History AdoredByTheNetwork / SpongeBobSquarePants

* And then came April 2015. After years and years of ignoring analysts who downgraded the company and cable companies who dumped the channel for binge-marathoning a series the same way anyone else can through Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, Viacom braced for major cutbacks, and among them (besides actual employees) were ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns. As a side effect of these cutbacks, Nickelodeon would finally embrace series from other companies for the first time in years, starting with ''WesternAnimation/OggyAndTheCockroaches'' (a show that did nothing on Creator/FoxKids in 1998, but looked fresh and original on present-day Nickelodeon). That said, ''Oggy'' didn't last quite long on Nick, [[http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2015/03/14/nickelodeon-topless-cartoon-boobs-nip-slip-oggy-and-the-cockroaches as it came under fire]] by MoralGuardians due to a brief image of a topless woman in the episode "Unhappy Campers", and the show was moved to sister channel Nicktoons. It says something when Nicktoons itself aired more ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns in primetime than Nickelodeon itself does. (As an additional consequence, ''Oggy'' also affected many places which showed Nick to entertain kids, as they now changed channels to rival channels due to this episode's airing.)
** Eventually, the show only aired for two and a half to three hours a day, and the network would be mostly made up of [[KidCom kid coms]] [[FollowTheLeader to lure in viewers of]] [[Creator/DisneyChannel their rival network into watching their channel]] as a result of shows such as ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'', ''Series/KCUndercover'' and even ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' outperforming [=SpongeBob=] in ratings.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming movie. The fact that merchendise sales were extremely high didn't hurt much either. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. There's also the fact that cable television is declining as a whole thanks to platforms like ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and ''Website/{{YouTube}}'' getting more and more attention from kids. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

* Starting in July 2018, ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns suddenly snuck into the early hours of Nick @ Nite, thus making the weekly amount of ''[=SpongeBob=]'' airing on Nick matching the time when its reruns were at an all time high between 2008-2011.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons Network]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming movie. The fact that merchendise sales were extremely high didn't hurt much either. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. There's also the fact that cable television is declining as a whole thanks to platforms like ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and ''Website/{{YouTube}}'' getting more and more attention from kids. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

* And then came April 2015, when after years and years of ignoring analysts who downgraded the company and cable companies who dumped the channel for binge-marathoning a series the same way anyone else can through Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, Viacom braced for major cutbacks, and among them (besides actual employees) are ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns. As a side effect of these cutbacks, Nickelodeon would finally embrace series from other companies for the first time in years, starting with ''WesternAnimation/OggyAndTheCockroaches'' (a show that did nothing on Creator/FoxKids in 1998, but looked fresh and original on present-day Nickelodeon). That said, ''Oggy'' didn't last quite long on Nick, [[http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2015/03/14/nickelodeon-topless-cartoon-boobs-nip-slip-oggy-and-the-cockroaches as it came under fire]] by MoralGuardians due to a brief image of a topless woman in the episode "Unhappy Campers", and the show was moved to sister channel Nicktoons with its timeslot replaced by ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' (and on some days by ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'' or a live-action show). It says something when Nicktoons itself airs more ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns in primetime than Nickelodeon itself does. (As an additional consequence, ''Oggy'' also affected many places which showed Nick to entertain kids, as they now changed channels to rival channels due to this episode's airing.)
* Now the show only airs for two and a half to three hours a day, and the network is now mostly made up of [[KidCom kid coms]] [[FollowTheLeader to lure in viewers of]] [[Creator/DisneyChannel their rival network into watching their channel]] as a result of shows such as ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'', ''Series/KCUndercover'' and even ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' outperforming [=SpongeBob=] in ratings.
* As of November 2015, the show airs six times a day due to the popularity of ''WesternAnimation/ALVINNNAndTheChipmunks''. They even brought back ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' to the schedule after a long time of not being on the main channel. Again, it really says something when the Nicktoons Network airs more episodes of [=SpongeBob=] than the main network does.[[note]] Depending on the day of the week, they air up to '''nine''' episodes a day in the dead hours of 11:30PM to 6:00AM, and mostly older ones and specials at that.[[/note]]

