Nickelodeon is ending National Hispanic Heritage Month on a high note, as the debut of its newest animated series Santiago of the Seas garnered the biggest L+3 lift the network has ever had for a preschool launch.
The premiere (Friday, Oct. 9, at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT) posted a 96% increase with Kids 2-5, up from 2.6 (L+SD) to 5.1 (L+3). Ratings with Latinx viewers grew triple digits and accounted for over a third of the overall Kids 2-5 viewership. Additionally, 40% of the premiere’s audience were brand-new preschool viewers to Nickelodeon.
Infused with a Spanish-language and Latino-Caribbean culture curriculum, Santiago of the Seas is an action-adventure series (20 episodes) that follows 8-year-old Santiago “Santi” Montes, a brave and kind-hearted pirate, as he embarks on daring rescues, searches for treasures and keeps the high seas safe in a fantastical Caribbean world. Santiago of the Seas airs regularly Fridays at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
In the series, Santiago’s (Kevin Chacon) steadfast and loyal crew consists of: Tomás (Justice Quiroz), his clumsy energetic cousin whose magical guitar can be used to harness the wind; and Lorelai (Alyssa Cheatham), a knowledgeable mermaid who can speak to sea creatures and transform into a young human girl. Together, Santi and his best mates sail the seas on the majestic ship El Bravo, using their smarts, pirate skills and moral compasses to guard their home of Isla Encanto from villains like the nefarious pirate Bonnie Bones (Kyndra Sanchez) and her Palm Crow sidekick Sir Butterscotch (John Leguizamo).
Santiago of the Seas is created by Niki López, Leslie Valdes and Valerie Walsh Valdes. Valdes and Walsh Valdes (Dora the Explorer) serve as executive producers with López co-executive producing. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, Calif., with production overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Preschool.
Read more about this pre-k pirate adventure in Ramin Zahed’s story for Animation Magazine here.
