NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwired) — 10/16/13 — Hearst Corporation and AwesomenessTV today announced a joint venture to create a new stand-alone Seventeen-branded YouTube channel featuring original content as well as a multichannel network (MCN), bringing together the leading print/online teen brand with the largest teen brand in digital video. The announcement was made by Brian Robbins, founder and CEO of AwesomenessTV, and David Carey, president of Hearst Magazines. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
AwesomenessTV will program the new Seventeen YouTube channel as well as manage the Seventeen MCN, leveraging its experience in engaging the audience in participation and consumption. The Seventeen YouTube channel will feature original shows, videos and tutorials covering a wide range of topics of interest to teenagers, including fashion, beauty, entertainment, relationships and more. The Seventeen MCN will provide a platform for teen girls to produce and share their own channels similar to the model formulated for the AwesomenessTV MCN.
“Multiple generations of teen girls have turned to Seventeen for the latest in fashion, beauty, lifestyle advice and more, which is why we are excited about working with Hearst to engage with today-s connected teens through the platforms they care about most,” Robbins said. “This is a generation that not only consumes an amazing amount of content, but produces it as well, which is what we are tapping into for Seventeen.”
“Our partnership with AwesomenessTV speaks to the growing importance of digital video content and Hearst-s commitment to being a key player in the creation and distribution of entertaining programming, wherever, whenever and however people want it,” Carey said. “AwesomenessTV is a leader in this area and we are very excited to join with them to expand Seventeen across the fastest growing platform to build its ever-expanding fan base.”
“We are at an unprecedented moment in history where teen girls are defining their own media and the new Seventeen channel allows them to connect with our brand on a whole new level,” said Ann Shoket, editor in chief of Seventeen. “AwesomenessTV really speaks to our audience: we-re identifying the online stars who resonate with our readers, and creating a platform for the millions of young women who are creating their own content to share with other girls around the world.”
“Our strategy has always been to talk to girls on every platform: print, mobile, web, and social,” said Jayne Jamison, vice president, publisher of Seventeen. “This is an opportunity for Seventeen and our marketing partners to amplify our ongoing conversation through an engaging, integrated video experience designed for a highly targeted audience in an environment they already know and love.”
AwesomenessTV, one of the fastest growing video destinations for teens on YouTube, includes 81,000 teen and tween-oriented YouTube channels that reach 26 million subscribers and garner more than 1.93 billion views. It was acquired by DreamWorks Animation in May 2013.
The AwesomenessTV brand has recently extended beyond the mobile platform into television and film, signaling continued cross-platform expansion plans. On July 1, AwesomenessTV, a half-hour rapid-fire sketch comedy show, debuted on Nickelodeon to 1.6 million viewers.
AwesomenessTV, one of the most subscribed to video destinations for teens on YouTube, is a wholly owned subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation. Included under the AwesomenessTV banner are AwesomenessTV, a channel featuring scripted and reality series including IMO, Make Me Over, Austin Mahone Takeover, Mindless Takeover, Flippin Awesome with Aly Raisman, Awesomeness Hollywood, BOP Report and Runaways; AwesomnessX, a channel for guys built around sports, gaming, comedy, pranks and lifestyle; and ATV Network, a community based MCN focused on discovering and supporting the next generation of YouTube stars. Beyond the YouTube platform AwesomenessTV produced and distributed the feature film Mindless Behavior: All Around The World and its first TV series aired on Nickelodeon. AwesomenessTV is headed by Brian Robbins (Smallville, Varsity Blues, All That) and Joe Davola (In Living Color, Smallville, MTV Networks).
Hearst Corporation () is one of the nation-s largest diversified media and information companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 36 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union; hundreds of magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations, which reach a combined 18 percent of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, HISTORY and ESPN; significant holdings in automotive, electronic and medical/pharmaceutical business information companies; a 50 percent stake in global ratings agency Fitch Group; Internet and marketing services businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate. Follow us on Twitter .
Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation (), one of the nation-s largest diversified media and information companies. With 20 titles in the U.S., Hearst is the leading publisher of monthly magazines in terms of total paid circulation (AAM 1H2013) and reaches 84 million adults (Spring 2013 MRI gfk). In addition, the company publishes nearly 300 editions around the world. Hearst Magazines Digital Media, dedicated to creating and implementing Hearst Magazines- digital strategy, manages 24 websites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, O, The Oprah Magazine and Seventeen, as well as digital-only sites such as Delish.com, a food site in partnership with MSN; MisQuinceMag.com; and RealBeauty.com. Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 apps and digital editions for the iOS and Android platforms. The company also includes iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency.
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Rachel McCallister
AwesomenessTV
323-933-3399, ext. 4209
Paul Luthringer
Hearst Corporation
212-649-2540
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