The Young Turks uploaded its first video to YouTube on December 25, 2005. The liberal-progressive and self-proclaimed “first internet TV news show” was created by Cenk Uygur (here’s a videoif you need to learn how to pronounce that one), Ben Mankiewicz, Dave Koller, and Jill Pike and born out of a defunct Sirius Satellite Radio program of the same name. It’s done much better online.
In the five years, six months, and couple of weeks since the program found a new home on the internet, The Young Turks has uploaded 9,450+ videos, accumulated 250,000+ subscribers and just recently received it’s 500,000,000 view. In that time frame, Uygur also landed a hosting gig at MSNBC while Uygur and company turned The Young Turks from one left-of-center news show into a brand that now produces no less than six regularly scheduled original web series, employs 12 full-time staff members, and sees revenue upwards of $1 million per year (a threshold Uygur tells me the company stepped over eight or so months ago).
That half-billionth view and those revenue numbers are some very impressive milestones to attain, especially for a news program that’s not trying to garner eyeballs via pop culture parodies (not that there’s anything wrong with that) or by way of video titles sprinkled with the names of conventionally attractive celebrities (not that there’s anything wrong with that, either).
Given his program’s numbers, I recently caught up with Uygur over the phone to find out more about the current status of The Young Turks (the show and the company), how Uygur manages the relationship between his television show and his internet show, and where The Young Turks (again, the show and the company) is headed.
Tubefilter: You have a regular gig now on MSNBC. A lot of people in the online video world would consider that the end game, a sign that you’ve made it. So why is The Young Turks still up and running online?
Cenk Uygur: The Young Turksis the main show. The network is averaging over a million views a day. Just from a financial perspective – let alone the ability to get our your message and do something you love – you’d be crazy to stop the program.
TF: How does MSNBC feel about that?
CU: Whenever I talk to any TV executive, I say stopping The Young Turks is non-negotiable. I think the oldschool way of thinking is if you’ve made it onto TV you’ve made it. I’m not a believer in that oldschool of thought. I think online is going to be bigger and I’d much rather hold onto my online show than get caught up in dreams of television stardom.
TF: What’s the relationship like between you on MSNBC and The Young Turks? Is there any synergy there?
CU: Sure, but they don’t work together much. We promote MSNBC on The Youg Turks. We promote The Young Turks a little bit on MSNBC. We haven’t coordinated anything at this point in a significant way. So far they’re fairly distinct.
TF: Are you seeing fans cross over from one medium to the other?
CU: A lot more viewers cross over from The Young Turks to MSNBC than MSNBC to The Young Turks. I think television viewers are are a little more set in their ways. It’s a little harder to get them to try something new, whereas The Young Turks viewers are invested in the show and happy to see me on TV.
TF: Do original Young Turks fans get bragging rights since they liked you before you were on TV?
CU: Ha. I think people feel a little proud that they’re able to say, “We were TYT fans before Cenk was on TV.” Definitely. There’s a point of pride there.
TF: You said you’re getting a million views a day across all your online shows, but I know you also generate revenue through TYT Memberships that give subscribers access to special content. How’s the revenue breakdown between those two revenue streams?
CU: The lion’s share of revenue comes from YouTube. The subscribers get access to audio and downloadable podcast versions of everything we do. They’re really paying for convenience and the ability to watch or listen without the ads. About one-third of our revenue comes from those subscribers. The other two-thirds comes from advertisers and YouTube.
TF: You used to also produce a supplemental radio version of The Young Turks’ online show. What happened to that?
CU: The radio portion really was not worth the hassle. The online show is so much easier. People used to think of the online part as the add-on. Now, I think online is the real deal and the other things are the add-on. We decided with radio that it wasn’t worth it unlike being on TV, which so far we feel has totally been worthwhile.
TF: You’ve just crossed some major milestones. What’s next?
CU: Right now The Young Turks is the largest online news show in the world, but I want it eventually be the largest show in the world. Largest in any formant, in any media. It’s ambitious, I know, but I believe we can do it by being the place people come to for news all across the world.
We really want to be the preeminent online TV network or video network online. We want to create a brand. Our brand is honest truthtelling. We don’t suck up for access or for money or for advertisers. We keep it real, whether that’s in politics or entertainment or sports, and I think our audience appreciates that.
Check out Uygur and company keeping it real across their network of shows at TheYoungTurks.com.
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TYT!!!! (BTW you made a typo: “TF: Do original Youg Turks fans get bragging rights since they liked you before you were on TV?” you forgot the n in “Young”)! TYT!!!
Great article, The Young Turks rock!
Thanks for the eyes, Kevin! Fixed!
Congrats Cenk and friends! You guys are an inspiration and a light of hope i a world of media lies, im almost thinking about moving to the US to do real journalism with you guys. Dont see that kind of thing happeing often in other medias. Keep up the good work!
Facebook “Like” button is broken
Thanks Aaron – should be fixed now. Issues with the upgrade to WordPress 3.2.1
Where do I “like”? :)
Good going. Really liked the old trio of Cenk, Jill and Ben, but Cenk still has it…
Cenk Uyguris a joke. He clung to his defense of Weiner for days. This man is so bombastic he do well to put one in his mouth and shut up. I say bring on Reverend Al and his sidekick, Tawana Brawley. Google her name to see how low NBC/MSNBC stoops to find “talent”.
Buh bye!
The name of this group is absolutely offensive. The real “Young Turks” are responsible for the Armenian genocide, which for those of you who don’t know, occurred in 1915, and it’s as horrific a crime as the Nazis killing the Jews (most Armenians are Christian and the Muslim Young Turks attempted to kill all of them). Watch the 60 mins video: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6253043n
This is basically like a group calling themselves “The Nazis”.
Screw MSNBC if they end up kicking Cenk off. Don’t forget what Olbermann said about them when he left
Good for you for pointing out that Cenk is harkening back to his people’s genocidal past. Americans are wise to remember history, especially now the absolute bloodlust of Muslim society which dates back further than Suleiman and still remains the governing ethos of Muslims worldwide. Despite this despicable history that continues to this day we are supposed to show tolerance and understanding for them while they show only disdain and the blade of the sword of Islam to us.
petekent01 (on twitter)
if the name had such an offensive connotation to americans, the name wouldn’t be used, right? and considering that some young turks were jews, they weren’t nazis.
i doubt you’re a target msnbc viewer, pete.
young turks are a great online success story — with years of hard work getting them to where they are.
Wrong.
The Young Turks were a progressive group back in the early 1900s that favoured change in the Ottoman Empire. They weren’t the leaders themselves who conducted the genocide.
A Nazi is a member of a super left political orginization. A Turk is a person from Turkey. Not all Turks have affiliations with the Armenian genocide. Same way not all left wing germans have an affiliation with Nazis. Not all Liberals smoke weed. What you are saying is completly ignorant and just out right stupid.
good going. Really liked the old trio of Cenk, Jill and Ben, but Cenk still has it…
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Sorry to hear that MSNBC has “downsized” Cenk Uygur. Sometimes, even Young Turks are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Good luck, Old Pro
Americans would be wise to remember their own history, and it’s sordid past.
Cent is smart to continue the online show. It will be around far longer than his MSNBC gig. MSNBC could dump him at anytime for another host like Al Sharpton who did a pretty good job covering for Cenk.
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hi dear how can i join tyt, plessssss tell me so one.
Correction – the Nazi’s were a very far right-wing party.
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