Nick Upfront

At its upfront in NYC Wed evening Nick unveiled Noggin, an ad-free mobile subscription service for preschoolers, a SpongeBob SquarePants Broadway musical in development, possible spinoffs for the successful “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise, and a renamed integrated marketing and creative content offering dubbed Nickelodeon Inside Out Solutions—all on a screen at Skylight at Moynihan Station that’s “bigger than the one at Radio City,” according to Viacom Kids and Family Group pres Cyma Zarghami. “The proliferation of platforms and massive amounts of new content are having an unprecedented impact on the entertainment landscape,” she said. The solution is not to take a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather to adapt to each customer. “Every property needs a unique strategy,” said CMO and pres consumer products Pam Kaufman. If Noggin sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that. The app, available March 5 in the App Store for $5.99/month, is Nick Jr ’s former name. “We are very excited to reintroduce a name that preschool parents know and respect,” said Nick/ MTVN Kids and Family Group COO Sarah Levy. At launch there will be long- and short-form content, preschool music videos and educational short-form content. Curriculum-based activities will be added, and “it’s important to note” that the content will be “library-based and separate and distinct from Nickelodeon’s preschool content that is currently available on our existing distribution platforms,” Levy said. The net is in discussions with distributors about offering the service as a premium complement for authenticated subscribers. Series including “Blue’s Clues” and “Little Bear,” among others, will be available at launch. Kaufman introduced Inside Out Solutions, which will combine the net’s IP, consumer insights and marketing expertise to produce “distinct marketing campaigns that connect you to the world’s greatest kid and family audience across multiple Nickelodeon screens,” as well as social, consumer products and on-the-ground marketing experiences, Kaufman said. Execs also talked up the Nickelodeon Sports programming block on Nicktoons, promising to bring more sports content from NFL, NBA, MLS, NHL and NASCAR to the initiative.