Nickelodeon acquired Sparkler, an early childhood learning technology platform. Over the next year, Sparkler’s technology, which measures child development and delivers personalized coaching to parents, will be integrated into Nickelodeon’s Noggin platform. Sparkler co-founder Kristen Kane will lead the direct-to-consumer preschool subscription service in her new role as Noggin’s executive vice president, reporting to Nickelodeon President Brian Robbins.
“Pairing Sparkler’s capabilities with our curriculum-driven content will fully transform Noggin into a premiere interactive learning destination for preschoolers and their families,” says Robbins. “Kristen brings extensive experience in the education and technology space, and she will help drive Noggin’s growth with an increased focus on delivering even greater value to our direct-to-consumer service.”
Noggin is Nickelodeon’s ad-free, video subscription service with educational content currently featuring more than 1,500 full-length library episodes, short-form videos, Spanish-language videos, and music videos for preschoolers.
The integration of Sparkler will help parents to guide and support their kids’ continued growth and development through playable content and experiences on and off screen, with personalized features that track progress over time.
Kane was the founding COO of Amplify, an education technology company geared toward creating experiences for students K-12. Prior to that, she was COO of the New York City Department of Education in the Bloomberg administration and served at the Federal Communications Commission.