* Now in 2017, the usual morning to mid afternoon schedule during non-Nick Jr (Saturdays and Sundays) hours consists of ''[=SpongeBob=]'' and ''The Loud House'', taking up most of the weekends schedule.
* In the UK, the Nicktoons subchannel airs nothing but [=SpongeBob=], ''Alvinnn! And The Chipmunks'' and ''The Loud House'' all day.
* Starting on July 2018, ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns have suddenly snuck into the early hours of Nick @ Nite, thus making the weekly amount of ''[=SpongeBob=]'' airing on Nick matches to the time when its reruns was at an all time high between 2008-2011.
* For some reason, Nick seems to be fond of airing both ''[=SpongeBob=]'' movies. The 2004 movie normally airs on holidays, big events, and whenever there isn't enough movies to play. But ever since ''Sponge Out of Water'' debuted on television, it has been played on Nickelodeon almost every week. It makes you wonder if Nick even acknowledge the rest of the movies they produced.
* Since August 2018, nothing but ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns airs on the Nicktoons channel from 11PM to 6AM, ''every single day.'' Nick Australia and New Zealand also does the same overnight marathon shtick.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons Network]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming theatrical movie. The fact that merchendise sales were extremely high didn't hurt much either. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. There's also the fact that cable television is declining as a whole thanks to platforms like ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and ''Website/{{YouTube}}'' getting more and more attention from kids. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

* There was a three-day long marathon of nothing but [=SpongeBob=] in 2009 to promote the [[MilestoneCelebration 10-year anniversary]] leading up to the ''Truth or Square'' special. Later during that week, even ''Nick At Nite'' aired a special about the production of the show.
* An all-day marathon aired on New Year's Eve 2009.
* On 7/18/10, an unannounced twelve hour marathon of ''[=SpongeBob=]'' aired on the channel, before an airing of ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting''. Became HilariousInHindsight when a remake of that movie was announced for Creator/DisneyChannel, a rival network, in 2016.
* On 7/29/10, of the 11 hours of Nickelodeon not including Creator/NickAtNite and Nick Jr, nine hours were filled with ''[=SpongeBob=]'' and ''iCarly'' alone without any of their current Nicktoons showing and only two other shows aired.

* The UK Nickelodeon had a '''502''' hour marathon of [=SpongeBob=] in Summer 2011 (that's two hours short of ''three solid weeks'') for the Clash of the Bottom competition, where kids had to vote for their favorite main character. To top that off, it was the UK's second-longest TV show marathon ''of all time'', only being beaten by Boomerang UK's [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Scooby Summer]].
* On July 21, 2012 Nick aired a [=SpongeBob=] marathon to promote the "Super-Spongey Square Games", an hour-long block of new episodes devoted to sports. They also aired the 1-hour special "Truth or Square" and the movie.
* Whenever a new episode is going to be aired (and a ''15-minute one'' at that), Nickelodeon will hype it up with a big marathon and tons of promos that air on Nickelodeon, other Viacom networks, and networks that aren't owned by Viacom! [[note]] though the latter instance may depend on your cable/satellite provider, as some of them overwrite ads to air local commercials or promos for other networks. Make note that Creator/{{CBS}} is no longer part of Viacom[[/note]] This died down around the time ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' premiered, however.
* Hollywood news website ''Deadline'' reported that in January 2012, ''[=SpongeBob=]'' filled up about a quarter of Nickelodeon's schedule. As of October 2013, the Sponge now accounts for roughly ''45%'' of the network's airtime!
* Nick had a [=SpongeBob=] "Win-a-thon" on June 8th, 2014, to promote the network premiere of ''Film/MrMagoriumsWonderEmporium''.

* A nearly all-day marathon of [=SpongeBob=] occured on Saint Patrick's Day 2018, followed by a new episode of ''Series/HenryDanger'' and an encore of ''The Loud House'' episode "Pipe Dreams".
* On April 28, 2018, they showed a marathon of Mermaidman and Barnacle Boy-themed episodes to compete with the opening weekend of ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', a highly-anticipated movie about superheroes. It makes some sense, as the channel did notably show a couple of exclusive sneak peaks of the film during their programming. And also the fact that said film referenced the show (and also [[CelebrityParadox raised several questions about the existence of]] [[Creator/ClancyBrown two]] [[Creator/ScarlettJohansson actors]] [[CelebrityParadox who've appeared in both properties]], as well as one of the people who did special effects for the FramingDevice segments of ''Party Pooper Pants'' also working on ''Infinity War''). They did the same thing for ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' a year later from April 28th to 29th, but this time, it was all day long and only stopped for a new ''WesternAnimation/RainbowButterflyUnicornKitty'', as well as reruns of ''Ryan's Mystery Playdate'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', which ended with the Nickelodeon premiere of ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl''.
* On July 7, 2018, Nickelodeon had an mid-morning to mid-afternoon marathon (only stopping for a new episode of ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaSteel'') to compete with the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/SummerCampIsland'' on Cartoon Network.

* A marathon was held on January 20, 2019 to entertain children stuck inside their houses due to a snowstorm that hit most of the East Coast. Ironically, "The Ballad of Filthy Muck", the episode that premiered that day, ended up being the first episode in [=SpongeBob=] history to premiere under 1 million viewers as a result as declining cable ratings and [[BigBlackout most households losing power]] during the aforementioned snowstorm.

