ITV

Tag: AwesomenessTV

  • Viacom names Kelly Day as president of new unit Digital Studios

    Viacom names Kelly Day as president of new unit Digital Studios

    MUMBAI: Viacom has appointed Kelly Day as president of its new vertical Viacom Digital Studios (VDS). Day will report to Viacom president and CEO Bob Bakish, effective from 20 November.

    VDS will focus on creating and expanding digital content across Viacom and its portfolio of global entertainment brands. Day will execute Viacom’s digital content strategy, and leading creative and editorial production for Viacom’s branded social channels. 

    She will work with Vicaom brands to build on its current programming and develop new content in various formats.

    Bakish said, “Kelly has an impressive track record of building successful digital businesses, and I am so pleased to have her on board to accelerate our push into digital-native content. She and our new Viacom Digital Studios group will ensure that we are delivering more, better aligned and digital-first experiences, helping us to further grow the reach of our brands with our diverse audiences and introducing more opportunities for our advertising and distribution partners.”

    Day’s previous stint was with AwesomenessTV where she served as its first-ever chief digital officer before being named chief business officer. 

    Prior to AwesomenessTV, she was the CEO of Blip Networks which is a leading online video platform. When Blip was acquired by Maker Studios, she served in a variety of leadership positions at Discovery Communications, including, most recently, executive vice president and general manager of digital media and commerce.

    Also Read:

    Viacom expands Zaldivar-Clark’s role as Paramount SVP – talent

    Viacom appoints Bob Bakish as acting CEO

    Viacom announces leadership transition at Paramount Pictures, CEO Brad Grey to step down

  • YouTube Red to premiere original content on 10 February

    YouTube Red to premiere original content on 10 February

    MUMBAI: In the wake of Netflix spreading its wings across the globe, streaming giant YouTube has also stepped up on its original content game with the first batch by YouTube Red Originals all set to premiere on 10 February.

    In addition to getting all of YouTube uninterrupted and a premium YouTube Music experience, a YouTube Red membership will now give users exclusive access to new original series and movies from some of YouTube’s top creators. On 10 February, YouTube Red Originals will premiere four movies and shows namely:

    1) A Trip to Unicorn Island: From the team at Astronauts Wanted, this feature-length movie gives fans an extraordinary look inside the life and journey of Lilly Singh as she embarks on a challenging 26-city global tour where she has to remember to practice what she preaches: happiness is the only thing worth fighting for.

    2) Dance Camp: This feature film from AwesomenessTV weaves an amazing story of unlikely friendships, unleashing passions and discovering yourself all through the power of dance.

    3) Lazer Team: In this feature-length action-comedy from Rooster Teeth and Fullscreen Films, four small-town losers stumble upon an alien ship carrying a mysterious cargo, leading to a battle to save Earth from an all-powerful enemy.

    4) Scare PewDiePie: In this reality-adventure series from the creator and executive producers of “The Walking Dead” at Skybound Entertainment and Maker Studios, experience thrills, chills and laughter as PewDiePie encounters terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games.

    YouTube global head of original content Susanne Daniels said, “The diverse, dynamic creators behind these films have already built massive audiences on YouTube, rivaling many cable shows. With YouTube Red Originals, we want to help them tell bigger and bolder stories that delight you, their fans. YouTube Red is your opportunity to support the passion projects your favorite creators have only dreamed about until now. If you haven’t already, sign up here for a YouTube Red membership and the first month is on us.”

    Additioanlly, YouTube Red will also be unleashing “lots more thrills, chills, LOLs, smiles, romances and surprises” from more YouTube stars later this year.

  • YouTube Red to premiere original content on 10 February

    YouTube Red to premiere original content on 10 February

    MUMBAI: In the wake of Netflix spreading its wings across the globe, streaming giant YouTube has also stepped up on its original content game with the first batch by YouTube Red Originals all set to premiere on 10 February.

