NickSplat News & Talkback Thread

[Zeether]

The Tumblr account for The 90s Are All That just now changed its name and posted this video: http://thesplatofficial.tumblr.com/post/128882215206/no-freaking-way-thesplatiscoming

I'm presuming this is leading to a retro Nickelodeon channel called "The Splat" replacing the 90s Are All That block?

EDIT: There's a Twitter post too: https://twitter.com/thesplat/status/642504455825563648

 

[blahblehblih123]

Or maybe they're just changing the name. One or the other.

 

[Zeether]

I don't think there would be this much fanfare over a simple name change. Someone probably looked at how the block did and thought "Why isn't this just a full channel of our old stuff like Boomerang is/was for CN and not just a late night television block?"

 

[Lord Hater]

Viacom will never launch a retro channel again, considering that they changed Nicktoons and TV Land from that. Nostalgia doesn't make money outside of subscription fees or receive viewers outside of the less than 1% that watches nostalgia.

 

[Zeether]

What could it be then? I'm also thinking it's a streaming channel, possibly in response to that one unofficial retro Nickelodeon stream being taken down, but that's probably a wild guess...

 

[Light Lucario]

The idea that this is a retro channel is a possibility. I highly doubt that this is a name change for the 90s Are All That block. I don't think that they'd make a big deal about a name change with promos like in those two links. It might be a streaming channel instead since a TV channel just completely full of reruns probably wouldn't be too profitable. Although, they could use a regular TV channel to test the waters for their older properties with a new audience and possibly put in any of the revivals they have planned there to provide some new exclusive content. Still, it sounds interesting and I am curious to see what exactly they have planned for this Splat.

 

[Sparkster24]

I think a rebrand to The 90's Are All That, or a streaming channel is probably the most likely.

I doubt they would make a channel moreso.. because the only way that's going to work is unless they're pulling something similar route to the Boomerang rebrand where it's a mix of old and new shows upon the revival stuff they we're talking about.

 

[jaylop97]

I bet Viacom is trying any way to get decent ratings, and launching this channel is their approach to get a boost of ratings.

 

[DHB8008]

I think it will be a new channel.

 

[Looney Turtles]

This is a good idea, but they need make sure that the channel won't follow the same fate as Nicktoons did. Just have a good balance of classic Nickelodeon stuff and original programming, and do not rerun any current Nickelodeon shows.

 

[Checkerboard]

It's a new channel. Only question is, TV or online? Could be either of them. Anyhow, very cool. I think many people will welcome it

 

[Silverstar]

I think a rebrand to The 90's Are All That, or a streaming channel is probably the most likely.

I doubt they would make a channel moreso.. because the only way that's going to work is unless they're pulling something similar route to the Boomerang rebrand where it's a mix of old and new shows upon the revival stuff they we're talking about.

Yeah, if this is truly a new channel, it's gonna have to be an online thing; an all-reruns channel wouldn't last long on TV. It would start out strong, then people would get tired of the endless repeats and lack of variety and start tuning out, the ratings would taper off and the channel would be reformatted into a general entertainment channel, i.e, a TeeNick or Nick @ Nite clone, within 2 years.

Like Sparkster said above, a TV channel wouldn't last very long nor would it accrue a major enough following unless it was going to be a mix of classic and original programming.

 

[Checkerboard]

Maybe Viacom doesn't care about ratings in this case and it's more about improving their public image and offering something others don't. They're going to do something everyone wants and will love them for. And what do they really have to lose even with a channel full of re-runs? Those aren't any re-runs. All of the shows are popular and classic. There are literally tens of them. And most importantly, they're theirs. Only thing that would cost them something would be setting up the channel and promoting it. Hardly an investment. Turner had Boom in a loop for years. Why can't Viacom do the same with Splat?

 

[Trombone77]

The only way I could see this being an on-air channel is if it is commercial-free. However, I'm leaning more towards an online stream through TeenNick. That would be a little bit better than getting a channel space devoted to only reruns.

Off-topic, but I kind of wish that Turner would do an online stream of their classics through Boomerang. That might put their vast library of classics to good use.


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[ZeroKelvin]

I stopped watching 90s Are All That a while ago because it's just gotten repetitive (same four shows, and only once in while they put a new one in only to take it out after a week). The Splat sounds like a cool idea, if it's a rebrand I'm for it if it means more varied programming and if it's a streaming channel I might check it out.

And like others are saying, this couldn't do well as its own channel. That's what Nicktoons was for until Viacom (I guess) started throwing in live action shows and all that sports stuff (Off topic, but would it seem like a good idea for them to revive the Nick GaS channel to put all that sports stuff there?)

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[Goldstar!]

Maybe Viacom doesn't care about ratings in this case and it's more about improving their public image and offering something others don't.

Network's are never uninterested in ratings. It costs money to launch a new channel, and Viacom isn't going to spend that kind of money unless they believe that can make that money back.

They're going to do something everyone wants and will love them for.

Not for free, they're not. Entertainment is a business, not a charity. The only way that Viacom could run an all-reruns channel would be if said channel were commercial-free, but no ads would mean less money and a smaller viewership.

And what do they really have to lose even with a channel full of re-runs?

Money, that's what. "We're just doing it for the love" is a nice thought, but that's not how businesses operate. The goal of any and every business is to make money. Even a non-profit organization has to make some sort of profit.