** The day of the 54th Super Bowl had an almost all-day ''[=SpongeBob=]'' marathon, only stopping for their early-morning shows. In addition, "The Secret Box/Band Geeks" played twice that day.

* From July 7th to July 11th, Nicktoons Network had a 4-day marathon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show with every episode ever airing in order and to promote the ''[=SpongeBob=]'s Big Birthday Blowout'' special. It was planned to be extended to the 12th, but stopped on the 11th at 6:00 AM EST. The main network themselves only aired the marathon on the 12th (the day of the actual special) from 10AM to 8PM so that ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'', ''Ryan's Mystery Playdate'', [[note]] the first two of which are some of Nick's biggest shows besides ''[=SpongeBob=]'' to the point where they've occasionally had higher ratings[[/note]] ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'', and the ''Series/AllThat'' reboot could air as usual. However, there was a slight increase in re-runs of the show that week, which took over slots for other shows like ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'' and ''Cousins For Life''
** On the same week as the anniversary special, ''[[Series/DoubleDare1986 Double Dare]]'' had a week themed around ''[=SpongeBob=]'', something which hasn't happened before for any Nicktoon.
** ''[=SpongeBob=]'s Big Birthday Blowout'' got this treatment even after airing. In a similar treatment to several special episodes of fellow Nickelodeon series ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', Nick aired the special not only every single day after its premiere, but twice on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month after the premiere.
* On September 8, 2019, a nearly all-day marathon aired (only stopping for a rerun of ''Middle School Moguls'' and 3 1/2 hours of ''The Loud House'') to compete with the FX premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheEmojiMovie''.
* An all-day marathon aired on November 5, 2019 to celebrate Election Day, when most American elementary schoolers have off from school.
* A two-day marathon was held from November 29, 2019 to November 30, 2019 to promote the premieres of the series ''Top Elf'' as well as new episodes of ''WesternAnimation/FortyFourCats'', ''The Substitute'' and ''Series/AllThat'' and to compete with the annual airing of ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' on CBS and the TBS premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoNinjagoMovie''.
* An all-day marathon was held on Nickelodeon on January 4, 2020 to premiere the "Patchy's Beach Party" special and to compete with the first non-holiday airings of the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episodes "Halloween" and "Thanksgiving" since 2017.
* An all-afternoon marathon was held on February 29, 2020 to premiere a new episode of ''Series/TheCrystalMaze'' and compete with ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Lost In Language".
* An all-afternoon marathon was held on April 6, 2020 to hype up the premiere of ''Ollie's Pack''.
* Another all-day marathon, which only stopped for Nick Jr. and a new episode of ''WesternAnimation/ItsPony'', was held on June 5, 2020 to promote ''The Stars Of [=SpongeBob=] Present Fan Favorites'' and to honor the passing of Bob Kulick, who wrote the stock music track "Sweet Victory" that was featured in "Band Geeks", one of the episodes aired during this marathon.

** The day of the 54th Super Bowl had an almost all-day ''[=SpongeBob=]'' marathon, only stopping for their early-morning shows.

** ''[=SpongeBob=]'s Big Birthday Blowout'' got this treatment even after airing. In a similar treatment to several special episodes of fellow Nickelodeon series ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'', Nick aired the special not only every single day after it's premiere, but twice on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month after the premiere.

* Somewhat averted on Nicktoons as while it airs a marathon every night, the marathon is aired late at night/wee hours in the morning.

* A two-day marathon was held from November 29, 2019 to November 30, 2019 to promote the premieres of the series ''Top Elf'' as well as new episodes of ''44 Cats'', ''The Substitute'' and ''Series/AllThat'' and to compete with the annual airing of ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' on CBS and the TBS premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoNinjagoMovie''.

* An all-afternoon marathon was held on April 6, 2020 to hype up the premiere of ''Ollie's Pack''.

* Since August 2018, nothing but ''[=SpongeBob=]'' reruns airs on the Nicktoons channel from 11PM (8PM as of 2019) to 6AM, ''every single day.'' Nick Australia and New Zealand also does the same overnight marathon shtick.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons Network]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming theatrical movie. The fact that merchendise sales were extremely high didn't hurt much either. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. There's also the fact that cable television is declining as a whole thanks to platforms like ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and [=YouTube=] getting more and more attention from kids. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons Network]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming theatrical movie. The fact that merchendise sales were extremely high didn't hurt much either. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. There's also the fact that cable television is declining as a whole thanks to platforms like ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and ''Website/[=YouTube=]'' getting more and more attention from kids. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons Network]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming theatrical movie. The fact that merchendise sales were extremely high didn't hurt much either. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. There's also the fact that cable television is declining as a whole thanks to platforms like ''Creator/{{Netflix}}'' and ''WebVideo/{{YouTube}}'' getting more and more attention from kids. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. It got to the point that Nickelodeon created an unwritten policy that any new cartoon had to match or exceed the ratings that the show gets, and if it doesn't, it's immediately declared a lost cause and [[Main/ScrewedByTheNetwork either placed in a death slot and burned off, or punted to Nicktoons Network]]; this is why shows such as ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'', ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBeaks'', and ''WesternAnimation/ElTigre'' were cancelled, and the only reason ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' managed to not only survive, but also get a [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes spin-off]] and an upcoming theatrical movie. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot, at which point Nickelodeon attempted to restore some variety to the schedule, but by this point, the damage had been done, as ''The Loud House'' was the only Nicktoon to survive the yellow sponge's reign of terror, and even as Nickelodeon cleaned up its act, Cartoon Network got new management who, as mentioned above, repeated all of Nick's mistakes with ''Teen Titans GO!'', [[Main/HistoryRepeats with the exact same results]]. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

