Smart-TV Maker Vizio Launches Branded Content Studio, Building On Test Featuring ‘Man Vs. Food’ Host Casey Webb – NewFronts

Dade Hayes
·2 min read

Vizio, a top smart-TV maker, has launched a branded content studio as part of its push into streaming programming.

The new business unit, unveiled Monday during the NewFronts, is expanding on a test show, 3 Pointers. The series, sponsored by BetMGM, is hosted by Man vs. Food‘s Casey Webb. It features sports-themed “hacks” related to food, beverages and entertainment for sports viewers.

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The new brand studio’s slate includes Clean Break, a TikTok-inspired organizing show hosted by Michelle Hobgood; Island Eats, a food-and-travel series focused on obscure parts of the Caribbean; City Limits, showcasing unexpected offerings found just outside the border of cities; and From the Ground Up, a series hosted by comedian Rance Nix that shines a light on industry experts and entrepreneurs in multiple sectors.

The new brand studio “is the natural evolution for our team to offer advertisers an opportunity to authentically communicate  the voice and value of their brand, into stories that resonate with Vizio viewers,” Steve DeMain, VP Branded Content and Sponsorships, said in a press release. “With a data-informed understanding of what our viewers are interested in, VBCS is uniquely positioned to offer a solution that few others can: a custom, exclusive branded content series that brings brands into the story and entertainment that consumers want to watch.”

The studio effort will be overseen by Vizio Ads, the division of the company focused on providing addressable advertising inventory on the company’s WatchFree+, SmartCast and TV apps. Like rival smart-TV makers Samsung and LG, Vizio is investing heavily in free, ad-supported streaming television and its own suite of FAST channels.

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