    In addition to getting all of YouTube uninterrupted and a premium YouTube Music experience, a YouTube Red membership will now give users exclusive access to new original series and movies from some of YouTube’s top creators. On 10 February, YouTube Red Originals will premiere four movies and shows namely:

    1) A Trip to Unicorn Island: From the team at Astronauts Wanted, this feature-length movie gives fans an extraordinary look inside the life and journey of Lilly Singh as she embarks on a challenging 26-city global tour where she has to remember to practice what she preaches: happiness is the only thing worth fighting for.

    2) Dance Camp: This feature film from AwesomenessTV weaves an amazing story of unlikely friendships, unleashing passions and discovering yourself all through the power of dance.

    3) Lazer Team: In this feature-length action-comedy from Rooster Teeth and Fullscreen Films, four small-town losers stumble upon an alien ship carrying a mysterious cargo, leading to a battle to save Earth from an all-powerful enemy.

    4) Scare PewDiePie: In this reality-adventure series from the creator and executive producers of “The Walking Dead” at Skybound Entertainment and Maker Studios, experience thrills, chills and laughter as PewDiePie encounters terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games.

    YouTube global head of original content Susanne Daniels said, “The diverse, dynamic creators behind these films have already built massive audiences on YouTube, rivaling many cable shows. With YouTube Red Originals, we want to help them tell bigger and bolder stories that delight you, their fans. YouTube Red is your opportunity to support the passion projects your favorite creators have only dreamed about until now. If you haven’t already, sign up here for a YouTube Red membership and the first month is on us.”

    Additioanlly, YouTube Red will also be unleashing “lots more thrills, chills, LOLs, smiles, romances and surprises” from more YouTube stars later this year.

  • Content explosion an opportunity for TV

    Content explosion an opportunity for TV

    CANNES: “It is all about opportunities and it isn’t simple. Opportunity involves risk and in many instances, feels threatening,” said DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

    Named ‘Personality of the Year’, Katzenberg was delivering the key note speech at Mipcom. “If one person seizes a new opportunity, then someone else has to lose ground,” he added.

    Speaking about the evolving television, film and online video markets, he said: “Over the next two years, there will be an explosion of content on the web. In the 40 years I’ve been in the entertainment industry, I don’t think there’s ever been a time filled with so much new and unique opportunity for the world of television.”

    After a successful stint in the film industry, DreamWorks has expanded its footprint to television production and distribution. The production house recently struck a deal with Netflix for providing more than 300 hours of original content, acquired the YouTube multi-channel network AwesomenessTV and partnered with RTL Disney Fernsehen. 

    Dispelling fears that the era of TV was coming to an end, Katzenberg said, “Linear TV will do just fine, even with the internet explosion.”

    Taking the audience through historical advancements since the invention of the printing press in 1445, he said, “Throughout history, it has never been seen that one form of media was replaced by the other newly launched technology.”

    A firm believer in the concept that each technology imparts a new role to that which has come before it, he said: “Because there are so many emerging distribution options, there will inevitably be more demand for content.” 

    Regarding the AwesomenessTV acquisition, Katzenberg said: “The deal gets us directly in touch with our teen audience in a way that we simply can’t with movies or TV shows. Just like an additional layer in a parfait, the entire media experience simply becomes richer and more satisfying.”

    He pitched for mobile entertainment as a solution to the problem of ‘waiting’ saying: “Up until very recently, we literally twiddled our thumbs while we waited. There was nothing else to do. Now our thumbs have a higher purpose than to twiddle. Through touch screens, we actually now can touch the world. Thanks to these devices, ‘waiting’ as we know it, is dead.”

    “Mobile has become an asset to traditional TV, rather than a threat. There is a crossover phenomenon happening in the relationship between mobile and linear TV. For instance, AwesomenessTV created a show by compiling the best clips from its YouTube channel and airing it on Nickelodeon. Mobile serves as an incubator of talent and concepts, driving additional traffic to traditional TV.”

