The deal will see LiteracyPlanet's online products promoted on Nickelodeon's TV channels and websites in Australia (Nickelodeon Australia) and the U.K. (Nickelodeon UK), as well as on apps for both tablets and mobiles.
Ben Richardson, Nickelodeon's General Manager (GM) in Australia, said new products developed in partnership with LiteracyPlanet could be promoted to children within Australia and overseas. "The intention is to make use of Nickelodeon characters in our existing products and also jointly develop new apps, for example, an introduction to the alphabet with SpongeBob [SquarePants]," Mr. Roberts said.
Education-based games developed by LiteracyPlanet, which is backed by Australian billionaire James Packer's Ellerston Capital, are currently in use by more than 65,000 students in 15 nations. Last year, Nickelodeon Australia and LiteracyPlanet launched the National Word Mania Challenge which resulted in more than 2.4 million minutes of literacy activity, or over 90 minutes of engagement per child:
Viacom Makes Rare Foray into Education
Nasdaq-listed media heavyweight Viacom Inc., through its brand Nickelodeon, has made its first foray into the education sector by striking a partnership with Australian start-up LiteracyPlanet.
The deal will see LiteracyPlanet’s online products promoted on Nickelodeon’s TV channels and websites in Australia and the U.K., as well as on apps for both tablets and mobiles.
Education-based games developed by LiteracyPlanet, which is backed by Australian billionaire James Packer’s Ellerston Capital, are currently in use by more than 65,000 students in 15 nations.
Last year, Nickelodeon Australia and LiteracyPlanet launched the National Word Mania Challenge which resulted in more than 2.4 million minutes of literacy activity, or over 90 minutes of engagement per child.
“That adds up to around four solid SpongeBob shows, without advertisements and piqued Nickelodeon’s interest in a partnership,” LiteracyPlanet chief executive Chris Roberts told MoneyBeat. “They’re obviously not seeking to become a core education company, rather work with us to create game-based platforms that are fun.”
Ben Richardson, Nickelodeon’s general manager in Australia, said new products developed in partnership with LiteracyPlanet could be promoted to children within Australia and overseas.
—Associated Press
“The intention is to make use of Nickelodeon characters in our existing products and also jointly develop new apps, for example, an introduction to the alphabet with SpongeBob,” Mr. Roberts said.
Nickelodeon U.K. is a joint venture between Viacom International Media Networks and BSkyB networks, while Nickelodeon Australia is a joint venture between Viacom International Media Networks and Foxtel. News Corp., the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, owns a 39.1% stake in BSkyB and a 50% stake in Foxtel.
Viacom’s existing involvement in education is as a partner of not-for-profit organization Get Schooled, alongside other partners including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation AT&T and Comcast.
It’s the latest in a string of transformational deals for LiteracyPlanet, which is the chosen English literacy provider for a joint venture between Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corp. and U.K. education portal company FrogTrade. The program will offer virtual learning options to 5 million students from around 10,000 schools in Malaysia in three streams: English literacy, maths and local content.
LiteracyPlanet is also exploring the China market through Sunrise Corp. ahead of a launch in the world’s most populous nation.
