[Editor’s Note: Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by OpenSlate. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a top number ranking of YouTube channels based on statistics collected within a given timeframe. We’re starting things off simply with a Tubefilter Top 50 of the Most Viewed YouTube Chaniframenels This Week, but look for a lot more fun charts to come in the near future. Check out all of our Tubefilter Charts with new installments every week right here.]

Scroll down to see the Tubefilter Chart.

It’s another installment of the weekly Tubefilter Chart of the Top 50 Most Viewed U.S. YouTube Channels and a pop star is back in the top spot.

Chart Toppers

At the top of the chart this week is Taylor Swift. The international country-turned-pop star’s channel’s view count saw a modest 4% bump in its view count to end the week with more than 91.3 million views. WWEFanNation dropped down to the #2 spot after getting hit with a 13% week-over-week decrease in views and bottoming out at almost 91.3 million views on the week.

Up next in third place is BuzzFeedVideo. The main channel of the popular social website known for its listicles, irreverent quizzes, and hard news racked up almost 80.6 million views during the week. DisneyCollectorBR is next up in the #4 spot. The internet’s go-to destination for videos of adults unboxing and playing with children’s toys was up 11% on the week to top out at almost below 77.6 million views.

And rounding out the Top 5 is Justin Bieber. Despite a 10% decrease in views, the young pop star’s first official video upload in 18 months still helped his channel to nearly  60 million views on the week.

Top Gainers

The honor of one of our Top Gainers in the U.S. this week goes to OneMeelionDollars.

The YouTube channel of one Mark Rober and his monthly, mostly-sciencey videos saw an unbelievable increase in its weekly view count thanks to a new twist on a poolside, summer staple of a snack. SKIN A WATERMELON party trick captured the internet’s attention, quickly amassed an eight-figure view count, and helped Rober’s channel to a 5,575% week-over-week increase in views, more than 24.5 million views on the week, and the #37 spot on the U.S. chart.

Channel Distribution

The top 50 most viewed U.S. YouTube channels this week amassed a total of 1,862,655,632 views. Here’s the distribution of a few of those channels by multi-channel network:

• VEVO: 12 channels in the U.S. Top 50, with Taylor Swift the highest-ranked channel of the network at at #1.
• Maker Studios: 4 channels in the Top 50, with DisneyCarToys at #9.
• BuzzFeed, Fullscreen: 3 channels each in the Top 50, with BuzzFeed’s BuzzFeed Video at #3 and Fullscreen’s FamilyFunPack at #6.
• DEFY Media: 2 channels in the Top 50, with ClevverNews at #41.

As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all of our news at Tubefilter by subscribing to our newsletter, following us on Twitter, becoming a fan on Facebook, and watching our videos on YouTube.

OpenSlate is a video content analytics platform that tracks more than 250,000 YouTube video channels and measures their ability to attract, engage and influence an audience. By providing one consistent measure of quality – the SlateScore™ – OpenSlate helps marketers, producers and agencies hone their online video marketing strategy.

Filed under: Articles, News, Statistics, YouTube, Youtube Chart by Joshua Cohen
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Ipsy has a new influx of cash to help expand its business. The beauty box subscription service, co-founded in 2011 by YouTube star and beauty industry magnate Michelle Phan, has closed $100 million in a Series B funding round.

Ipsy’s Series B round was led by both TPG Growth and Sherpa Capital. The subscription service had previously raised roughly $2.8 million in funding from 500 Startups and Crosscut Ventures. With that funding alone, ipsy managed to reach $84 million in revenue in 2014, and hit the $150 million mark in May 2015.

“We see consumer preferences shifting dynamically across industries and ipsy embodies this trend for beauty,” said David Trujillo, a partner at TPG, in a release. “ipsy has created a platform through which brands can more easily access customers, creators can connect with and expand their audiences, and consumers can discover new products and share these experiences via social media. We look forward to partnering with ipsy’s founders to continue growing their innovative company, most immediately by leveraging our experience with other high growth, disruptive businesses, as well as connecting ipsy into our global network of value add relationships.”

“TPG and Sherpa Capital have a proven track record of helping build innovative consumer brands that are disrupting large, traditional industries,” said Marcelo Camberos, founder and CEO of ipsy. “With their extensive relationships in the media world, and deep understanding of how technology is driving new business models, these partners will be invaluable to us as we continue to scale and innovate to delight our community.”

Ipsy recently launched ipsy Open Studios, an online resource hub and physical studio location to help the company’s more than 10,000 members create excellent beauty content. In just under four years, ipsy has signed up 1.5 million beauty box subscribers across the U.S. and Canada.

Filed under: Articles, ipsy, News by Bree Brouwer
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[Editor’s Note: Tubefilter Charts is a weekly rankings column from Tubefilter with data provided by OpenSlate. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a top number ranking of YouTube channels based on statistics collected within a given time frame. Check out all of our Tubefilter Charts with new installments every week right here.]

Scroll down for this week’s Tubefilter Chart.

