PBS Makes Bold, Unprecedented Commitment to Online Programming

PBS announced plans for six original web series at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, CA.

“I think the online space is a great area to experiment,” PBS President and CEO Paula A. Kerger told reporters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kerger attributed the decision to the lower cost of producing and distributing projects online and the station’s successful growth online and on social media.

Indeed, the PBS Facebook page has nearly a million likes, over 900,000 followers on Twitter, and its YouTube channel is nearing 100,000 subscribers, despite its own video hub at PBS.org.

Subscribe to get the latest creator news

Subscribe

PBS has been experimenting with original online series over the past years, but this week’s announcement marks an unprecedented commitment to the medium.

Last summer, PBS produced arts-focused original series Off Book, and collaborated with Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff) and WGBH to release a kid-oriented animated educational series Loop Scoops. Back in 2009, PBS and NOVA teamed up to release The Secret Life of Scientists, and last Spring jumped in on the Royal Wedding live stream.

Share
Published by
Drew Baldwin

Recent Posts

Jordan Matter, Michelle Khare, and Samir Chaudry are strategic advisors at a new creator education startup

As our industry becomes ever more populated by experts, and in the absence of collaborative…

18 hours ago

YouTube says Premium subscribers are “podcast super-users.” So it’s giving them more exclusive listening features.

With the amount of attention audio content is getting lately, we might as well rebrand…

19 hours ago

Have you heard? PewDiePie drops vlogs, Spy Ninjas spends $25 million, and Jason Kelce gets a YouTube show

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends,…

20 hours ago

Netflix and Spotify just paid $100 million to take Jay Shetty’s podcast off YouTube

Netflix has visited the farm once again. The streamer and Spotify have together poached Jay…

2 days ago

What’s on the menu for the Sidemen? A cooking competition split between YouTube and Prime Video.

The creator supergroup that revived Supermarket Sweep on YouTube is ordering up another culinary competition.…

2 days ago

Meta officially offers perks for paying subscribers across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp

Meta is establishing paid subscription tiers across its network of social media platforms. A trio…

2 days ago