Coronavirus: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2020 back on and taking place 2 May - with slime - but now done mostly from home with Victoria Justice as host.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Nickelodeon channel's Kids' Choice Awards 2020 is back on and will take place this Saturday, 2 May - and although there will still be slime it will mostly be a done-from-home show.

After the Kids' Choice Awards 2020 that was set for 22 March was called off because of the growing global Covid-19 pandemic, it will now be shown on Nickelodeon in the United States on Saturday.

A broadcast date for the Kids' Choice Awards 2020 on the African Nickelodeon (DStv 305) channel feed of ViacomCBS Networks Africa isn't known yet with the awards that doesn't appear on the latest schedule yet.

The awards will be hosted by Victoria Justice and celebrities scheduled to appear on the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2020 include Dwayne Johnson, Ariana Grande, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Camila Cabello, Millie Bobby Brown, Ellen DeGeneres, BTS, Shawn Mendes, Lil Nas X, Dove Cameron, Tom Holland, David Dobrik, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke and SSSniperWolf.

There will also be appearances from cast members of The Avengers: Endgame (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner), and a sneak peek of Nickelodeon's new live-action series The Astronauts, from Imagine Entertainment.

Segments will include JoJo Siwa discovering slime secretly placed in every area of her home; a performance by recording artist and actor Asher Angel of his chart-topping single "All Day"; and an look at Nick's Slime in Space voyage.

The NBA champion LeBron James will receive the 2020 Generation Change Award. Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2020 is produced by Nickelodeon Productions with Jay Schmalholz as executive producer.

ViacomCBS calls off the 2020 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles that was set for 22 March; awards show postponed indefinitely.

by Thinus Ferreira

ViacomCBS has decided to postpone its annual 2020 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards set for 22 March 2020 in Los Angeles, although it's still being advertised in promos on ViacomCBS Networks Africa's Nickelodeon (DStv 305) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service in South Africa and Africa.

The 2020 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is the latest award show and event being cancelled or postponed in the United States and globally as novel coronavirus Covid-19 cases and fears spread in America and globally.

"The Kids’ Choice Awards scheduled for 22 March 2020 in Los Angeles is being postponed in consideration of the safety and well-being of every person involved with the show, which is our top priority. We will have further information about a new date in the future," says Nickelodeon in a statement.

The Grammy winner Chance the Rapper was supposed to be the host of the 2020 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2020 is produced by Nickelodeon Productions with Michael Dempsey and Jay Schmalholz as executive producers.

Meanwhile production on the American TV drama series Riverdale seen on M-Net (DStv 101) has also been shut down for the time being on Wednesday after a crew member came into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.

In Africa MultiChoice and M-Net are going ahead with this Saturday's 7th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards taking place in Lagos, Nigeria as well as the 2020 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards taking place at The Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg.

Collectively thousands of people from across sub-Sahara will attend the two award show ceremonies which will both be broadcast live on the Africa Magic and Mzansi Magic channels on DStv.

The National Film and Video Foundation's (NFVF) 14th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) is also still on for 27 and 28 March at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Meanwhile as the global coronavirus pandemic spreads, M-Net on Thursday told TVwithThinus that it is "re-assessing the timelines and location for the next season of Survivor South Africa and will make a decision soon".

Filming on the new 8th season of Survivor SA, entitled Survivor SA: Immunity Island is supposed to start soon but will very likely now be delayed, likely also impacting the broadcast starting date of September 2020 which might be pushed out as well.

Viacom approves a first-ever Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for the Middle East, slime-fest awards show will take place in Abu Dhabi on 20 September 2019.

Viacom's Nickelodeon (DStv 305) is creating a new Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Abu Dhabi that will be taking place in September as a new version of the kids awards show for the Middle East region.

The first Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Abu Dhabi will take place on 20 September at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and include a line-up of regional and international performers.

"The first-ever version of the globally renowned kids event to be staged in the Middle East will feature musical and entertainment performances, as well as bucketloads of Nickelodeon’s trademark green slime, while, at the same time, giving young fans the power to vote for their favourite artists and talent across a wide range of categories," Viacom says in a statement.

The Kids' Choice Awards Abu Dhabi is expected to be broadcast on the Nickelodeon Africa channel feed overseen by Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa). The Kids' Choice Awards Abu Dhabi 2019 is part of part of Viacom's ongoing expansion in the Middle East region.

"Producing the Kids' Choice Awards in Abu Dhabi will create a new entertainment experience for kids in the Middle East and raise the international visibility of Abu Dhabi even further," says Raffaele Annecchino, president of Southern and Western Europe, Middle East and Africa for VIMN, in a statement.

"This partnership with the department of culture and tourism of Abu Dhabi is an important milestone for us, which further strengthens our leadership position within the media sector in the Middle East."

"Viacom has invested significantly in this key region, expanding our brand portfolio in recent years. We will now bring the first of our globally recognized tentpole events to the Middle East and North Africa region, and we want to continue growing this important area of business."

Saif Saeed Ghobash, under-secretary of Abu Dhabi's department of culture and tourism, says "An event of this stature fits perfectly with our mandate to provide the very best entertainment and activations for all sectors of society, and we are looking forward to seeing overseas visitor numbers increasing as a consequence of securing this significant event for Abu Dhabi for the next 5 years".