Nickelodeon to Launch Direct-to-Consumer Service
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said Thursday that his company’s Nickelodeon group plans to launch a straight-to-consumer service in March, effectively throwing its hat in TV’s growing streaming wars.
The name of the offering — which will target very young viewers — will be announced at an Upfronts presentation in February. The new service will not be branded as Nickelodeon, Dauman clarified on a Wednesday investor conference call.
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Rather, it will be a distinct brand that Nick gets the privilege of unveiling. He didn’t want to say too much more on the matter, so as to not steal the children’s channel’s coming thunder. Dauman did promise that there are more initiatives like this in his pipeline.
“We want to satisfy the demand for consumers out there,” he explained, saying the effort will be “very attractive for parents and children.”
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“They have an insatiable appetite for great content, and they want to be able to view that content on every device that they own,” Dauman added.
Viacom launched a Nick Jr. app in December, which quickly found success on iTunes.
Also Read: Viacom Revenue Misses Mark on Lower TV Ratings, US Ad Sales
Earlier in the morning, Viacom reported its financials for the most recent quarter. Dauman’s company fell short on revenue expectations, but hit earnings per share pretty much right on the nose.
U.S. ad sales dipped six percent for the three-month period, based on lower TV ratings.
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