Cheddar's Kristen Scholer sits down with Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer at Nickelodeon, at the Ad Council's Annual Public Service Award dinner to discuss the network's strategy for its digital content. Kaufman talks about being equally focused on traditional TV and digital, as well as product. Nickelodeon is also targeting live content, and making it a huge priority in 2018.
Future Nickelodeon projects are also getting a warm reception from parent company Viacom after a year-long road of leadership changes. Nickelodeon just launched a 5-star family hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in hopes of catering to what Kaufman calls "velcro" families. Velcro families are families who like to spend a lot of time together as a group.
Kaufman also talks about the '90s nostalgia boom, and how Nickelodeon is capitalizing on the trend. She reveals the network will start teasing a reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in fall of 2018. Spongebob Square Pants is also making a comeback: the curtain goes up on a live Broadway production of the cartoon hit this December 4th.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
