Nickelodeon Launches #KidsTogether--A Global Prosocial Initiative to Help Kids and Families Stay Informed and Engaged With Activities
Also: Nick’s Preschool Subscription Service--Noggin--to be Offered Free to Kids in Need in Partnership with National Head Start Association and First Book
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March 18, 2020 04:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--Nickelodeon announced today’s launch of #KidsTogether, a global, multiplatform prosocial initiative using its most popular characters and talent to engage with kids and families on tips for staying healthy and also ideas for activities to do together while in the home. Featuring SpongeBob SquarePants, Blue’s Clues & You!, Henry Danger, Bubble Guppies and The Casagrandes, #KidsTogether is intended to serve as an additional resource for parents while providing kid-appropriate, kid-directed information through original short-form videos, interstitials, downloadable activities and social content, with elements aggregated for easy access on a central online destination, NickHelps.com.
Additionally, Noggin--Nickelodeon’s direct-to-consumer interactive learning service for preschoolers--will be offered for free for three months starting next week to millions of kids in need through the help of national partner organizations, including the National Head Start Association and First Book. Noggin’s free trial period will also be extended to 60 days to all new subscribers, effective at the end of the month. The ad-free educational content on Noggin currently includes over 1,000 iconic, full-length episodes, short-form videos, and hundreds of interactive learning games and ebooks featuring preschoolers’ favorite characters and more.
#KidsTogether’s content, available across Nick’s screens starting today and ramping up through the rest of the week and beyond, features:
- Original short-form digital and linear content such as SpongeBob practicing social distancing, the Bubble Guppies demonstrating proper hand-washing techniques, and Chickaletta and the PAW Patrol showcasing awesome dance moves to promote physical activity and wellness;
- Nick-branded interstitials made in partnership with GoNoodle that encourage kids to get up and get moving, with help from Young Dylan’s beats or by joining Lincoln Loud’s dance party;
- Printable Blue’s Clues & You! activity sheets and Bubble Guppies coloring pages, along with offscreen activities and games to help families play and learn together at home;
- Noggin shorts on the Nick Jr. channel that provide learning moments for preschoolers in the areas of wellness, social and emotional development, science, math, and literacy;
- and NickHelps.com, a central online destination that will aggregate Nick’s content and provide links to external resources for kids and families;
#KidsTogether will roll out domestically today across Nickelodeon’s portfolio of platforms and then extend to Nick’s international markets, as well.
Nickelodeon’s #KidsTogether initiative is part of ViacomCBS and Ad Council’s recently announced #AloneTogether, a national social- and talent-led campaign that educates audiences on the importance of social distancing and drives unity through entertainment.
For those who are worried about the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC offers a litany of tips, including covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding large gatherings or close contact with people who are sick, and washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Noggin has also launched Noggin's Guide For Play and Learning At Home, a page dedicated to helping educate and entertain kids with digital and off-screen activities that are designed to grow their hearts, minds, and bodies. https://www.noggin.com/KidsTogether/
Nickelodeon, now in its 40th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC).
From Kidscreen:
Kidcasters up programming to capture at-home kids
A snapshot of how broadcasters and SVODs like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Amazon are pivoting to reach a captive audience.
Linear broadcasters around the world are upping their educational content offerings to engage the many kids suddenly out of school and with a lot more free time at home. UNESCO estimates that more than 1.2 billion kids are out of school, which has created a sudden demand for content, especially educational content, that broadcasters are rushing to fill.
Amazon has made its catalogue of more than 40 kids shows free for the first time (previously you needed to be a Prime subscriber to access), including its original series Just Add Magic, Lost in Oz and Jessy & Nessy. Acquired shows such as Odd Squad, Caillou and Dinosaur Train are also among the free offering. Beyond Amazon Video proper, the conglom also curated more than 80 family movies that are available for free—with ads—from its subsidiary IMDb TV, including Shrek Forever After, Stuart Little and Muppets from Space. These moves to engage kids comes after Amazon pulled back from commissioning original content for them last year, instead shifting to focus on the family co-viewing and young adult audiences, with renewals for its kids slate made on a case-by-case basis.
And while streamers have seen an uptick in traffic, linear channels are also seeing a rise in audiences. Total day viewing on Cartoon Network was up 58% last week compared to the week before according to Digiday, Disney Channel is up 43%; WarnerMedia’s Boomerang rose 31% and Nickelodeon saw a 25% increase in viewers.
To engage this increasingly captive viewership, Nickelodeon has launched its preschool SVOD Noggin on Apple TV in more than 25 territories, including the US, UK, Germany and France. Growing the SVOD’s reach, new Noggin users will get a free seven day trial to the service. Through Noggin, subscribers can watch and download Nick series, including Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer and Shimmer and Shine.