Those aren't any re-runs. All of the shows are popular and classic.

That's strictly a matter of opinion. It's been proven that channels that show nothing but reruns, regardless of how old or recent that are, don't last very long and eventually will need to be retooled. Eventually, people will get tired of seeing the same episodes of the same shows, regardless of how good they are, and without the prospect of new episodes, will start reaching for the remote to see what else is on, and this isn't a hypothetical scenario; we've seen this happen with early Cartoon Network, Toon Disney, Nicktoons and most recently with Boomerang.

Turner had Boom in a loop for years. Why can't Viacom do the same with Splat?

Being in a loop for years isn't a good thing. How well did that work out for Nicktoons TV? Sure, that may be great from a fan's perspective, but from a business standpoint, it's not a good move thing at all. That's why Tuner eventually revamped Boomerang into the channel that it is now.

 

[Looney Tunes Fan]

I think it's going to be a TV channel, and maybe this is wishful thinking, but this is why I believe this:

1. You guys have said that an all-re-runs channel wouldn't profit on TV, and while I understand that, isn't that what TeenNick already is? They just got rid of Degrassi. Open Heart seems to have ended in March and that's also produced by DHX Media, so even if there was another season of that, it would probably go to Netflix. The only original show that seems to be still going is TeenNick Top 10, which I really doubt is pulling in the ratings needed to justify keeping the channel around. Of course, there's also the HALO Awards, but that only happens once a year and if I recall, this years telecast was just called the Nickelodeon HALO Awards rather than mentioning TeenNick at all. Overall, TeenNick practically fits the bill as an all re-runs channel already.

2. Now for the main part of my speculation - I believe this channel will indeed replace TeenNick at some point. Not only is TeenNick the home to 90s Are All That (which is having most of its accounts being rebranded as Splat accounts), but TeenNick is the only digital Nick channel that doesn't have an HD feed. If 90s shows were going to air there, an HD feed wouldn't be that necessary, considering they were all produced in 4:3 SD.

3. If TeenNick were to be re-branded, the live-action shows would be taken care of already. Maybe not their extensive backlog, but I'm pretty sure most if not all of the current shows are already on Nicktoons (to most people's dismay). If TeenNick was shutting down, they could rebrand Nicktoons into a more general entertainment channel so that it could include the live-action backlog in addition to the Nicktoons already on air. Although, I highly suspect that it'll just end up staying as Nicktoons.

4. It has become increasingly clear that Nickelodeon wishes to cash in on the whole 90s nostalgia craze going on lately. What better way for them to do so by launching a channel dedicated to it?

5. I see that some of you have said this is a bad decision business-wise - however, this is Viacom we're talking about. Aren't they the master of making bad decisions? While I personally think it'd be a great idea and it would definitely boost their positive image in my book, I just want to remind those out there that Viacom isn't a company that makes the most wise decisions 24/7.

That's my two-cents on this.

 

[Goldstar!]

The online only deal sounds more plausible to me. First, like I said before, it costs money and takes a lot of time to launch a new channel, and I don't see Nickelodeon launching another channel when they're already maintaining 4 of them. Nick could easily just revamp one of their already existing side channels such as TeeNick or Nicktoons into Splat. Second, once again, nostalgia has a limited shelf life. Commercial free kids' channels rarely stay that way. Nostalgia alone isn't enough to sustain a 24/7 channel for longer than a year or two. If Nickelodeon wants to just run reruns of their earlier hits, they'd be better off doing it on the internet where the market isn't as cutthroat.

 

[Looney Tunes Fan]

The online only deal sounds more plausible to me. First, like I before, it costs money and takes a lot of time to launch a new channel, and I don't see Nickelodeon launching another channel when they're already maintaining 4 of them. Nick could easily just revamp one of their already existing side channel into Splat. Second, once again, nostalgia has a limited shelf life. Commercial free kids' channels rarely stay that way. Nostalgia alone isn't enough to sustain a 24/7 channel for longer than a year or two. If Nickelodeon wants to just run reruns of their earlier hit, they'd be better off doing it on the internet where the market isn't as cutthroat.

But would it really cost that much money to launch a channel on an existing space? If the channel was made up of purely 90s content from their library, then all they'd need to pay for is for branding bumps and limited advertising that could be run on their own channels. If it was indeed a TV channel, I still only see them running 4 channels - one would have to kick the bucket.

I can understand the limited self-life part, but again, this is Viacom we're talking about. Not only are they desperate at this point for ratings, but again, they don't make wise decisions business wise. Is constantly pulling brand new programs a good decision? No. Is giving Nicktoons that aren't called SpongeBob or TMNT poor treatment and eventually throwing them on the dumping ground that is Nicktoons? No, it isn't.

 

[Checkerboard]

Plus Viacom rebrands channels, albeit sometimes only for a season, in Europe quite often. Don't see a reason why they can't do the same in the US. Viacom thinks differently and they're masters of marketing and promotion. Don't forget that. Just because you may not see any benefit of a nostalgia channel doesn't mean they don't as well. I think they know exactly what they're doing. Some decisions they made in the past were bad, definitely, but all in all in general they're at the top and I think they've proven that over the years countless times. But let's wait and see.