It’s another installment of the weekly Tubefilter Chart of the Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide and Taylor Swift is bigger than one of America’s biggest sports.

Chart Toppers

Taylor Swift is back up to the top of the charts. The country-turned-pop star’s online video viewers may have fulfilled her Wildest Dreams this week, giving her channel a 4% uptick in views to top out at #1 with more than 91.3 million views.

WWEFanNation dropped down to the second-place position this week. The YouTube home of clips of World Wrestling Entertainment fell below the nine-figure weekly view count to bottom out with nearly 91.3 million views. Up next in third place is T-Series. The self-proclaimed destination “having ample catalogue of music comprising plenty of languages that covers the length & breadth of India” was up 41% on the week to amass more than 90 million views.

Next up is mashamedvedtv. The YouTube home of a children’s cartoon that claims to be “the most popular Russian animated series for the whole family” jumped up 19% in its weekly view count to claim more than 84.5 million views on the week. And rounding out the Top 5 is ItsBabyBigMouth. The Canadian YouTube channel dedicated to the toys one finds inside Kinder Surprise Eggs stayed almost constant with nearly 83.7 million views.

Top Gainers

The honor of one of our Top Gainers this week goes to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The YouTube home of Jimmy Fallon’s eponymous late night talk show had a great week first-week back from summer break. Fallon’s now characteristic, viral video fodder attracted millions of views, but no one video was more popular in the last several days than the NBC host’s lip sync battle with Ellen DeGeneres. The clip quickly racked up a seven-figure view count to help The Tonight Show channel to a 94% week-over-week increase in views, almost 44 million views on the week, and the #26 spot on the worldwide chart.

Distribution

All in all, the top 50 most viewed YouTube channels accounted for 2,538,776,395 views last week. Here’s the distribution of a few of those channels by multi-channel network:

• Vevo: 8 channels each in the Top 50, with Taylor Swift at #1.
• Maker Studios: 6 channels in the Top 50, with PewDiePie at #9.
• BuzzFeed, Fullscreen, XMediaDigital: 2 channels each in the Top 50, with BuzzFeed’s BuzzFeed Video at #6, Fullscreen’s FamilyFunPack at #15, and XMediaDigital’s mashamedvedtv at #4.

And here’s the distribution of the this week’s Top 50 YouTube channels by country of origin:

• United States: 25 channels in the Top 50.
• Great Britain: 5 channels in the Top 50.
• India: 4 channels in the Top 50.
• Canada: 3 channels in the Top 50.
• Russia, Spain, Thailand: 2 channels each in the Top 50.
• Brazil, Ireland, Jamaica, Netherlands, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sweden: 1 channel each in the Top 50.

As always, keep up to speed with the latest Tubefilter Charts and all of our news at Tubefilter by following us on Twitter, becoming a fan on Facebook, and watching our videos on YouTube.

OpenSlate is a video content analytics platform that tracks more than 225,000 YouTube video channels and measures their ability to attract, engage and influence an audience. By providing one consistent measure of quality – the SlateScore™ – OpenSlate helps marketers, producers and agencies hone their online video marketing strategy.

Filed under: Articles, News, statistics, Statistics, YouTube, Youtube Chart by Joshua Cohen
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We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now.  Read previous installments here. 

Turning 40 is a bummer, but it’s not all bad: At the very least, you can find yourself a new gay best friend. That’s what happens to Jackie Rosenblum (Brooke Totman), the protagonist of a new web series called The Benefits of Gusbandry.

Don’t bother looking up “gusbandry” in the dictionary; it’s not a real world. It’s a portmanteau of “gay” and “husband,” and in the context of the show, it refers to Jackie’s relationship with her new friend River Manning (Kurt Conroyd), who she meets at her debaucherous 40th birthday party. The show’s description describes Jackie as a “serial relationship killer,” and the first episode sells us River as the witty partner-in-crime she needs to get her life together.

Like another series I reviewed about a budding gay/straight friendship, The Benefits of Gusbandry works because of the chemistry of its stars. Totman and Conroyd bounce off each other in a positive way, and creator Alicia J. Rose gives them some good lines to work with. Beyond the show’s central relationship, there’s plenty of well-executed cringe comedy to go around, so don’t think for a second that The Benefits of Gusbandry is short on laughs. It’s eight episode first season will roll out on YouTube and Vimeo.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• #NoHomo. Two straight guys try to “go gay” to pick up women.
• Lake Effect. Awkward moments take place in the Windy City.
• Trash to Treasure. Dumpster diving is turned into a precise art.
• Trump – Official Trailer. The Presidential candidate on everyone’s mind is mocked with a satirical coming attraction.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Indie Spotlight, News by Sam Gutelle
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Chester See will soon be a more familiar name to television audiences. The musician and YouTube celebrity is set to star in the Maker Studios-produced TV show Over the Top, which will air on the linear TV channel ABC Family.

