Nickelodeon (or simply Nick) is an American pay television network owned by ViacomCBS through its Domestic Media Networks division.
Nickelodeon was first tested on December 1, 1977 as the C-3 channel of QUBE, an early local cable television system in Columbus, Ohio. The C-3 channel aired Pinwheel, an educational show developed by Dr. Vivian Horner, whose success allowed her to expand the program into a full channel on national television. The channel, now named Nickelodeon, was launched nationwide as the first cable network aimed at children on April 1, 1979, with Pinwheel as its first program. The network was initially commercial-free and remained without advertising until 1984.