Noggin Streaming Service To Be Sold By Paramount

There is a potential sale coming as Paramount+ and Pluto TV streaming platforms are being prioritized by the entertainment conglomerate

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According to sources familiar with the situation, Paramount Global is looking at selling the majority of its shares in Noggin, its online learning service for preschoolers, as part of its efforts to focus on its Paramount+ and Pluto TV streaming services, which are currently available to the general public.

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A majority of Noggin's content, such as "PAW Patrol" and "Peppa Pig," is created by Nickelodeon, a cable channel belonging to Paramount also. In addition to appearing on Paramount+, Noggin also offers the direct-to-consumer distribution of its own content.

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Noggin has the potential to be developed into more of an interactive learning platform, which Paramount hopes to achieve with the help of an investor, according to the people who know.

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The company wants to remain a minority investor in Noggin, believing that the digital service will create a significant revenue opportunity for it if someone else develops it, according to the people familiar with the matter. 

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In support of Paramount+, Paramount is exploring stake sale opportunities as part of its strategy to review all of its businesses.

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Moreover, BET Media Group, which currently owns cable channels BET and VH1, has investigated the possibility of selling a majority stake in the company, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal. The Showtime streaming service that Paramount has been offering for the last few years was folded into Paramount earlier this year, and the premium channel named "Paramount+ With Showtime" was rebranded as "Paramount+ With Showtime."

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Nickelodeon and "Sesame Street's" parent company Sesame Workshop launched a joint venture called Noggin in 1999, which caters to kids between the ages of two and seven. There was an initial TV channel that was part of the service. In 2002, Nickelodeon acquired the stake that Sesame Workshop owned in Sesame Workshop, and in 2009, Nick Jr. was announced as the new channel replacing Noggin TV.

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