Jan 15, 2021

Nickelodeon's first original Chinese show, "Deer Squad," is making its debut in the United States.

Deer Squad, the product of a groundbreaking partnership between Nickelodeon and China, is coming to the U.S. The cg preschool series will premiere on Nickelodeon on January 25 at 9 a.m. (ET/PT), and will continue to air on weekdays at the same time.

The show, which stars a pack of magic anthropomorphic deer, marks the first time Nickelodeon has backed a Chinese project from the development phase. Deer Squad was produced by Iqiyi, a major Chinese streaming service which has branched out into original programming. Nickelodeon International and VIS Kids, the new kids' content division at ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS), partnered with Iqiyi for the creation of the show, with Nickelodeon providing creative guidance.

After launching in Asia in August 2020, Deer Squad aired in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. later in the year. It performed strongly in several territories, becoming the number-one show in the Philippines among children aged 2–14. A second season is in production.

Nina Hahn, Head of VIS Kids and svp of International Production & Development for Nickelodeon International, said in a statement: “We first partnered with Iqiyi on the series with a worldwide audience in mind. We're incredibly proud to see this original preschool series become the first Nickelodeon International global Chinese-originated collaborative project, as we further our commitment to developing kids-first content from around the world.”

In 2018, the international division of Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom (now ViacomCBS) launched a five-year initiative to develop new content in China. At the time, the company said it would invest in up to two projects a year and explore the international licensing potential of the resulting content. The initiative was launched after it announced that it was working on Deer Squad with Iqiyi.