Thus, Nickelodeon has created certain live-action shows, interstitials and wraparounds that are tailored for specific countries. It has not, thus far, created cartoon shows this way, but Judson says that remains a possibility. Its most successful animation overseas so far has been Bert the Fish, who "hosted" programming segments for Nick UK viewers last season. More such efforts are planned, according to company officials.

Nickelodeon also spends a great deal of time and money overseeing the dubbing process for its shows in various territories because, in Judson's words, "doing the dubbing process the right way is crucial to maintaining the integrity of our shows."

Rugrats© Nickelodeon

Another strategy has been to go into joint ventures with local broadcasters and producers to co-produce programming throughout the world. In the UK, Nickelodeon's channel was launched in partnership with British Sky Broadcasting; in Germany, it is majority owned by Viacom in partnership with Ravensburger Film and TV, and in Australia with XYZ Entertainment. Individual shows are co-produced with local partners, as well, and Latin and Asian companies are being wooed on a regular basis.

As far as the future is concerned, Judson feels it is wide open.

"We hire local people everywhere we go, we have our own studio in the UK, and are very open to co-productions," she says. "Nothing is out of the question. There are lots of things on the table for us. There are areas where we are looking to work together in a kind of multichannel or cross channel environment to co-produce programs or acquire shows that are good for our channels.

"We can do just about anything, as long as it is presented from a kid's point of view."

Michael Goldman is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor. He is the author of Mortal Kombat: The Movie, Behind the Scenes and routinely writes about animation, children's entertainment and special effects for several publications. He is currently Associate Editor of Special Reports at Variety in Hollywood.