Well, it turns out that Nickelodeon is trying to its darndest to become ruler of the universe. Er, that would be the children's programming universe.

At the recent upfront presentation for the media, Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami informed the audience that 70 of the top 70 children's programs were on their channel. In fact, according to Zarghami, the network's lead is 101% over their nearest competitor, Cartoon Network. Well, I guess they can brag a little bit.

So, with control of the cable world firmly in their grasp, Nickelodeon is beginning to extend its tendrils into new electronics frontiers. To assist in this world dominance the network has launched a new animation lab, Inkubators, which will develop original animated content for platforms such as broadband, wireless, gaming and portable video devices. A number of projects are already in the works for release later this year and in 2007.

Newsarama.com has a breakdown on the new releases, as well as a list of new orders for existing shows. This includes 20 new episodes of the increasingly popular Lazytown.  There will be joy in the Keller house this evening.