Viacom Digital Studios is doubling down on its Facebook Watch content with three new shows: Fact or Nicktion, Make My Nick Dreams Come True and Very Bad Crafts.
Premiering tomorrow, Fact or Nicktion is an investigative weekly series where YouTuber MatPat digs into weird mysteries behind classic Nick shows. Make My Nick Dreams Come True, which doesn’t yet have a release date, is hosted by internet mega-star Joey Graceffa, who gives kids their Nickelodeon-themed dream—like getting slime or running the Double Dare-obstacle course. Lastly, Very Bad Crafts is true to its name: Armed with some of the most unconventional and useless items, contestants have to create a themed craft in the vein of Netflix’s popular Nailed It.
Nickelodeon announced its first Facebook Watch Show back in April at its NewFront presentation. Throw Back with Nickelodeon, (pictured) starring Smosh’s Anthony Padilla, launched this summer. On it, he waxes nostalgic with some of the kidcaster’s biggest stars from yesteryear.
Viacom Digital Studios’ new Facebook Watch slate also includes Awesomeness’ teen-skewing series Tri Me, starring Rickey Thompson as he attempts to settle real-life disputes between roommates, coworkers and friends. Comedy Central, meanwhile, is launching Beast to Beauty and Pitch Please on the platform this month.
The move comes shortly after Viacom Digital Studios boosted its kids division with two new hires. Former Fullscreen Media exec Ashley Kaplan is now the SVP of Digital Studios for Nickelodeon and Luke Wahl is the VP for Digital Studios joined in July.
The additional content on Facebook comes despite the fact that the social site requires its users to be at least 13. While younger children do use the platform, contravening Facebook’s own user policies, in the broader context of child safety, under-age usage of social media platforms is causing issues still rippling into the industry as YouTube was just hit with a US$170 million settlement with the FTC for allegedly claiming it wasn’t allowing kids on the platform, while actively courting kids content makers and advertisers.