Netflix and Nickelodeon have announced a multi-year output deal to produce original animated content.
Through a statement, Netflix and Nickelodeon have announced a multiyear pact that requires Nickelodeon to produce original animated feature films and television shows for the streaming service.
This, reads the announcement, marks an expansion of the existing relationship between the companies, which has already brought several popular titles to Netflix, including animated specials Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus. Also forthcoming are specials based on The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Although terms of the deal were not announced, the Los Angeles Times reported that the new arrangement is part of Nickelodeon President Brian Robbins’ strategy of bolstering the output of his Burbank animation studio, however, Nickelodeon isn’t planning to repeat the painful lesson it learned nearly a decade ago when it turned over its most valuable shows, including “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Dora the Explorer,” to Netflix, so reruns of its most popular cartoons, including “SpongeBob” or “Casa Grande” will not be licensed.
“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 (…) “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”, said Brian Robbins, President of Nickelodeon.
Robbins, recently named president of kids and family entertainment at Viacom, said in a statement that the ideas are working and flowing for the creation of original animated content for kids and families between the companies after years of being an area where Netflix had not invested a lot of energy or money. As of today, the 58.4 million user company has started heavily investing in animated kids shows to grow its platform worldwide in the facing of rising competition.
“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 (…) 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”, said Melissa Cobb, vice president of Netflix’s original animation.
