Breaking: Paramount to Close Down Noggin; Entire Staff of Kids Educational Service Has Been Laid Off
Paramount is mired in financial difficulties and could be prepping finances for an acquisition.
It has been a difficult few months for Paramount Global as the media company has been beset by bankruptcy concerns, reports of the potential sale of the company, and the planned layoff of hundreds of employees. Those terminations have begun to hit Paramount employees and on Thursday, Kid Screen exclusively reported that the company has laid off the entire team working on kids educational streaming service Noggin and that the platform will be sunset in the coming months.
Key Points:
- No timeline has been confirmed about when Noggin will ultimately be shuttered.
- The majority of Noggin’s shows are already available on Paramount+, but no plan has been announced for its interactive titles.
- Noggin Parent company Paramount Global has been the subject of acquisition rumors lately.
Noggin is a home for Paramount and Nickelodeon shows, games, and books for children ages 2 to 7, as well as numerous licensed and acquired titles from various media companies. While the streaming titles will make the move to sibling streamer Paramount+ under the Nick Jr. hub, some of the other more immersive and interactive products will be left without a digital home.
The streamer will reportedly stop taking new customers, but as of publication, Noggin was still signing up new monthly and annual subscribers. The site will continue to operate for existing customers temporarily while the transition process is determined and communicated. At this point, Paramount has not confirmed when Noggin will be shut down.
What Noggin Shows Will Move to Paramount+?
Many of the shows that are currently available on Noggin are already available on Paramount+. That includes home to beloved preschool titles from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. like “Blue's Clues,” “Dora the Explorer,” “PAW Patrol,” “Peppa Pig,” “Blaze and the Monster Machines,” “Bubble Guppies,” “Little Bear,” and more.
However, internationally acquired shows like BBC Studios Kids & Family’s “JoJo & Gran Gran” as well as some older Nickelodeon titles including “Peter Rabbit” are not currently on Paramount’s flagship streamer. These types of discrepancies are generally caused by individual contracts with studios and creators. It is possible that in the case of acquired titles, the licensing agreement only includes streaming on Noggin and not other Paramount-owned platforms.
For things like “Peter Rabbit” which were Nickelodeon originals, often those projects are tied up in contracts that predate the advent of streaming and make it difficult to move them between services. Or, even if the show began its life on a channel that is now Paramount-owned, the contracts with the original creators might have been set for a specific amount of time, meaning that Paramount Global does not control the title in perpetuity. This also helps explain, for example, why some Netflix originals eventually leave the service.
Is the Closing of Noggin Another Sign That Paramount Is About to Be Sold?
Paramount Global’s financial difficulties have been well discussed over the past year. Nearly one year ago, the first reports began circulating that the company was considering selling off one of its major assets. For most of 2023, Paramount went back and forth over whether it would sell the cable channel and overall BET brand.
While it appeared that that particular ship had sailed, following reports in November 2023 that Warner Bros. Discovery was meeting with Paramount about a potential acquisition, it appeared that BET might be up for sale again, leading some — including our experts at The Streamable — to speculate about whether or not WBD was pushing Paramount to unload non-core products before a merger. Since then, it appears that WBD’s own finances are likely precluding it from making such a major purchase, but multiple other suitors are still in play, including production company Skydance and billionaire media mogul Byron Allen.
Due to Paramount’s specific financial situation, it might be difficult for the company to find a buyer. However, by potentially offloading portions of the business, laying off hundreds of employees, and shuttering a streaming service it does appear that Paramount is looking to get its financial house in order, whether that is for its own long-term viability or to make being acquired a little easier.
Noggin
Noggin, owned by Nick Jr., is a VOD app for preschool kids ages 2+. You’ll get access to an expansive library of educational games, eBooks, activities, and exclusive shorts. There are also 1,000+ ad-free full episodes of kid-friendly shows like “PAW Patrol,” “Peppa Pig,” “Bubble Guppies,” and more. Paramount+ does have most of the shows available on Noggin if you’d like a service that also caters to adults.