Viacom Goes Into HyperDrive With TurboNick, VSpot (sub. req.)

Viacom’s digital remake continues with new sites from Nickelodeon and VH1 and an emphasis on using its TV content online. (It’s hard to imagine this going over well with cable operators.) The latest addition to kid-magnet Nick.com: TurboNick, with up to 20 hours of programming a week on six channels. The programming includes full episodes of new cartoons and other shows, “old-school” repeats, exclusive music from groups like Good Charlotte. The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint has details about the new site, which soft-launched over the weekend and officially launches July 17.
It’s all about the advertising. Kids won’t be able to view the programs without watching the ad. Mike Skagerlind, SVP & GM, online operations, promises not to “bombard” kids with ads, then follows that with the explanation that viewers will see traditional ads about every five minutes. In the first three days, he told Flint, TurboNick drew 160,000 unique users averaging five video segments apiece. (Comments have popped up already on the feedback board warning Nick to provide new programming regularly.)

MediaWeek: VH1.com is debuting VSpot Wednesday with the season premiere of “The Surreal Life” before it hits cable. VH1’s Vspot will offer users access to three channels of original and exclusive music and pop culture related programming -“shows,” “movies,” and “music.” Unlike Overdrive, Vspot will place a heavier emphasis on borrowing from the broadcast network’s library of content.

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