Spongebob SquarePants tops the list as the most in-demand show on Amazon Prime Video last month. The Nickelodeon animated series has been airing since 1999, and its goofy premise has spawned hundreds of episodes and a handful of SpongeBob SquarePants films. The SpongeBob machine doesn’t seem to be dying down anytime soon, either, with Paramount Pictures planning more films and projects within the franchise. SpongeBob is responsible for countless quotable moments that are recognizable to most millenials, which is no easy feat for an animated children’s show.
The children’s comedy series follows SpongeBob, an overly optimistic sea sponge who flips burgers and wreaks havoc around Bikini Bottom, usually alongside his best friend Patrick Star. SpongeBob is prone to annoy his boss Mr. Krabs and his co-worker/neighbor Squidward Tentacles whenever he can. The other unique residents of the underwater town also play a role, from the devious Plankton, to the intelligent Sandy Cheeks. SpongeBob SquarePants has remained successful for its odd humor that is popular for people of all ages.
According to data from Parrot Analytics (via The Wrap), SpongeBob SquarePants is having a moment on Amazon Prime Video more than 20 years after its initial debut. In February 2022, the long-running show was the most in-demand on the entire platform. In fact, the show reportedly saw 65 times more sales than average last month.
While Amazon Prime is competing with platforms like Netflix and HBO Max to make original content that entices customers into paying monthly subscriptions, this data appears to prove that, sometimes, popular old content can also be a reliable staple for streamers. In addition, kids’ content tends to be a major win for streaming platforms. The report indicates that more than 20 percent of Amazon Prime Video’s most-demanded shows were classified as children’s content, so the genre is an important one for studios to pay attention to. It’s likely that this data will also impact Amazon’s decision to renew its licensing contract for Spongebob SquarePants, since fans are continually interested in streaming SpongeBob content via their Prime Video subscriptions.
However, now that Paramount+ streaming service has found its footing, Nickelodeon might be forced to limit its deals with platforms under the same corporate umbrella. The studio is already planning to make future Spongebob films to release via Paramount+ and has developed exclusive spinoffs like The Patrick Star Show. Given this, Amazon might have to pay top dollar to Paramount Pictures for the streaming rights to the hit show, or risk losing a major moneymaker like SpongeBob SquarePants.
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