Children’s TV provider Nickelodeon is launching a new subscription-based streaming video service that will let toddlers (or adults with childish tastes) watch kid’s shows on a smartphone or tablet.
Noggin launches March 5th, and subscriptions for the ad-free service run $5.99 per month.
At launch Noggin will be iOS-only, which means you’ll need an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to use the service. An Android app is also in the works.
Noggin subscribers will be able to stream shows including Blue’s Clues, Little Bear, and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, along with music videos and other long and short-form content. But some of Nickelodeon most popular shows such as Dora The Explorer won’t be included, at least not initially.
Nickelodeon is also discussing the possibility of bundling Noggin with cable or satellite TV packages as an add-on service. But part of what sets Noggin apart from the company’s existing Nick Jr. mobile app is that you don’t need to be a paying TV subscriber to use Noggin.
There’s a growing amount of kid-friendly content on other services including Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. This week Netflix announced plans to launch several new kid’s shows including reboots of classic cartoons Danger Mouse and Inspector Gadget, while Amazon announced it will release second seasons of some of its kid’s shows.
But it’s always nice to have options… although the fees for cord cutting could start to add up if you decide to subscribe to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Nickelodeon, HBO’s upcoming streaming video service, Sling TV’s live video streaming service and other options aimed at cord cutters. Pretty soon cable could start to look like the cheaper option.
via TechCrunch and The AP
I was about to say that with sh*te like Dora they would have to pay ME to use it, but now I see the brat’s not in the starting line-up, so maybe there is some value in it after all.
P.S. Yes, I am a parent, and do understand adult and children’s tastes differ – but standards are standards.
Nice to see Moose A. Moose again! We used to have Noggin in the house constantly when my daughter was younger. It was awesome… the shows (even Dora and Diego) seemed to have their content vetted, there were no commercials, and even the bumps usually had some value to them. Backyardigans is probably the greatest preschool show ever produced. Kai-Lan was probably second until Daniel Tiger came along, but PBS Kids had fewer shows and even less web content back then compared to Noggin. Either way, we kept her away from the Disney channels at all costs.
The channel has become much worse since the change to Nick Jr. The regular Dora show has lost all value in its content, and most of the newer shows are garbage. On the other hand, PBS Kids has expanded nicely. Disney Jr. has added a few shows that seem to have a little bit of quality to them, but is still the worst of the three.
It’s “Ni Hao, Kai-Lan”
Various interesting variations upon “Nickelodeon” throughout the article also.