Netflix is looking to stay competitive as the streaming market gets more crowded.
On Wednesday, Variety reported that Netflix and Nickelodeon are expanding their partnership. The two companies have inked a multi-million dollar output deal to produce original animated features and television shows. These projects will introduce new characters as well as revive some Nickelodeon classics.
"Nickelodeon has generated scores of characters that kids love, and we look forward to telling wholly original stories that re-imagine and expand on the worlds they inhabit," Netflix vice president of original animation Melissa Cobb said. "We’re thrilled to continue collaborating with Brian Robbins, Ramsey Naito, and the creative team at Nickelodeon in new ways as we look to find fresh voices and bring bold stories to our global audience on Netflix."
Netflix's partnership with Nickelodeon is an attempt to capitalize on its young audience. Netflix says that 60% of its subscribers have children shows and movies as part of their regular rotation. As for Nickelodeon, this deal will help the network reach its intended demographic. Brian Robbins, the president of Nickelodeon, explains to Variety that the linear viewership at kids cable networks is on the decline as more parents are switching to direct-to-consumer platforms.
"Nickelodeon’s next step forward is to keep expanding beyond linear platforms, and our broader content partnership with Netflix is a key path toward that goal," Robbins said. "The Nickelodeon Animation Studio is home to the world-class artists and storytellers behind some of the most iconic characters and shows ever made, and our head of Animation, Ramsey Naito, has been building on that legacy over the past year by ramping up development and production exponentially. The ideas and work at our Studio are flowing, and we can’t wait to work with Melissa and the Netflix team on a premium slate of original animated content for kids and families around the world."
Netflix has already put a spin on popular Nickelodeon shows when it added Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus to its lineup. Also, it is currently working on a special based on Nickelodeon's The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The other animated content that is slated to close out the rest of 2019 for Netflix includes Sergio Pablos' movie Klaus, the Japanese series Dino Girl Dauko, as well as adult cartoons I Lost My Body and Fast & Furious Spy Racers.