* An all-afternoon marathon was held on February 29, 2020 to premiere a new episode of ''Series/TheCrystalMaze'' and compete with ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Lost In Language".

* Still Nickelodeon's top show after 20 years [[note]]the first few years during parent Viacom's merger with "America's Most Watched Network" itself, Creator/{{CBS}}[[/note]], and they've obviously decided to [[CashCowFranchise milk it for all its worth.]] Today, Nickelodeon's typical schedule (not counting the Creator/NickJr or Creator/NickAtNite blocks) is comprised almost entirely of either ''[=SpongeBob=]'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse''. It's gotten so bad, the animation fandom (particularly Pan of WebVideo/RebelTaxi) has even coined the term "The [=SpongeBob=] Principle": If a new Nick cartoon comes out and it isn't an instant smash hit, Nickelodeon will just ignore it, never give it reruns, never promote it, move the premiere dates around and dump the last few episodes on their much less popular channel Nicktoons Network while they replace it with more [=SpongeBob=] reruns.

* Nick had a [=SpongeBob=] "Win-a-thon" on June 8th, 2014 for no reason, followed by the network premiere of ''Film/MrMagoriumsWonderEmporium''.

* A two-day marathon was held from November 29, 2019 to November 30, 2019 to promote the premieres of the series ''Top Elf'' as well as new episodes of ''44 Cats'', ''The Substitute'' and ''Series/AllThat'' and to compete with the annual airing of ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' on CBS, and the TBS premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoNinjagoMovie''.
* An all-day marathon was held on Nickelodeon to premiere the "Patchy's Beach Party" special and to compete with the first non-holiday airings of the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episodes "Halloween" and "Thanksgiving" since 2017.

* A two-day marathon was held from November 29, 2019 to November 30, 2019 to promote the premieres of the series ''Top Elf'' as well as new episodes of ''44 Cats'', ''The Substitute'' and ''Series/AllThat'' and to compete with the annual airing of ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' and the TBS premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoNinjagoMovie''.

* On September 8, 2019, a nearly all-day marathon aired (only stopping for a rerun of ''WesternAnimation/MiddleSchoolMoguls'' and 3 1/2 hours of ''The Loud House'') to compete with the FX premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheEmojiMovie''.

* An all-day marathon was held on Nickelodeon to promote the "Patchy's Beach Party" special and to compete with the first non-holiday airings of the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' episodes "Halloween" and "Thanksgiving" since 2017.

* A two-day marathon was held from November 29, 2019 to November 30, 2019 to promote the premieres of the series ''Top Elf'' as well as new episodes of ''44 Cats'', ''The Substitute'' and ''Series/AllThat'' and to compete with the annual airing of ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' and the TBS premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoNinjagoMovie''.

''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants [=SpongeBob=] [=SquarePants=]]]'' was pretty much the poster-child for the trope (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [[AdoredByTheNetwork/TeenTitansGo stole the sponge's thunder in 2015]]). Since the show was uncanceled in 2005, it would run at least ''eight'' times on an average weekday. It would often be the first thing they show in the morning and the last thing they show at night (before turning into Creator/NickAtNite), and it's the only show that they run at all different hours of the day to get pre-schoolers, after-school kids, ''and'' evening teenager audiences. "Special" ''[=SpongeBob=]'' episodes would be hyped up and promoted more often than the regular Nicktoons on the network. Some days, it'd get more airtime than all the other Nicktoons still on Nickelodeon combined. At least during 2009-2011, even ''repeats'' got higher ratings than the average that most kids' shows, as well as several primetime shows, got back then. Eventually, ratings for the show dropped - probably due to overexposure and what many fans would consider SeasonalRot. Despite all this, it still remains a favorite for Nick to this day.

* Another all-day marathon will be held on November 29, 2019 to celebrate Black Friday, hype up the premiere of ''Top Elf'' and to compete with the launch of Apple TV+.