Fremantle Relocates Pets Channel from YouTube to Blip
FremantleMedia North America is officially switching over its funny cat videos — and other pet-oriented fare on its Internet channel — from getting first run on YouTube to a new site operated in conjunction with Blip.
Production company’s The Pet Collective channel will launch Tuesday at ThePetCollective.tv, stocked with more than 25 hours of new content. Purina is the exclusive sponsored-content partner for the first three months of the relaunch of the channel off YouTube.
The channel was part of the YouTube’s $200 million original channels initiative. The content will continue to be distributed on YouTube, but Fremantle will debut new video programs on its own website and through Blip‘s video distribution network. New York-based Blip is acting as exclusive ad-sales agent.
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“Millions and millions of pet lovers around the world have turned to The Pet Collective when they want to laugh and be inspired by their furry and feathered friends, and now we’re able to create one single destination for them to find the best pet videos anywhere,” said Tom Maynard, manager of The Pet Collective.
After premiering on ThePetCollective.tv and Blip, the shows will post to YouTube typically between 48 hours to seven days later, Blip topper Kelly Day said.
“This is not us against YouTube,” Day said. “Clearly the monetization is better on our sites but we will not intentionally keep videos off YouTube because that doesn’t make sense.”
Some YouTube content partners have expressed growing dissatisfaction with the Google-owned website, the No. 1 Internet video destination by a wide margin. Critics say YouTube’s 45% take of ad revenue is unfair, and that the site does not effectively market content or sell category-specific advertising.
Along with The Pet Collective, Blip is developing other new vertical sites, including one with YouTube comedy star Ray William Johnson to launch later this summer or early fall, Day said. Johnson also has a script deal with FX Networks.
Shows on ThePetCollective.tv will include all-new episodes of such weekly series as “Tails of Hope,” chronicling lives of pets looking for homes; new series “Meme’d,” stories behind viral Internet animal sensations; and “Puppy Love,” featuring of puppies at play.
Burbank, Calif.-based FremantleMedia North America produces shows for U.S. market including “American Idol” (Fox), “America’s Got Talent” (NBC), “The X Factor” (Fox), “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make A Deal” (CBS) and “Family Feud” (syndication).
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