Nickelodeon Shows Kicked Off Popular Streaming Platform
A surprising and perhaps controversial development awaits those interested in streaming Nickelodeon shows on Paramount+: the streaming service recently announced the removal of 10 Nickelodeon original series from its platform.
These removals follow several content withdrawals from the iconic kids’ TV channel over the last few months. For many, the collective removals mark a significant shift in Paramount+’s streaming service strategy toward its offerings.
Are You Afraid Of The Dark? And Others
While all affected shows are under the umbrella of Nick, they nonetheless span a wide range of genres and target audiences. The shows slated for removal or already axed include reent iterations of classic Nickelodeon franchises as well as new originals.
Some of the removed include: Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019-2022), the rebooted Blue’s Clues & You! (2019), It’s Pony (2020-2022), and Middlemost Post (2021-2022).
Other Paramount+ Originals As Well
The removals also don’t strictly apply to content singularly made for the kids network but also to made-for-Paramount+ originals like Big Nate (2022) and the new Rugrats, which are sadly no more.
Paramount directly addressed the decision, highlighting them in the company’s Global Q4 earnings call on February 28th. The company’s directive motivated discussions and speculation among viewers and industry analysts alike.
Certainly, the eventuality is unexpected, particularly given Paramount Global’s previous statements about its Nickelodeon content.
Wider Strategy Refocus?
Rather than bemoan an issue related to their titles from the kid’s content provider, such as low viewership, Paramount had touted Nickelodeon’s Kids & Family content as among the most watched and re-watched platforms.
For their part, Paramount + justifies the move, describing it as part of a wider strategy to refocus content offerings. The company states, in its 10-K filing, that its object is to focus on content that can entice a global audience.
This strategic shift means streamlining the efficiency of programming—both on its streaming and linear networks.
Weird Corporate Speak
According to Paramount+, framing its decision in Kafkaesque corporate-speak, Nickelodeon programming had to go because Paramount’s strategy requires “rationalizing original content on Paramount+, especially internationally.”
Whatever the global brand means by “rationalizing” in this context, it ultimately involves removing select content to, in Paramount’s eyes, optimize its global content portfolio.
Nickelodeon Part Of Content Overhaul
As an unavoidable downside of their strategic programming shift, Paramount also forecasts having to take on heightened programming costs, probably in the ballpark of $700 million to $900 million during the first quarter of 2024.
This enormous cost cost of doing business highlights the significant impact of the removals of Nickelodeon content, in addition to other adjustments to the company’s overall content strategy.
Quiet On The Set Part Of The Problem?
Of course, many can be forgiven for wondering if Paramount+’s removals of programming from the household name channel, the first cable channel to dedicate itself exclusively to children’s programming, has anything to do with the recent controversy surrounding Nick.
Notoriously, the recent documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV details the toxic culture permeating big-name kids’ TV shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Delving at length into alleged acts of sexual assault and a culture of inappropriateness making the climate at Nickelodeon seem a bit like a horror movie, the documentary is not easy to watch.
Ultimately, whatever the reasons, fans of Nick’s newer content will have to turn to another streaming service for their shows.
