NewFronts 2013: Alloy Digital
Programming
Chasing: Returning. Timing: Q4 2013. Target demo: P12-24/18-34. A music-based reality competition that features fans of a certain musician/band competing in a series of road challenges in order to win the ultimate prize of getting to meet that musician. The challenges will all be inspired by the featured artist’s life and music. Season 1 featured DJ Steve Aoki.
Dorm Biz: Timing: Q3 2013. Target demo: P18-34. A reality competition series in which ambitious and entrepreneurial students try to launch new businesses from their dorm rooms. Dorm Biz will feature student teams from different universities competing against each other in a series of challenges as they compete for the top prize: funding for their start-up. The series will also bring in well-known business experts to serve as mentors. These experts, who will also listen to the final pitches and determine the winner, include Mark Cuban and Michael Dell.
Dropping the Soap: Timing: Q3 2013. Target demo: P18-34/25-34. Previously announced by Alloy Digital DBG back when it was Digital Broadcasting Group, this series comes from Executive Producers Jane Lynch (Glee), Lisa Kudrow (Friends), Dan Bucatinsky, and Dan Ross. It follows the antics of a fictional television network executive, who wants to shake things up on a long-running soap opera (“Colliding Lives”) by using every hacky gimmick in the book.
30 Days to Popular: Timing: Q3 2013. Target demo: P12-24. Scripted comedy about two best friends who work their way to the top of the high school food chain. Unfortunately, one of the girls, Lauren, finds out that her charms have no effect on the guy she has a crush on.
Encore: Timing: Q2 2014. Target demo: P18-34/25-34. A non-scripted comedy that reunites former cast members of a high school drama club and documents their attempt to put on another show. Encore will follow the cast through the entire rehearsal/production process, spotlighting creative and personal struggles and successes along the way.
The Espressologist: Timing: Q4 2013. Target demo: P18-34/25-34. From Vuguru, this series is based on the young adult novel from Kristina Springer. It follows a twenty-something barista named Chelsea, who plays matchmaker for her friends and co-workers by pairing them based on their drink of choice. But, the question is (as it always is in such situations): “will she ever make a match for herself?” The show and the book are inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma.
Clevver HQ: Timing Q1 2014. Target demo: F16-24/18-34. A weekly roundtable show focusing on pop culture news, stories, events, and trends. Alloy says the hosts will discuss and compare notes “in a real-time format that enables immediate audience interaction through social media.”
Smosh: Alloy’s top YouTube brand. The channel features comedy sketches from the Smosh duo, Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. Smosh also features an off-YouTube website. Smosh currently offers access to more than 14.7 million subscribers across five YouTube channels, all of which have combined to generate 3.2 billion streams to date. The property also reaches more than 5 million social media followers and is pulling in 1.5 million monthly unique visitors to Smosh.com.
Marketing, Promotions, and Distribution
For Smosh, Alloy is offering advertisers a bunch of partnership opportunities, including custom options for the main Smosh YouTube channel, as well as spin-off programs like Lunchtime with Smosh, If Movies Were Real, Food Battle 2013, and Smosh Games.
As for the original slate Alloy showcased at the event, most of the series are offering title, presenting, and supporting partnership opportunities. What’s interesting is that some of the shows are still very early on in the development process — their previews didn’t feature any filmed clips from the show (because in some cases those shows haven’t started production just yet).
Eric Danetz, EVP/Sales at Alloy Digital, told me that this way Alloy is offering advertisers the ability to partner early on in the production/development process. “Agencies are coming to us and asking to actually have a piece of the IP,” he said.
He announced that Alloy plans to speak one-on-one with advertisers to discuss how they can be involved with the programming that was unveiled during the NewFront.
It’s also important to keep in mind Alloy’s acquisition of the (now former) Digital Broadcasting Group: DBG’s portfolio includes a video syndication network that reaches 2,600 publishers, its CLiP video player (which also features original programming produced by DBG), and a suite of pre-roll ad units. Add these capabilities with Alloy’s existing reach among 12-34 year olds, which spans content verticals like women’s lifestyle, men’s lifestyle, comedy, entertainment, and gaming, with an overall reach of over 90 million consumers per month (comScore), and Alloy has a pretty sizeable media offering for advertisers. In fact, the acquisition was described in part as a way to push Alloy into new content verticals, including tech, health, travel, and sports (for ex: DBG Sports currently produces NCAA football and basketball highlight packages), as well as extend the company’s reach to audiences outside of the P12-34 crowd.
