... Following their viewers’ lead, Nickelodeon has started a number of initiatives that increasingly blur the lines among an ever-proliferating number of screens. “Welcome to The Wayne” is the first web-exclusive series produced by the network’s new animated shorts program, which seeks to create a pipeline of fresh content for the web, mobile and, potentially, television. The network also is introducing a left-to-right scrolling Nick.com, featuring videos and games and designed for children to navigate the same way they swipe through mobile apps. ...
It is unclear whether Nickelodeon’s strategy is the right one. Its primary competitor, the Disney Channel, was first to introduce apps that streamed shows. But Disney Channel has taken a more cautious approach to overhauling its television offerings. While Nickelodeon has been experimenting with programs like “AwesomenessTV,” a sketch comedy show stocked with YouTube personalities, the Disney Channel has remained focused on its signature brand of polished sitcoms.
Regardless, Nickelodeon still has its work cut out for it. Ratings are about flat this year, and traffic to Nickelodeon’s desktop and mobile sites declined to 11 million unique United States visitors in June, down 30 percent from the same period last year. ...
Nick's animation studio has certainly undergone changes. It's cut back on CG shows, and ordered more hand-drawn series (they're less expensive to do and pull similar ratings). The studio department that was doing internet apps has been restructured (some would say eliminated).
Nick, like every other large entertainment conglomerate, is struggling to find the best way to create and monetize product for the worldwide web. And like Disney, Warner Bros., and everybody else, Nick-Viacom is groping its way along, searching for the right mix of elements.
I don't think anyone has licked the many challenges as of yet. Maybe in the next ten years.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment