnership between State Farm and Nickelodeon brings together two of the most trusted family brands," commented State Farm's Gibson. "The Go, Diego, Go Live! Tour attracts thousands of families and provides strong brand exposure opportunities for State Farm. Nickelodeon's properties also provide a wonderful venue for getting our safety campaign messaging in front of a primary demographic."

Nickelodeon will also produce and air a public service announcement (PSA) for State Farm to promote its national Child Safety Day program. State Farm Child Safety Day events are held at various locations nationwide. The events demonstrate State Farm's commitment to ensuring passenger safety from the car seat to the driver's seat. The PSA will utilize characters from the hit animated preschool television series, Go, Diego, Go!. The spot will begin airing in May 2007 during the Nick Jr. preschool programming block on Nickelodeon.

The new live-action stage show, Go, Diego, Go Live! The Great Jaguar Rescue, follows Diego, his sister Alicia and cousin Dora on an action-packed, special mission to get Baby Jaguar's growl back from the Bobo Brothers. They'll need the audience's help to rescue animals, navigate through the rainforest, and pass a giant waterfall to get to the Animal Carnivale. Featuring the familiar songs and characters from the award winning television show that fans have come to love, this live action theatrical will take preschoolers on an interactive, high-stakes journey inspired by the rich environments of Latin America and by the animals that make their homes in those habitats. For more information on Go, Diego, Go Live!, visit http://www.nickjr.com/.

About State Farm

State Farm(R) insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 74 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.8 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No.22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com/ (R) or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca/ (TM).

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 27th 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, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070108/NYM180LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN18
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon; State Farm

CONTACT: Joanna Roses of Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-7326, or Mia Jazo-
Harris of State Farm Insurance, +1-309-766-5242

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.statefarm.com/
http://www.statefarm.ca/
http://www.nickjr.com/

-------
Profile: intent