ViacomCBS announced a new studio based entirely on Avatar: The Last Air Master and The legend of Korra.
Avatar Studios will create “original content spanning animated series and movies,” according to a press release. Avatar and Korra the original creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, are joining Nickelodeon as co-creative directors at Avatar Studios. The first project is an animation theatrical title that will start production soon. More information will be announced shortly, according to the company.
Having exclusivity Avatar and Korra the content is very important for the new streaming service from Nickelodeon and ViacomCBS, Paramount Plus. Although the company’s business strategy is to license several of its programs and films without exclusivity, at the moment Avatar and The legend of Korra returned to Netflix, subscribers may have associated the program specifically with the streaming platform. The show became Netflix’s most-watched title around May 22, when it returned to Netflix. The series it was also previously available on Amazon Prime Video.
Having these licensing agreements is financially beneficial for ViacomCBS at the moment, according to comments that CEO Bob Bakish made in previous calls. Some of Netflix’s most watched shows in the U.S. remain ViacomCBS titles, including Criminal minds, Shameless, NCIS, and Schitt’s Creek. To attract people and get them to sign up, however, Paramount Plus needs its own exclusives. This is where having a new Avatar series could be very beneficial.
Paramount Plus is ViacomCBS ‘new brand in the streaming space. It will be released on March 4. After Viacom and CBS merged again in 2019, the unified company decided to find a way to use its full range of programming and franchises to become a real competitor to Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max and the Disney empire (Disney Plus and Hulu). The new streaming service will feature more than 30,000 TV episodes and movies from various brands, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures, as well as some aspects of sports and live news.