Nickelodeon Broadens Upfront Focus from Linear-Only to Streaming-Fueled ‘Multiverse’

Networks still dominate, but Paramount+, Pluto TV and YouTube are scaling rapidly

In its return to the upfront stage Thursday afternoon, Nickelodeon held an event that was untraditional in form and substance: The ViacomCBS children’s brand created a presentation for clients to watch alongside their kids. And instead of doing what many companies do at their upfront events—ignoring the elephant in the room that is declining linear ratings—Nickelodeon chief Brian Robbins addressed the trend head on, and even offered marketers a solution.

It was all part of Nickelodeon’s multiplatform upfront, which focused on the Nickelodeon “multiverse” that encompasses rapidly growing engagement on a variety of digital platforms—including free, ad-supported services like ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV and the company’s new streaming service, Paramount+.

The biggest audience is on linear TV

“Linear television is still where our biggest audience is,” Robbins told Adweek, “but we also know that the audience is consuming our brand and our content in many different ways....

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