PBS Digital Studios held its first NewFront presentation at the Hudson Theatre yesterday, showcasing six of its current 30 online series and introducing four new shows. Senior Director of PBS Digital Studios Matt Graham discussed the 13-34 age range that are primarily watching its content after showing a special Idea Channel (1.7 million monthly views and 500,000 subs) video taking host Mike Rugnetta into a middle school classroom. “A big part of what we are trying to do is reach these younger generations, and the really interesting surprise is when you get those young adults in big numbers you also get the 30, 40 and 50 year olds because they want to understand the world these young kids are creating,” Graham told Cynopsis.
PBS highlighted its current shows like historical interview reinvention series Blank on Blank and science series It’s Okay To Be Smart. The new shows included the studio’s first scripted series called Frankenstein, M.D. from Pemberley Digital and the creators of Lizzie Bennett Diaries and musical variety show reboot Pancake Mountain. Food trend series Food Buzz and English-language historical series in partnership with Magnet Media, Bongo Bongo, were also introduced and made available on the PBS Digital platforms yesterday. PBS recently hit a million subs, 75 million views since it launched in 2012.
“We believe music can be as substantial a platform as sports.” So said VEVO CRO Jonathan Carson at the Vevo NewFront last night as the company announced the expansion of its celebrity branding program, Certified, along with a Twitter partnership. Vevo also unveiled Certified Live, an on-demand concert performance that will feature top Vevo artists with 3,000 of their superfans, and Certified CountUps, which will embed videos into targeted tweets from Vevo, brand partners, artists and fans. “It was so exciting to see brands embrace the event tonight. For me, the highlight of the evening was the unveiling of Certified Live. From a brand, artist and fan perspective, it’s going to be very special,” Carson told Cynopsis.
Vevo will also be partnering with native in-video advertising company Mirriad and debuted its new campaign music video with Aloe Blacc’s hit The Man which integrated Levi’s. Additionally, Vevo announced a new AT&T sponsored music video premiere series that will include a Music Video Premiere Party to feature the artist in the video.
Seven new originals include:
Get The Look (co-produced by Vevo and Rachel Zoe’s The Zoe Report), which will help viewers look like a superstar without the couture price tag.
Stylized (co-produced by Vevo and Milk Studios, MADE and Legs Media) will expose the true personalities behind artists’ fashion identities, including their perspective on art, culture, and gender.
