Nickelodeon (often referred to by its shortened name, Nick, a practice that dates back to the early days of the channel, and previously named Pinwheel from 1977 to 1979) is an American cable television channel owned by MTV Networks. Since the early 1990s and early 2000s, Nickelodeon as a brand has expanded into other territories including Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and Asia.
Nickelodeon's broadcast day runs on Sunday through Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific Time). The Nick at Nite programming block, created in 1985, takes over the channel space during the interim hours.