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It's not just that Nichijou bombed, per se, it's also that there's nothing else out there for KyoAni right now.
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I'm not convinced that the failure did anything except shatter an illusion.
There's no evidence that the studio has necessarily lost fans. Ultimately, content dictates what people want to buy, so I have little doubt that with the right property and concept, they'd produce another megahit. They may have less room to wriggle than when they were hot off K-ON!, but are they actually much weaker than they were before Nichijou?
Take SHAFT, for instance. In terms of fan enthusiasm and dedication, they're the hottest studio next to KyoAni, yet they sometimes fail across multiple seasons. As with many companies, their strategy is to throw mud at a wall and see what sticks. Nevertheless, when something sticks, it really sticks.
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they risk getting completely eclipsed by A-1
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I tend to see A-1 as something along the lines of EA. Commercially, their shows are poised to dominate across a broad spectrum of genres, and they instantly win when it comes to quantity. However, brand dilution makes it more difficult (although not impossible) for them to attract and maintain a fanatical following. So far, there are few unifying factors between projects, such as staff, target audience, genre, or style. Consequently, they're simply an anime factory for Aniplex with no established identity.
KyoAni is more along the lines of a Valve or id. You could also throw 90s-era Square (distinct product focus + staff that fans worshipped and were really familiar with) in here.