2022 merger of Disney Channel and Nickelodeon/transcript

BRIAN ROBBINS - PRESIDENT, NICKELODEON: "Hi, everyone, you usually don’t see the president of Nickelodeon on our airwaves or social media channels. But, when I do appear in the public eye, it means I have big news to share."

GARY MARSH - PRESIDENT/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, DISNEY CHANNEL: "Actually… this time, WE have big news to share. That’s right. Brian and I are here together to share some important news for consumers and fans around the world."

ROBBINS: "Today, ViacomCBS and The Walt Disney Company have reached a definitive agreement where Nickelodeon and Disney Channel will come together and form a new, stronger kids’ network. A network that will see changing trends among our audiences, seize opportunities on the changing ways kids consume content, and continue to follow the Nick tradition of pushing the envelope. A network that will create more new original content for our audiences as well as familiar favorites, and the ONLY network with the size and scale to compete in an ever changing kids’ media landscape. So, Gary and I wanted to talk to you about what all this means."

MARSH: "That’s right, Brian. This is very important. Because the media landscape is changing. And what’s been happening to the media and entertainment industries is unprecedented, especially in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Look at streaming video. This changed the way we look at entertainment forever, and both of our competing networks are feeling the impact. In fact, recent studies show that more kids today watch programming on streaming services rather than linear TV channels. Just to put this in perspective, the difference between linear TV and streaming is the difference between black & white TV and color TV."

ROBBINS: "Streaming is definitely the wave of the future for this generation of kids, and only the new Nickelodeon will have the capacity and the library to compete in an ever-changing kids’ television industry. Only Nick and Disney Channel can do this together. We can’t do this separately, and neither Cartoon Network nor any of the other new players. Not one network has the library or the scale to compete on the global children’s TV scene except New Nick. With Disney Channel’s great library of programming, and Nick’s great brands and franchises, together, we will build the largest library of kids’ television shows in the world. This is the kind of library needed to better compete in an ever-changing world dominated by the likes of Netflix, and unleash the next generation of content creators in the United States, just like we saw happen when YouTube dominated the scene nearly two decades ago. YouTube changed the way we look at entertainment when it launched in 2005, and now it’s one of the primary sources of entertainment for consumers."

MARSH: "And streaming will mean the combined network can create robust competition in both linear and streaming television. Because in reality, this industry is no longer just three cable channels aimed at kids. Industry lines are blurring and TV and the internet are converging. Disney+, run by my employers at Disney, is now the fastest-growing streaming service in the world. And most of that growth happens to be from established brands from the Disney animated canon, as well as brands such as Pixar and Marvel. Comcast entered the streaming game with Peacock last year at the height of the pandemic, which includes the library of DreamWorks Animation. And even before that, Netflix has invested heavily into television aimed at kids and families. It’s not the big three anymore, it’s the big 7 or 8."

ROBBINS: "That’s right. And when it comes to specialty - and safe - streaming aimed specifically at kids, it’s not even a big 7 or 8, it’s about zero to one, and creating the one kids’ network that can create a streaming service aimed specifically for kids, and safe for them too. We plan to compete aggressively in this ever changing media landscape. Because this combined network will have the scale and resources to bring real competition."

MARSH: "And on top of that, the combined network will invest over $400 million on developing new kids’ content from both the Nick and Disney Channel libraries. Sadly, though, this will not include any programming based on The Walt Disney Company’s established brands, Star Wars, or the work of Marvel Entertainment and Pixar, which will remain under Disney’s ownership."

ROBBINS: "This is an exciting day. I can’t wait to bring the ultra-talented Disney Channel and Nickelodeon teams together. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Disney Channel team over the years, it’s that they think like kids. They speak for the child in us all. And I have a lot of respect for them. And can you imagine what kind of competitive force these two teams will be together? Cartoon Network and DreamWorks and the others better watch out!"

MARSH: "Because we’re coming."

ROBBINS: "And as our iconic sponge would say, We’re Ready."