Nickandmore!

via Nickelodeon press release:

USA Swimming To Produce Splash TV

First Nick GAS Original Series To Debut on Sunday, June 2, at 3:30 p.m. (ET/PT)

New York, NY — May 28, 2002— Nickelodeon GAS: Games and Sports for Kids and USA Swimming have joined together to produce Splash TV, the first Nick GAS original series. The show, a series about swimming and water sports, will premiere on the Nick GAS block on Nickelodeon on Sunday, June 2, at 3:30p.m. (ET/PT). The show will re-air on Nick GAS at 8pm & 11pm (ET).

Featuring a different theme and location in each episode, the show covers swimming, water sports, and activities which occur in and around that region. Additionally, USA Swimming will provide one of its National Team athletes to participate in various segments throughout the show.

“Splash TV, the first Nick GAS original series, signals a new chapter in our programming and give kids a platform to celebrate their love of water sports and activities,” said Mark Offitzer, Vice President and General Manager, Nick GAS. “The show is a perfect fit for our summer lineup, Splash TV debuts just as kids around the country are finishing school and getting ready to jump in the pool.”

“We want kids to see all the fun you can have in the water. If you know how to swim, you’ll be able to enjoy all of the water sports and activities we show you on Splash TV,” said Rod Davis, Chief Marketing Officer of USA Swimming. “The show fits extraordinarily well with our strategy of providing visibility for our athletes, building our base and getting more kids into the water.”

Splash TV will run at various times from June through September on Nick GAS and on Nickelodeon during the Sunday GAS programming block.

The first episode, filmed on Grand Bahama Island, features Olympic swimming medalist Aaron Peirsol, and segments on ocean swimming, scuba diving, wake boarding, jet skiing, sailing, and swimming with dolphins. Future episodes will originate from lakes, rivers, water parks and swimming pools.

Nickelodeon GAS: Games and Sports for Kids launched March 1, 1999, and features interactive on-air and online programming and a magazine dedicated exclusively to all the games and sports kids love to play. Hosted by Vivianne Collins, Dave Aizer and Mati Moralejo, Nickelodeon GAS features Nickelodeon’s vast library of kids-first game shows including: Global Guts; Double Dare; Wild & Crazy Kids; Figure It Out, hosted by Summer Sanders; and sports-related programs such as Sports Theatre with Shaquille O’Neal and Extreme GAS with Tara Lipinski.

Nickelodeon, now in its 23rd 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 more than 85 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than six consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

USA Swimming is the national governing body (NGB) for competitive swimming in the United States. More than 250,000 athletes compete for USA Swimming each year. The 2000 U.S. Olympic swim team accounted for more than one-third of the U.S. delegation’s medal haul from Sydney with 33 medals, including 14 golds. The total would have put the U.S. swim team eighth as a nation and fifth in the gold medal account.