ViacomCBS has announced a new studio that is fully completed Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra
Avatar Studios will “create original content spanning animated series and movies,” according to a press release. Avatar and Once Original creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, join Nickelodeon as co-chief creative officers of Avatar Studios. The first project is an animated theatrical title that will go into production soon. More information will be announced soon, the company said.
Exclusive have Avatar and Once content is pretty important to Nickelodeon and ViacomCBS ‘new streaming service, Paramount Plus. While the company’s business strategy is to license some of its shows and movies on a non-exclusive basis by then Avatar and The Legend of Korra back to Netflix, subscribers may have linked the show specifically to the streaming platform. The show became the most watched title on Netflix around May 22, when it returned to Netflix. The series was also previously available on Amazon Prime Video.
Having those license deals is currently financially beneficial to ViacomCBS, according to comments CEO Bob Bakish made on previous earnings calls. Some of the most watched Netflix shows in the US remain ViacomCBS titles, including Criminal Minds Shameless NCIS and Schitt’s CreekHowever, to bring people in and get them to subscribe, Paramount Plus needs its own exclusives. This is true having a new one Avatar series can ultimately be very beneficial.
Paramount Plus is the new name of ViacomCBS in the streaming space. It will be launched on March 4th. After Viacom and CBS merged again in 2019, the united company began looking for a way to leverage its full range of programming and franchises to become a true competitor to Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max and Disney’s empire (Disney Plus and Hulu). The new streaming service will feature more than 30,000 TV episodes and movies from a variety of brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures, in addition to a live sports and news aspect.