Paramount Global has pulled the plug on Nickelodeon's subscription-based Noggin app and has laid off its entire staff. The Noggin app will no longer welcome new subscribers and will commence a transition period for existing subscribers.

The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service catering to children aged two to seven had amassed 2.5 million global subscribers by 2019. Four years since launch its library currently boasts over 1,000 educational games, videos, and books.

Among the app's recent releases was Nogginville, an immersive digital world which allowed kids to explore popular locations from the wider Nickelodeon universe and engage in various mini-games. It was launched in December 2023.

Paramount's restructuring efforts

According to Kidscreen, Paramount Global is preparing to lay off 800 employees, approximately 3% of its total workforce. This decision comes shortly after CBS achieved significant ratings success with Super Bowl LVIII, attracting an audience of approximately 123 million viewers across various platforms.

Although the Noggin team has been let go, kids and family content remain a crucial genre and an integral part of the company's streaming strategy, driving subscriptions, viewership, and repeat engagement, a Paramount spokesperson informed Kidscreen.

Noggin offered popular preschool shows like Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer from Nick Jr., along with third-party acquisitions such as JoJo and Gran Gran (BBC Studios Kids & Family, A Productions) and Little Bear (Nelvana). This range of long and short-form video content will now transition to Paramount+ under the Nick Jr. brand.