Nickelodeon Plans Stand Alone Subscription Service, Fraying Cable Bundle Further

Nickelodeon is the latest TV network to introduce a direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service that will not require any other cable or satellite membership. The network plans to introduce the service in March and will reveal more specifics about the platform at its upfront presentation to advertisers next month, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said during the company earnings call on Thursday. Mr. Dauman also said it will announce the "brand name of the service at that time. He said it won't carry the Nickelodeon name, calling it a "distinct brand." The news comes after CBS, a former Viacom sibling, introduced its own streaming service late last year and HBO announced a direct-to-consumer platform that debut sometime this year. Viacom on Thursday also emphasized other moves to reach young viewers and move away from a total reliance on Nielsen ratings to underpin its business. "Earlier this week Snapchat launched its Discover platform, which included includes Comedy Central and MTV international," Mr. Dauman said. "Snapchat has 100 million global active user, most of whom are in the demographic sweet spot for Viacom. This is another example of our non-Nielsen montization strategy enabled by the rich content platforms that drives hundreds of millions video streams and even more engagements per month." Mr. Dauman has previously said that Viacom is looking to grow its non-Nielsen measured viewership to 50% of its total ad revenue from 30% in the next three years.

Nickelodeon Plans Stand Alone Subscription Service, Fraying Cable Bundle Further

Featured Stories