Nickelodeon on Wednesday said it has launched a new video-focused website for children that takes advantage of the growing use of broadband in homes.

TurboNick, which the New York-based cartoon network is calling a "broadband video platform, is available through Nick.com and features full-length shows found on the company's cable program, such as SpongeBog SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents and Avatar. In addition, the site features exclusive video, shorts and all-new long-form programming.

The new site has been in its "soft-launch" stage since July, the company said. Its official launch, including a full advertising and promotional campaign, is set for July 17.

In beefing up its video offering, Nickelodeon is following the trend among consumers from dialup to broadband, which is available for as low as $14.95 a month.

Broadband lines worldwide reached 164 million as of the end of March, an increase of 52 million lines since the same month a year ago, according to research firm Point Topic. The United States is the largest market with 36.5 million lines.

Broadband users also tend to spend more time and money online, making content geared toward these users attractive to advertisers, experts said.

Total online advertising and marketing spending is expected to reach $14.7 billion this year in the United States, a 23 percent increase over 2004, according to Forrester Research Inc. By 2010, online ad spending is expected to reach $26 billion, or 8 percent of all advertising dollars spent.