Nickelodeon, the hugely popular kid’s cable channel, is starting a subscription service to offer shows directly to consumers.
Details on the new service were scarce, but Nickelodeon-parent Viacom said more information including the service’s name would come at the network’s meetings with advertisers in February.
Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman announced the new service on a conference call about Viacom’s latest financial results.
The new Nickelodeon service will be aimed at mobile market and would be attractive for parents and children, he said.
With the new service, Nickelodeon is part of a growing trend of networks — cable and broadcast — hedging their bets on the future of television by offering digital services along with traditional TV.
For example, HBO announced in October that it would begin selling subscriptions via the Internet sometime in 2015.
“The media business is evolving faster than ever, but our mission remains unchanged: to continually develop more and better entertainment programming,” Dauman said in a letter to investors. “Viacom is financially strong and extremely well positioned for the future.”