    Katzenberg concluded his keynote by expressing a need for great storytellers. “Storytelling – in any medium – is very difficult, and great storytellers are difficult to find. Whether the media is old or new, content continues to reign as king. And this is because – like all royalty – it is rare. Once the touch of great storytellers is added, touch screens can take us anywhere and everywhere,” he rounded off.

  • YouTubes just the beginning for AwesomenessTV

    YouTubes just the beginning for AwesomenessTV

    CANNES: “Kids and teens are on YouTube and while adults like to eat meals, kids prefer snacks. And they can snack the whole day,” said AwesomenessTV CEO and founder Brian Robbins in his media keynote, adding, “Deliver what they want, when they want, and also constantly refresh it.”

    It was Robbins’ experience of the way his own kids consumed content that led to the launch of AwesomenessTV – a YouTube exclusive channel for kids and teens – last year. It was purchased in May this year by Jeffrey Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation.

    Robbins said it was important to create videos that were funny, creative and yet relevant to kids and that uploading these videos on YouTube was the best form of engaging kids.

    About the online blast, Robbins said: “What’s happening online today is similar to what happened on TV 25 years ago. We want to engage in two-way communication. Every producer should be aware of their target audience. We know who our viewers are and what they’re telling us.”

    While AwesomenessTV boasts one million subscribers and 200 million video views, YouTube is just the beginning for Robbins. “We are going to have a presence everywhere. We are currently working on a mobile app and also PlayStation access. We have a big network in UK and also see opportunity in Brazil. We are looking at creating new audiences every time,” he said.

    At the same time, Robbins sees great opportunity in starting something on YouTube and building an audience and then taking it to TV. “We are giving Dreamworks another platform to build its audience and also market its movies,” he said.

    Comparing AwesomenessTV with say a Nickelodeon, Robbins said while Nick could produce only two pilots to ensure success, they could produce multiple pilots a day. Nickelodeon apart, Robbins argued that most channels today do not create enough fresh content. “One can see only four to five hours of fresh content on the channels. Mobile gives kids options to choose from,” he said.

  • YouTube says TV is passe; announces 1 bn unique visitors per month

    YouTube says TV is passe; announces 1 bn unique visitors per month

    MUMBAI: For long, traditional linear TV professionals have been kind of pooh-poohing the emergence of YouTube as a challenge to their traditional business model and as the destination for video consumption. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt however cautions TV executives that the TV vs YouTube – if ever there was one – is over and has conclusively swung in favour of the online streaming portal.

    Speaking to advertisers in New York on Wednesday night at an initiative titled NewFronts (digital media‘s version of the TV tradition of promoting programming and selling ads); he disclosed that YouTube was now crossing a billion visitors a month. Last month‘s figures from YouTube claimed that almost one of every two people on the World Wide Web now uses the video streaming site, making it the third largest country in the world behind China and India.

    Google executives at the event said that visitors are watching more than six billion hours of video content on YouTube every month. That‘s a humungous number, which equals to one hour a month for every human on earth. Just three months ago, the figure was four billion. Schmidt expects the figure to go up soon and told attendees to wait “till the numbers rise to six to seven billion. The future is now for YouTube,” he said.

    Executives point out that a good proportion of the visitors are those under forty – the connected to the internet generation; and that there is no better medium to reach out to them than YouTube.

    “I thought that YouTube was like TV, but it isn‘t. I was wrong,” said YouTube‘s global head of content Robert Kyncl, “TV is one-way. YouTube talks back. TV means reach. YouTube means engagement.” He further added.

    Schmidt explained that YouTube is not a replacement for something we know. “It‘s a new thing that we have to think about, to program, to curate and build new platforms,” he pointed out.

    DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg made an appearance at the event to announce that his company had earlier in the day signed a deal to acquire AwesomenessTV, a popular teen focused YouTube network, for $33 million.

    YouTube meanwhile brought in its troops to coax brands to snap up media on the site, put in sponsorship dollars behind it and build channels. They cited a study saying that brands “that invest about 10 per cent to 15 per cent of their media budget on YouTube post a one per cent to three per cent sales rise.