YouTube Debuts Two Entertainment Channels
Young Hollywood Network, PMC and ION's ENTV Part of Video Site's Original-Content Strategy
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 1/16/2012 2:46:45 PM
YouTube, continuing its push to add 96 professionally produced channels in the next year, added two entertainment "networks" to its website Monday: PMC and ION Television's Entertainment News Television and the Young Hollywood Network.
The Google-owned video site is spending upwards of $100 million on the initiative, in the hopes that adding such content will be more appealing to advertisers -- which generally have been loath to place video ads against YouTube's unpredictable user-generated material.
Young Hollywood Network (YHN), touted as "the definitive pop-culture destination," includes celebrity interviews, news and other coverage of the entertainment industry. YHN's programming slate will provide five original shows per week, with new episodes airing each day 1 p.m. Eastern.
"Being part of such a groundbreaking initiative is very exciting," Young Hollywood founder and CEO RJ Williams said in a statement. "We created our business with the focus to always be ahead of the curve, so we look forward to working with YouTube on this new endeavor."
Los Angeles-based Young Hollywood said it has launched campaigns for companies including Coca-Cola, Samsung, Intuit, Blackberry, AT&T and EA.
ION has teamed up with PMC -- which owns Deadline.com, HollywoodLife.com and other online properties -- for ENTV, which promises to deliver "breaking entertainment news 24/7 on YouTube," along with a series of entertainment lifestyle shows. The ENTV News programming will include hosted segments starting at 9 a.m. Eastern and running until 11 p.m. The content will be produced by Michael Davis, ENTV's general manager.
"The creation of the 'ENTV' YouTube channel is a strategic step towards enhancing this brand," ION Media Networks CEO Brandon Burgess said in a statement. "We look forward to building on our successful working partnership with PMC while expanding our audience by offering the opportunity to explore new content."
Added PMC CEO Jay Penske, "With the best team of entertainment editors and reporters in the business, it was a natural fit to take that leading talent to YouTube with the launch of our premium content channel. 'ENTV' will be the go-to destination for entertainment breaking news, and the partnership and channel have limitless potential."
Other channels in YouTube's original-content lineup that have launched include Hearst's Car and Driver Television, the Madonna-backed DanceOn, The Onion News Network, WWE's Fan Nation, and Clevver Media's ClevverTeVe and ClevverStyle.
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