Entertainment

Nickelodeon, Netflix cut deal to produce original animated features, TV series

Netflix and Nickelodeon announced a multiyear output deal to produce original animated features and television series, Variety reported Wednesday.

>> Read more trending news

The announcement comes a day after the debut of the Disney+ streaming service, which experienced technical glitches, The Washington Post reported.

The deal bolsters the relationship between Nickelodeon and Netflix, which was revived several years ago with deals for a live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There also were deals for shows, including "The Loud House," "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Invader Zim" and "Rocko's Modern Life."

"Nickelodeon has generated scores of characters that kids love, and we look forward to telling wholly original stories that re-imagine and expand on the worlds they inhabit," Netflix vice president of original animation Melissa Cobb told Variety. "We're thrilled to continue collaborating with Brian Robbins, Ramsey Naito, and the creative team at Nickelodeon in new ways as we look to find fresh voices and bring bold stories to our global audience on Netflix."

The announcement comes a day after the debut of the Disney+ streaming service, which experienced technical glitches, The Washington Post reported. The Disney+ service, set at $6.99 per month, will include approximately 500 films and 7,500 episodes of programming from Disney Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, the newspaper reported.

The deal strengthens Netflix's programming for children and provides Viacom, the parent company of Nickelodeon, an avenue to court younger viewers, and a way to compete against Disney+ and Apple TV+, according to the Reporter. Viacom currently does not have its own subscription series.

"Nickelodeon’s next step forward is to keep expanding beyond linear platforms, and our broader content partnership with Netflix is a key path toward that goal,” Nickelodeon president Robbins said in a news release. “The Nickelodeon Animation Studio is home to the world-class artists and storytellers behind some of the most iconic characters and shows ever made, and our head of animation, Ramsey Naito, has been building on that legacy over the past year by ramping up development and production exponentially. The ideas and work at our studio are flowing, and we can’t wait to work with Melissa and the Netflix team on a premium slate of original animated content for kids and families around the world.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available, according to the Reporter.