YouTube Mounts TV Challenge With Original Programming

LOS ANGELES — YouTube has announced plans to create dozens of channels with original content, constructing an online challenge to the television experience and signaling the video giant's official leap into high-quality programming.

"Today, the Web is bringing us entertainment from an even wider range of talented producers, and many of the defining channels of the next generation are being born, and watched, on YouTube," Robert Kyncl, YouTube's global head of content partnerships, wrote in a blog post Friday.

YouTube unveiled numerous high-profile names among the channel producers, including Jay-Z, Amy Poehler and Ashton Kutcher.

Among the producers announced as having channels are Reuters, Electus, Slate and the Wall Street Journal.

Lionsgate is the only movie and television studio among nearly 100 content partners. "CSI" creator Antony Zuiker will be creating content for Black Box TV on one channel; actress Sofia Vergara is involved in a Hispanic pop culture channel.

The initiative is expected to generate about 25 hours of new programming a day on YouTube, the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that most of the channels will launch next year.

In touting its plans, the site posted notice that it would be offering channels created "by well-known personalities and content producers as well as some of the most innovative up-and-coming media companies and some of YouTube's own existing partners."

The initiative is intended to be a challenge to cable television, and is part of parent company Google's strategy of becoming a next-generation television provider.

YouTube has been the No. 1 global site for video, but until now has failed to find a viable monetization strategy with user-generated content.

The new channels provide the long-missing monetization piece for YouTube, providing content against which the Google-owned site can sell advertising.

The news had been in the air. The Wall Street Journal had written that Google shelled out more than $100 million to partners to start producing content.

For the partners, the initiative will not mean big bucks, at least to start. YouTube will reportedly be offering content partners an advance of $5 million in exchange for a couple of hours of programming a week.

After that sum is recouped through advertising, revenues will be shared with the partner. A Google spokeswoman told TheWrap that the majority of those revenues will go to the partner.

Among the dozens of channels and programs debuting:

• "Awesomeness," from Brian Robbins, producer of "Smallville."
• Car and Driver Television
• "Life and Times," from the rap star Jay-Z
• A pop culture channel from producer Ben Silverman
• "Smart Girls at the Party" with Amy Poehler, Meredith Walker and Amy Miles
• "Thrash Lab" from Ashton Kutcher
• Madonna was reportedly planning to launch a dance channel

The video content must remain exclusive to YouTube for 18 months, the Journal reported. The creators can take their content off YouTube after three years.

Earlier Friday, Google announced a new version of Google TV, including a version of YouTube that looks more like TV, adding search tools that expand results to include shows on cable or Web-based services like Netflix and Amazon.