Paramount Plus is adding to its kids and family programming with new films and series from Nickelodeon series by expanding franchises such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dora the Explorer.
The streaming service, which last year revived iCarly, also plans a slate of movies and series aimed at young adults.
The new programming plans were announced at ViacomCBS’s investor event Tuesday.
Also: TCA: Paramount Plus Renews ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ and ‘SEAL Team’, Teases New Programs
Brian Robbins, chief content officer, movies and kids & family for Paramount Plus, said Nickelodeon’s audience has proved brand loyal. Once they sign up, they remain subscribed. Their churn rate is lower by double digits, creating long-term value for the company.
“As we’ve known with Nickelodeon’s long-standing success, the kids and family audience is incredibly loyal, and we see that on Paramount Plus as well, with kids and family ranking as one of the strongest genres on the service in terms of both engagement and subscriber acquisition,” said Robbins. “So as they stay for our shows and look for even more of them, we’re doubling down on giving them what they want by expanding the universes of the characters they love the best.”
Robbins added that young adults are huge consumers of content, with an average of five SVOD subscribers each. They are also big in social media, creating their own effective marketing campaigns for brands they like.
Also: Paramount Plus Orders More ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’
“Pulling it all together, Paramount’s legendary list of beloved IP, and the high profile star power throughout our ecosystem, and the generation-defining hits birthed by Nickelodeon all make Paramount Plus the home to the biggest, most iconic franchises serving everyone from preschoolers to Boomers, and generations X, Y and Z.”
Robbins announced several new franchise-based titles for Paramount Plus including:
SpongeBob SquarePants: Following Kamp Koral on Paramount Plus and The Patrick Star Show on Nickelodeon (Season 1 will soon be available to stream on Paramount Plus--more SpongeBob content will be coming exclusively to the streaming service with three new movies based on the show’s original characters. The first will drop in 2023. A fourth SpongeBob release from Nickelodeon Animation is currently in development for theatrical release.
Transformers: Co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Hasbro’s Entertainment One, Transformers Earthspark is coming to Nickelodeon and Paramount Plus. The animated series follows a new species of Transformers who must find their place and purpose among Autobots, Decepticons, and the human family who adopts them. The previously announced untitled animated Transformers film, with Josh Cooley attached to direct, will debut in theaters on July 19, 2024 for Paramount Animation and eOne.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A new animated take on the Turtles is coming to theaters in 2023, produced by Point Grey Pictures’ Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Jeff Rowe. Nickelodeon Animation will follow that film with a series of exclusive movies for Paramount Plus beginning in 2023, each centering on one of the property’s storied villains.
Dora The Explorer: The preschool return of Dora in an all-new CG-animated series produced by Nickelodeon Animation debuts in 2023. Also in development is a live-action Dora series inspired by the tone of Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the movie released in 2019.
Blue’s Clues: Blue’s Big City Adventure is the title of an animation/live-action hybrid title from Nickelodeon Animation set to premiere later this year, It follows host Josh and Blue as they head to New York City, with the help of Steve and Joe, to audition for a big Broadway musical.
New movies for young adults coming to Paramount Plus include::
Fantasy Football: The original live-action movie follows 16-year-old Amber Coleman (Marsai Martin of Black-ish) who discovers she can control her professional football player dad’s prowess on the field through her video game. Produced in partnership with Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company, and Marsai Martin and Joshua Martin’s Genius Entertainment.
Honor Society: A live-action comedic film that follows Honor (Angourie Rice from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Mare of Easttown), an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Harvard, assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kick-Ass, Superbad). Honor concocts a plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael (Gaten Matarazzo, Stranger Things, Prank Encounters).
Hush Hush:: A new original live-action film adaptation of the best-selling novels by Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush Hush is a supernatural romance story about the forbidden love between a girl and a fallen angel. Production is slated for 2022 in partnership with BCDF Pictures and Entertainment 360. ■
“As we’ve known with Nickelodeon’s long-standing success, the kids and family audience is incredibly loyal, and we see that on Paramount Plus as well, with kids and family ranking as one of the strongest genres on the service in terms of both engagement and subscriber acquisition,” said Robbins. “So as they stay for our shows and look for even more of them, we’re doubling down on giving them what they want by expanding the universes of the characters they love the best.”
Also: TCA: Paramount Plus Renews ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ and ‘SEAL Team’, Teases New Programs
Robbins added that young adults are huge consumers of content, with an average of five SVOD subscribers each. They are also big in social media, creating their own effective marketing campaigns for brands they like.
Also: Paramount Plus Orders More ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’
“Pulling it all together, Paramount’s legendary list of beloved IP, and the high profile star power throughout our ecosystem, and the generation-defining hits birthed by Nickelodeon all make Paramount Plus the home to the biggest, most iconic franchises serving everyone from preschoolers to Boomers, and generations X, Y and Z.”
Robbins announced several new franchise-based titles for Paramount Plus including:
SpongeBob SquarePants: Following Kamp Koral on Paramount Plus and The Patrick Star Show on Nickelodeon (Season1 will soon be available to stream on Paramount Plus) more SpongeBob content will be coming exclusively to the streaming service with three new movies based on the show’s original characters. The first will drop in 2023. A fourth SpongeBob release from Nickelodeon Animation is currently in development for theatrical release.
Transformers: Co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Hasbro’s Entertainment One, Transformers Earthspark is coming to Nickelodeon and Paramount Plus. The animated series follows a new species of Transformers who must find their place and purpose among Autobots, Decepticons, and the human family who adopts them. The previously announced untitled animated Transformers film, with Josh Cooley attached to direct, will debut in theaters on July 19, 2024 for Paramount Animation and eOne.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A new animated take on the Turtles is coming to theaters in 2023, produced by Point Grey Pictures’ Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Jeff Rowe. Nickelodeon Animation will follow that film with a series of exclusive movies for Paramount Plus beginning in 2023, each centering on one of the property’s storied villains.
Dora The Explorer: The preschool return of Dora in an all-new CG-animated series produced by Nickelodeon Animation debuts in 2023. Also in development is a live-action Dora series inspired by the tone of Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the movie released in 2019.
Blue’s Clues: Blue’s Big City Adventure is the title of an animation/live-action hybrid title from Nickelodeon Animation set to premiere later this year, It follows host Josh and Blue as they head to New York City, with the help of Steve and Joe, to audition for a big Broadway musical.
New movies for young adults coming to Paramount Plus include::
Fantasy Football: The original live-action movie follows 16-year-old Amber Coleman (Marsai Martin of Black-ish) who discovers she can control her professional football player dad’s prowess on the field through her video game. Produced in partnership with Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company, and Marsai Martin and Joshua Martin’s Genius Entertainment.
Honor Society: A live-action comedic film that follows Honor (Angourie Rice from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Mare of Easttown), an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Harvard, assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kick-Ass, Superbad). Honor concocts a plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael (Gaten Matarazzo, Stranger Things, Prank Encounters).
Hush Hush: A new original live-action film adaptation of the best-selling novels by Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush Hush is a supernatural romance story about the forbidden love between a girl and a fallen angel. Production is slated for 2022 in partnership with BCDF Pictures and Entertainment 360. ■
