U.S.
TV networks court YouTube crowd in quest for digital
viewers
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[July 27, 2015]
By Lisa
Richwine
ANAHEIM, California
(Reuters) - For the first time, cable TV network
Nickelodeon staged a casting call at VidCon, a
convention that draws stars of YouTube and social media
like Vine, Instagram and Snapchat and their passionate
followers.
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The Viacom-owned channel's talent search is one way
traditional TV networks are recruiting Internet personalities to
build audiences.
YouTube stars include comedians, beauty gurus, product
reviewers, gamers, musicians and fitness buffs who post videos
of themselves, often looking directly into the camera.
It is not certain that the shorter format and free-wheeling
style of YouTube will translate to TV. "It's a challenge for all
of us," said Albie Hecht, executive vice president of HLN, a
network designed for the "social media generation." "Television
is a very different means of communication."
The appeal for networks is clear. Google-owned YouTube says its
reaches more people in the United States than any cable network
among ages 18 to 49, the group most coveted by advertisers.
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Nielsen data show traditional TV viewing for 12- to 17-year-olds
declined to about 18 hours per week in the first quarter of 2015
from 21 hours a year earlier. Surveys show online stars are more
popular with teens than mainstream celebrities.
At VidCon which ran Thursday to Saturday, 20,000 fans snapped
selfies with idols and attended sessions such as "What makes a
good gaming channel?"
Nickelodeon also brought in the stars of its new series "Game
Shakers" including GloZell, a comedian with 3.8 million YouTube
subscribers. Online stars "have a built-in following and our
audience are fans," said Nickelodeon content development
executive Russell Hicks.
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CBS Corp's digital unit talked to Internet personalities at VidCon
about potential partnerships, said Jim Lanzone, president of CBS
Interactive, which operates websites such as CBS.com, CNET and
GameSpot.
The company is exploring distributing content from online video
creators via its digital brands, he said.
"I don't see this as either/or," Lanzone said of broadcast
programming and YouTube videos. "It's different content, and both
can co-exist."
Other TV networks are trying out online stars.
Popular YouTube comedian Grace Helbig hosted eight episodes of a
talk show this year on the E! network, part of Comcast Corp's
NBCUniversal. E! has not decided whether to order a new season, a
spokeswoman said.
Brandy Melana Walker, a 20-year-old YouTube creator, waited to
audition for Nickelodeon's casting team.
"It's really cool to see the crossover from digital media to actual
network television," she said.
(Editing by Stephen R. Trousdale and Cynthia Osterman)
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