Nick lines up OTT offering

Nickelodeon will join the likes of HBO and CBS in launching its own direct-to-consumer subscription VoD service, the chief executive of its parent company, Viacom, has revealed.

Philippe Dauman, speaking on a conference call with investors yesterday, said details will be announced at the children’s channel’s upfront in New York next month, ahead of an expected launch in March.

“We believe this innovative service, which will have a distinct brand and will target the fast-growing mobile market, will be very attractive to parents and children,” said Dauman, whose contract at Viacom was recently extended until the end of 2018.

The news comes as Nickelodeon, and other cable channels focusing on young viewers, face increasing competition from SVoD players such as Netflix and Amazon, which now offer a range of original and acquired kids’ content.

Premium US cablenet HBO will unveil its own internet-based on-demand service in the US this year, while CBS became the first US network to launch a streaming option for viewers in October.