Dive Brief:
- Looking to tap into millennial demographic, Verizon Communications and Hearst Corp. joined forces for two new digital video content brands – RatedRed.com and Seriously.TV. – through the newly created Verizon Hearst Media Partners.
- RatedRed.com is targeted toward young people in the heartland, and Seriously.TV is a comedy network with a focus on politics.
- The concept behind both new brands is to create content designed to be viewed on smartphones.
Dive Insight:
“This is a moment in time where history is repeating itself a little bit,” Neeraj Khemlani, co-president of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, told The Wall Street Journal. He added, “There are plenty of print and tech sites. But for true video brands, it’s early innings … The idea of having everyone come to one place, that’s part of a bygone era.”
Khemlani sees the emergence of media companies like BuzzFeed and Vice Media, and now the new brands from Verizon Hearst Media Partners, as similar to cable TV in the 1980s.
According to Brian Angiolet, Verizon’s senior vice president of consumer product and marketing, marketers can expect pre-roll and mid-roll video ad formats, but there will also be an independent ad product roadmap forthcoming with branded content opportunities in development.
Khemlani told The New York Times, "Every time there is a giant technology shift, you want something that is authentic to that new audience. The new generation wants new brands that reflect their views, their lens on the world. This is a forward investment into a new generation."