Nickelodeon Adding Virtual Worlds

Nickelodeon is developing a virtual world based on the popular animated series "SpongeBob SquarePants."

The virtual world will feature games, avatars, and social networking connected to the series.

The network is also expected to launch Monkey World, a social networking and massive multiplayer game that is an original concept that is not associated with any of its current franchises.

Nickelodeon is also creating a virtual world around its Neopets site called World of Neopia, and will add a paid option to Nicktropolis, the virtual world that is split into sections based on Nickelodeon television shows and other properties. SpongBob, Monkey World and Neopia will also have paid layers when the launch in 2009.

Nicktropolis brings in around 1.5 million visitors per month, and the paid feature will not affect that traffic because it charges only for extra features like personalization.

Another Viacom division, Paramount Digital Entertainment is using social networking application VooZoo to allow user of the virtual world There.com to share short clips from movies and TV shows. There.com users can buy the clips for $1.

MTV Networks is also offering clips from its shows to There.com users and on its virtual world, vMTV. The VooZoo app will be available in the second quarter in vMTV.