Leading kids entertainment brand Nickelodeon is introducing a brand-new collection of interactive, curriculum-driven preschool episodes in its NOGGIN video subscription service, beginning today, 1 June, initially on iOS platforms. These play-along preschool videos were created by an in-house team using a proprietary authoring tool which enables the simultaneous creation of interactive digital content alongside the production of linear TV content.
“The introduction of our play-along videos mark the evolution of preschool interactivity that Nickelodeon initiated with Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer,” said Nickelodeon Group’s executive vice president (digital and new business) Matthew Evans. “We can now transform our linear production capabilities through an authoring tool of our own design that allows us to create complementary interactive, digital video that truly lets kids participate in, and learn from the story.”
Nickelodeon’s play-along videos allow preschoolers to engage with their favourite characters by tapping, touching, swiping or speaking to navigate through enhanced educational experiences that promote science, technology, engineering, math and social-emotional skills – all while having fun every step of the way.
More than 30 play-along videos will be introduced, including Blaze and the Monster Machines, Bubble Guppies, Team Umizoomi and short-form content featuring long-time beloved characters Moose and Zee.
Nickelodeon’s new play-along video authoring tool puts the ability to create interactive digital content into the hands of Nick’s show creators, producers and animators. The tool supports real-time scene editing and a live preview that allows the teams to layer in interactive elements, to create brand-new play-along moments within any episode. Interactive writers and producers can also be integrated into a show’s creative team, allowing them to generate engaging, story-driven interactive videos from the start of a production and deliver both linear and play-along versions of the same episode simultaneously. Additionally, the play-along video player can be integrated into the existing Nickelodeon video apps, eliminating the need to download a separate app.
The videos were also created in partnership with curriculum and research consultants who helped shape the interactions to enhance the existing educational value of the shows. Throughout each interactive adventure, kids engage with content that fosters the development of cognitive, social and emotional skills.
NOGGIN is an ad-free, video subscription service that features hundreds of iconic, full-length library episodes, short-form videos, educational content, music videos featuring preschoolers’ favourite Nickelodeon characters, and more, with new content added weekly. Currently available for iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Fire tablet and Roku devices, it has 25 series to date including the recently added Yo Gabba Gabba!, Trucktown, Miffy and Friends and Teletubbies. Additional titles in the lineup include Blue’s Clues, Go, Diego, Go!, Franklin, The Backyardigans and Pocoyo, among others.
Consistently ranking at the top of the charts in the Family and Kids categories, the NOGGIN App is one of the top 10 grossing kids apps on the App Store, in addition to being the number-one grossing app for Music and Video in the Family Category on Google Play. It was also selected by Apple as an Apple TV app of the year.