Power Rangers morph back into Haim Saban's hands, will air on Nickelodeon [updated]

One of the most popular -- and reviled -- icons of 1990s children's television is back in the hands of the man who launched it.

Media mogul Haim Saban has bought back the rights to "Power Rangers," the hit television show that fueled his dominance of children's television in the 1990s, from Walt Disney Co., which took control of the property in 2001.

Saban has also signed a deal with Nickelodeon, Disney's primary rival in the kids' TV business, to air 20 new episodes of "Power Rangers" that he will produce, along with a catalog of more than 700 episodes.

The deal is worth about $100 million, according to a person familiar with the situation. Saban declined to comment on the price.

Originally known as "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers," the low-budget series debuted in 1993 and consisted primarily of recycled footage from Japan of monsters battling teenage superheroes whose voices were dubbed by American voice-over actors. Saban said new episodes, which will start airing in 2011, will be produced in a similar manner.

"Power Rangers" was one of the most popular shows on the cable channel Fox Family, a joint venture between Saban and News Corp. that was acquired by Walt Disney Co. in 2001 for $3.2 billion. The acquisition included rights to the show, which later transferred to smaller cable channel Jettix, now known as Disney XD, as its popularity faded and now airs on ABC stations at different times.

"I think this property has significant legs going forward if it's in an environment where it is nurtured and supported as opposed to being part of a huge portfolio," Saban said. "I think 'Power Rangers' can flourish and be more impactful than it has been for the past five years."

[Update, 4:35 p.m.: "The Power Rangers don’t fit with the Disney brand or with our long-term programming strategy," a company spokesman said in a statement.]

For Nickelodeon, the "Power Rangers" deal is part of a push to air more programming that appeals to young boys. The Viacom Inc.-owned network recently made a similar deal to relaunch the popular 1980s cartoon "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"This fits in nicely as we are doing more things specifically for boys, and we are excited to add proven properties to our original slate," said Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami.

Zarghami added that although "Power Rangers" was somewhat controversial in the 1990s for its violence, she didn't think the show's campy martial arts would bother many parents today.

The acquisition is being done under the auspices of Saban Brands, a new company backed by $500 million of the media mogul's money with the goal of acquiring entertainment and consumer brands.

Saban said the company is in negotiations to buy three other brands. He declined to identify them but said that, unlike "Power Rangers," they are not aimed at children.

-- Ben Fritz

Times staff writers Joe Flint and Dawn C. Chmielewski contributed to this report.

Photo: The Power Rangers. Credit: Saban Brands

Fast-talking, squeaky-voiced YouTube phenom 'Fred' gets his close-up [Updated]

Lucas Cruikshank's hyperactive, high-pitched Internet child persona "Fred" will appear in his own feature-length film on Nickelodeon.

The 6-year-old character debuted on YouTube in 2008, and the Fred Channel became one of the site's fastest-growing channels. Fred's hyperkinetic video exploits, which follow his crush on Judy, his dealings with his nemesis Kevin and his awkward attempts at dancing and working out, regularly attract millions of online viewers.

Fred made the leap from the computer screen to the TV last year, when the character appeared on iCarly's "iMeet Fred." The episode drew such large numbers -- an audience of 5.1-million viewers -- Nickelodeon was receptive to the feature-film project. The movie was originally conceived as a theatrical release.

Updated: 3:10 p.m. Evan Weiss, the film's co-producer and Cruikshank's manager, said he and other members of The Collective management team and partner Varsity Pictures opted to distribute the movie through Nickelodeon as the most effective way to bring Fred to a wider audience.

"The movie we made fits in with things that Nickelodeon has done, particularly SpongeBob [SquarePants] -- another great, optimistic character experiencing life in a nontraditional way, with a very youthful outlook," Weis said. "I love the association of Nickelodeon and Fred. There's certainly a strong track record of Nickelodeon brands crossing over into the theatrical distribution space. That's certainly something that we envision as a possibility."

Nickelodeon/MTV Networks' Kids and Family Group President Cyma Zarghami announced Wednesday that "Fred: The Movie" would be out later this year and explore the character's attempts to win over his unrequited love.

That's quite a coup for the 16-year-old high school student from Nebraska, who, on his Facebook page, said he created Fred as a satiric sendup of self-absorbed video bloggers.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski

Photo: Lucas Cruikshank at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Mutant Ninja Turtles coming to play with SpongeBob and Dora at Nickelodeon

Move over SpongeBob SquarePants, some mutant ninja turtles are headed your way.

Viacom Inc.'s kids cable network Nickelodeon has struck a $60 million deal with The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment to acquire the rights to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which was one of the biggest kids shows of the 1980s and even spawned a successful movie franchise. Nickeloden will produce a new cartoon series that it hopes to premier in 2012 and sister studio Paramount Pictures will release a new feature based on the series as well.

For Nickelodeon, the move is part of an ongoing strategy to to attract more boys to the channel. Over the past five years, Nickelodeon's reach among boys 6-11 has fallen by almost 10%, and by 6% in the  9-14 category. Rivals including Walt Disney Co., new cable network Disney XD and Time Warner's Cartoon Network, both have programming that is aimed directly at boys and young teens.

Nickelodeon, on the other hand, has often tried to make shows that appeal to both boys and girls, such as its cartoon shows "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Dora the Explorer," or primarily girls such as is the case with its live action shows "iCarly" and "True Jackson, VP."

The deal is also a change in direction in the type of programming Nickelodeon typically carries, where cartoons tend to be soft and cerebral. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" follows the adventures of four mutant turtles who fight evil from their home base in the New York City sewer system and are guided by their leader, a rat named Master Splinter.

SpongeBob's still a hit on the screen but a dud on the newsstand

Even SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer are getting squeezed by the economy.

Viacom is shutting down Nickelodeon Magazine this week and will lay off about 30 staffers. Launched in 1993, the magazine, with a circulation of more than 1 million and a total audience of more than 6 million, was for many years an important promotional platform for the children's cable network and provided a steady stream of cash. The magazine even once was a National Magazine Award finalist and also led to a few spin-off products.

But like other magazines, Nickelodeon has suffered from the double whammy of more of its audience going to the Internet (darn those early adapters) and a prolonged advertising slump. Although the cable network remains dominant, the value the magazine provided as a marketing tool for it had faded over the last few years.

So remember, next time you take your kids to the doctor's office, bring reading material with you.

-- Joe Flint