NICKELODEON UNVEILS "RYAN'S MYSTERY PLAYDATE," BRAND-NEW PRESCHOOL SERIES STARRING YOUTUBE SUPERSTAR RYAN OF RYAN TOYSREVIEW
Live-Action Series Created and Produced by pocket.watch
BURBANK, Calif.-Feb. 14, 2019-Preschoolers will be playing and problem-solving along with their best friend Ryan in Nickelodeon's brand-new live-action series, Ryan's Mystery Playdate, starring the seven-year-old YouTube superstar of Ryan ToysReview. The news was announced today by Brian Robbins, President, Nickelodeon.
Ryan's Mystery Playdate is created and produced by pocket.watch, the new studio creating global franchises from the YouTube stars and characters loved by Generation Alpha. The new series follows Ryan, his parents and animated friends Gus the Gummy Gator and Combo Panda as they work together to tackle a series of imaginative, physical challenges and unbox puzzles to reveal the identity of his mystery playdate. The 20-episode series will premiere in the U.S. later this year on Nickelodeon.
Said Robbins: "Ryan is a kid who happens to be one of YouTube's towering giants, with millions of followers who are going to love seeing him and his family on Nickelodeon in a totally new and fun way. Unboxing is just the start of the new adventures fans can expect from Ryan's Mystery Playdate on Nick, and we're excited to be working with pocket.watch to bring this series to our audience."
"We're thrilled that our friends at Nickelodeon recognize the power and popularity of Ryan and the characters that inhabit his world with him," said Albie Hecht, pocket.watch's Chief Content Officer. "Over the last year pocket.watch launched Ryan's World books, games and consumer products to great success so a TV show with Nickelodeon is the natural next step in propelling Ryan to true global franchise status."
Since its inception in 2015, Ryan ToysReview has grown to become one of the world's largest YouTube channels with videos that feature Ryan and his family playing with toys for kids. The channel, along with other channels featuring Ryan and his friends, averages over one billion views monthly and currently has over 18 million subscribers. In addition to videos of Ryan playing with toys, Ryan ToysReview also features fun and easy science experiments, educational content, and videos that document daily life for the family of five, which includes Ryan's younger twin sisters. Ryan's World, a companion consumer products line developed by pocket.watch, featuring Ryan and the universe of characters created by Ryan and his parents, launched nationwide last year.
Ryan's Mystery Playdate will take its place among Nick's powerful preschool portfolio that will now also include: Blue's Clues & You!, premiering in November, and Santiago of the Seas (formerly The Swashbuckling Adventures of Capit�n Calavera), premiering 2020. Nickelodeon is currently the number-one network with Kids 2-5, and owns 8 of the top 10 preschool shows on all TV, led by top-ranked PAW Patrol.
Pocket.watch is the new studio that specializes in entertaining and inspiring kids and families through digital-first content and sparking their imaginations with lifestyle products ranging from toys to toothbrushes. The company inspires kids to seamlessly move between screen time and playtime and boasts a growing portfolio of franchises that includes some of the largest kids and family YouTube brands in the world alongside original characters and talent that the company has extended into premium series, consumer products, books, games, live events and more. Pocket.watch was founded in March 2017 by Chris M. Williams and is located in Culver City, CA where it maintains an office and studio. The management team is made up of studio veterans and visionaries from traditional and digital entertainment including Albie Hecht, Stone Newman, Jon Moonves and David B. Williams. Investors include Viacom, Greycroft, Third Wave Digital and United Talent Agency (UTA), as well as notable strategic angels including Robert Downey Jr. (Team Downey) and Jon Landau.
Production of Ryan's Mystery Playdate for Nickelodeon is overseen by Cathy Galeota, Senior Vice President, Preschool Content.
Nickelodeon, now in its 39th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids' basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
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