The series was first announced in October 2009, following the news that Nickelodeon's parent company Viacom had acquired the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The show was created to reach a core audience of boys aged 6 to 11. The two-part premiere took place on September 28 and September 29, 2012, reaching 3.9 million viewers. Three more seasons followed, as episodes 115–121 premiered on its sister channel Nicktoons.
