YouTube are creating free shows with Kevin Hart, Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry + more
YouTube are spending millions to develop original shows, but these aren’t part of YouTube Red and will be free to watch for anyone on YouTube.
The announcement was made yesterday at the NewFronts conference in New York. They are developing a bunch of star-studded shows exclusive to YouTube that will be ad-supported, therefore available to the over a billion people who use the video site.
They have been working on original shows for over a year now, but so far these have all been made exclusively for their subscription service YouTube Red as bonus benefits to ad-free videos and offline saves. YouTube say that they “kept hearing from brands” who said that they wanted to get involved with these Premium series, i.e. make some money off them.
With brands funding these shows through advertisements these new shows won’t be hidden behind a paywall.There will be seven new series in total featuring a variety of stars from Hollywood and YouTube.
YouTube’s new shows are:
- Ellen’s Show Me More Show: Like nothing Ellen has done before, Ellen’s Show Me More Show is a twice-a-week series built just for YouTube, giving fans behind the scenes access to some of the biggest stars and her favorite moments.
- Good Mythical Morning: Worldwide YouTube superstars—and hosts of YouTube’s most popular daily show—Rhett & Link will go to new heights in a long-form expansion of Good Mythical Morning, giving fans even more of what they crave: larger-than-life stunts, zanier challenges, and over-the-top laughs.
- Kevin Hart: What the Fit?: Kevin will team up with celebrity friends and YouTube stars each week as they attempt to master a different trending, grueling and sometimes ridiculous workout routine.
- I Am: Demi Lovato: Global music sensation and social advocate, Demi Lovato reveals a yearlong personal journey of music reinvention and deep discovery as she dives into the writing and recording of her new album in her new series, I Am: Demi Lovato.
- Best.Cover.Ever.: From Ryan Seacrest Productions and Endemol Shine North America, Best.Cover.Ever. is a cutting-edge talent competition series hosted by Ludacris where emerging talent from across the globe submit covers to YouTube to vie for the ultimate prize: an opportunity to perform a duet with a superstar artist. Submit your cover now at thebestcoverever.com.
- The Super Slow Show: YouTube stars The Slow Mo Guys will test the latest in technology to reinvent the way we look at celebrities, music, pranks, comedy sketches and more, giving a one-of-a-kind glimpse into what the world looks like in slow motion.
- Katy Perry Live Special: It’s real. It’s raw. It’s Katy Perry. Live on YouTube, The Katy Perry Live Special will take you inside of her world, revealing the experiences and emotions she poured into her all-new soul-baring music on the eve of her highly anticipated album launch. With unique access, global reach and surprise fun packed along the way, Katy will break it all down in this album listen-along, and if you stick around long enough, there might just be fireworks.
According to Bloomberg YouTube are planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to create new YouTube Red shows and new ad-supported shows in the next year.