Video producers see the power of YouTube exclusivity

With 100 new channels of original content rolling out, video producers gear up for online growth

The way that viewers consume their media is changing rapidly, with more devices and on-demand content available everyday.

This shift in the realm of where, when and what content can be viewed with the click of a button has cable and Internet companies scrambling to capture the most viewers and advertising dollars possible.

YouTube and its parent-company, Google, has been shaking up things as of late, with its new GoogleTV software and its rollout of 100 new YouTube channels filled with original content. 

The original-content channel initiative launched by YouTube has many video producers excited about the changes coming to the world of on-demand and online media.

These newly announced channels will be launched gradually through mid 2012 with content ranging from sports to popular culture and comedy -- the content, of which, is required to remain exclusive on YouTube for 18 months, after which time content creators can take their content off YouTube for three years. Until now, all content uploaded on YouTube has not been required to remain exclusive. 

YouTube, the content creators and the advertisers are seeing this exclusivity as a great way to capture a more loyal audience in search of high quality material.

American Hipster channel

Peter Furia, the partner and head of creative & marketing from the San Francisco-based company Seedwell, has high hopes for the new model that YouTube is investing so heavily in.

"We believe YouTube is the best online video platform for connecting with your viewers.  People can easily share your content, discuss it, and interact with it," Furia told me. "A lot of other video sites are trying to emulate the model, but no one so far has done it as well as YouTube, nor have they built the critical mass of users."

YouTube entered into a contract with Seedwell and provided money upfront to create the content needed to launch a channel called "American Hipster." This channel, which is slated to premiere in April of 2012, will include a pop culture roundupseries, a show where a baby called Max reviews movies and the channel namesake documentary series called "American Hipster."  

Furia thinks that it will be unique to have three shows of very different styles and formats on one channel. 

"We're also excited to bring new audiences to YouTube who have outdated notions of what types of content they can find on the site," Furia said. "It's not just content like America's Funniest Home Videos anymore."

Content created by Seedwell has been seen on YouTube for years, including several viral video hits such as "Telephone: The Office Version" (a Lady Gaga parody) and "Tweet It" (a Michael Jackson "Beat It" parody.)

My Damn Channel

Another content producer across the country from Seedwell is the New York-based My Damn Channel. Founder and CEO Rob Barnett spoke with me about the content his company is creating for their new YouTube channel and the excitement of seeing online content evolve.

"We already have a strong subscriber base at our current channel on YouTube," Barnett told me, with nearly 100,000 people on the subscribe list. "But we have wanted to put more of a focus on offering live and long-form programming for a while, and this looked like a great way to move on that front."

My Damn Channel focuses on providing witty, fun humor content from both established talent (such as the Sklar brothers, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill) and breaking talent.

The new channel launching next year will start with a 30 minute weekly show and a 10 minute daily show.

To gear up for this new, deeper integration with YouTube, My Damn Channel hired an online sensation, known as MemeMolly as its director of talent & audience development, Molly Templeton.

Templeton has more than 120,000 subscribers on her own personal channel and has been charged with signing fresh online video creators, producing their original Web series, and growing the YouTube audience.

As more content is uploaded to YouTube and other platforms, users have had a growing sensation of frustration in the quest to find high-quality content and YouTube has been improving the concept of vetted channels for this reason. While some may want to tumble through different suggestions and content, other want a go-to spot (or spots) filled with content held to higher production standards and practices to enjoy.

Barnett sees a great change on the horizon for online content and media in general, and is excited to be in a space with so much being shaken up.

"We have always stolen ideas from the play books of HBO and Showtime to offer a focused effort on the best content for a given period of time, so our viewers have a great experience rather than an overwhelmed and frustrated one," said Barnett. "TV viewing remains extremely high and online video is growing dramatically but ultimately, the audience will decide what the best content is."

Image Sources -- Seedwell, My Damn Channel and Wamwan