In addition, the kidsnet has launched the new #KidsTogether initiative to give children tips on how to stay healthy and active. The kidsnet is rolling out short-form digital and linear content featuring the network’s brands teaching kids about social distancing and proper hand washing techniques. It’s also producing printable activity sheets to help kids learn and play, as well as Nick-branded interstitials made in partnership with GoNoodle, which encourage kids to be active at home. Meanwhile, short educational videos teaching math, literacy and science from its preschool SVOD Noggin will air on Nick Jr., while the website NickHelps.com will aggregate Nick’s content and provide links to external resources for kids and families.
Meanwhile, Cartoon Network has launched PSAs (pictured) on-air, on its app, social media accounts and YouTube channel worldwide, which are focused on good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The videos features characters from its shows, including Teen Titans Go! and Steven Universe.
Pubcaster France TV is upping its educational content for kids to support families staying at home. Its France 2, France 4 and France 5 channels, and its VOD platform France.tv will air the 52-minute educational program La Maison Lumni daily. Co-produced by France’s Ministry of National Education, the show follows educator Alex Goude who breaks down the essential concepts that kids eight to 12 need to know. France 4 is also modifying its programming to broadcast live courses given by teachers for preschoolers, high school and also college students throughout the day.
Canadian pubcaster TVO is launching a new Learn at Home initiative to provide access to learning tools for preschoolers and kids up to 12-years-old. First up is TVO Mathify, a platform for one-on-one online math tutoring with Ontario teachers aimed at kids six to 10. Tutors are available for students until the school closures end. TVO is also releasing more than 65 free online STEM-focused games targeted at kids zero to six; and it is adding the hour-long educational program The Power Hour of Learning to its broadcast schedule everyday. On the digital side it’s releasing three new subject-specific educational channels, that cover math, science and technology and language for kids five to eight.
In Spain, pay TV platform Movistar+ is capitalizing on the school closures in the country by adding kids channels Disney Jr., Disney XD, Disney Channel, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Panda and Baby TV to its offerings. The platform reached all-time high viewing numbers on March 14 and 15, with consumption growing 47% compared to the week before, according to the company. There was also a 16% increase in kids content consumption and the platform’s users also spent more than 42 million hours on the platform each day, the highest amount it has ever recorded.
Pubcasters worldwide are also playing a part in filling the sudden content gap and educating kids, with CBC (Canada), RTS (Switzerland), Rai (Italy), NHK (Japan) PBS KIDS (US) and BBC (UK) launching new content to curb anxiety, entertain and inform kids and families.
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NickALive!'s full coverage of how coronavirus is affecting Nickelodeon can be found here.
From MediaPost:
Brands That Are Helping During COVID-19 Are Feeling The Love On Social
With all of the negativity and fear that has dominated the recent news cycle, everyone could use some positive news. Hence, taking a look at which brands have received the most social mentions, pre- and post-pandemic, one consistent trend shines through.
Brands that have creatively engaged in social good activities in this time of crisis are the ones that had markedly more social media chatter than others.
With this in mind, there are a few brands that deserve recognition for the good they are doing -- good work that can be measured and highlighted using a brand positivity index.
It has become increasingly evident that the way that brands deal with the crisis will shape how consumers view them.
Brands that use their position and resources to be helpful and relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic will leave a positive and indelible impression on consumers. Following these moments, it's easier for consumers to recall and consider purchasing from these brands, especially after they have left a positive impression on them.
In order to measure a brand positivity index, you must first take into consideration social conversation around the top Fortune 1000 Brands across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, forums, and blogs, then measure the number of mentions a brand received for the month before the pandemic versus the month after the global pandemic announcement on March 13th. From there, an index can be organized to include the top 25 brands that have experienced the greatest increase, pre-to-post.
Of all the brands that were researched using this particular method, Johnson & Johnson saw the greatest lift in conversation, largely because they have been at the centre of the vaccine conversation and also because of its $50 million commitment to support front-line health workers battling COVID-19.
In keeping with this trend, companies such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Apple -- which all created multimillion-dollar relief funds -- were positively acknowledged by consumers, who mentioned that they appreciated these brands' efforts to put people before profits.
Consumers also acknowledged companies such as Tesla, Moet-Hennesy, and Alibaba for leveraging their resources to deliver items such as ventilators, sanitisers, and face masks during this time.
While most brands that saw a lift in conversation and sentiment did so because of efforts they made directly to combat COVID-19, others like Nickelodeon were recognized and praised for perhaps one of the more difficult and essential tasks of the moment -- keeping quarantined children entertained so their parents could go about their workdays and maintain their sanity.
Ultimately, innovation, helpfulness, and empathy were the universal themes that consumers acknowledged, across all brands.
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More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!
Originally published: Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 00:43 GMT.
Additional sources: ComicBook.com, The Spokesman-Review.
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