Over the Top is a drama comedy series based on See’s personal life and struggles as an artist who wants to make it big in Los Angeles and who eventually turns to YouTube after a failed record deal. Currently, ABC plans to have See or another YouTube co-star from Over the Top finish each episode by recording a song or skit, which will then immediately be available on Facebook or YouTube. See will write and executive produce Over the Top with John Strauss (who worked on Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle).  

Maker originally announced Over the Top at its Newfronts presentation in April 2015. At the time, Maker’s Chief Content Officer Erin McPherson (who has since left the MCN under amicable terms) said Over the Top was “in production at television networks,” but the executive didn’t reveal which one. However, it makes sense for the show to land at ABC Family, which is, like Maker,  a Disney-owned property.

See currently boasts 1.6 million subscribers and over 176 million collective video views on his YouTube channel.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Maker Studios, News by Bree Brouwer
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Each year, around Oscar time, a group of kids makes us all laugh with its endearing reenactments of nominated films. Don’t think, however, that those kids are only able to make fun of movies. For the second year in a row, the mom.me channel has given Emmy-nominated TV shows the Kids Re-Enact treatment.

In the brand new, 2015 edition of the Emmy re-enactments, mom.me’s cast of young actors take on a few of the most popular shows on TV. They parody everything from Homeland to Silicon Valley, and each segment is filled with extremely literal line readings and adorable grins. It’s worth noting that the kids don’t touch every TV show nominated for an Emmy this year. For example, they don’t repeat any of the reenactments from last year’s video.

The Kids Re-Enact premise is a simple one, but there’s no denying it is executed very well. I’m a fan of this video, and I eagerly await CineFix’s next movie version of the series, which will arrive during the next Oscar season.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Kids Reenact, News by Sam Gutelle
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Out of all the podcasts led by YouTube stars, we’re particularly partial to Ear Biscuits, hosted by the inseparable duo of Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal. Each week, we will bring you a recap of the latest Ear Biscuits episode, as well as an invitation to listen in and join the conversation.

The most recent episode of Rhett and Link’s Ear Biscuits podcast wraps up the duo’s most recent round of audio entertainment. In order to celebrate the finale, the two YouTube stars brought in their most important guest yet: themselves. In an extra-long, 103-minute installment, Rhett and Link field questions from some of their previous guests, dishing on their lives, their relationship, and their work in the process.

As Rhett and Link explain from the onset, this episode isn’t just the end of Ear Biscuits’ second season; it’s also the beginning of a hiatus for the podcast. As they continue to work on their AM talk show Good Mythical Morning, they’re also looking for some time to work on some scripted projects, and with those in the pipeline, finding time for long-form conversation becomes more difficult.

What, then, do we learn in this final Ear Biscuits hurrah? Thanks to YouTube stars like Grace Helbig, Hank Green, and Hannah Hart, we find out quite a bit about Rhett and Link. One by one, the guests from previous Ear Biscuits episodes step up to ask the hosts their own burning questions. Many of these queries cover superficial topics like embarrassing stories and juice, but Rhett and Link fans pick up plenty of interesting factoids. We learn, for example, that the slap fight at the end of this video set off an actual fight between the famously friendly duo.

With some questions, however, the conversation goes deep. Helbig asked the two hosts to discuss times when they felt like failures. In response to her question, Rhett and Link referenced Commercial Kings, a TV they did for IFC that was canceled after one season. As Rhett explains, the show’s cancellation turned into a learning moment. “There’s no guarantees that anything is going to work, and the best chance you can give it is trusting yourself and doing everything you can to executing your vision,” he says. “I also approach everything with a [mindset of], ‘If this doesn’t work, it’s a step to something else.’” He’s not wrong. The end of Commercial Kings allowed Rhett and Link to launch Good Mythical Morning, now the cornerstone of their online video presence.

Many other former Ear Biscuits guests looked to unlock answers about Rhett and Link’s longtime collaborative relationship. Green’s question, for example, asks Rhett and Link to explain how they built the trust needed to form such a strong bond. In their responses, they made sure to note how their respect for one another comes naturally. “Trust is something we’ve never had to work on,” explains Rhet. “I think that’s just a result of the time and the track record…We’ve pissed each other off, but we’ve never violated each others’ trust.” Link adds in an emphasis on the pronoun ‘we.’ “We created this,” he says. “That’s just a decision to protect against competition and credit…this is an extension of trust. There’s something more important than one of us getting credit or getting more accolades than the other person and that’s us creating what we see in our vision.”

Because they seem to trust each other so deeply, it is exciting to see where they go next, even if it means no podcasts for a while. They’re sure to put out good work, even if the occasional slap fight gets in the way.

The newest Ear Biscuits episode can be found on iTunes and Soundcloud.

Filed under: Articles, Ear Biscuits, Featured, News, Rhett & Link by Sam Gutelle
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New Form Digital has turned to a book for inspiration for its next web series. The digital content studio, founded by filmmakers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer in conjunction with Discovery, has officially optioned the novel Being Audrey Hepburn for adaptation into a digital series.

Written by Mitchell Kriegman, Being Audrey Hepburn tells the story of an underprivileged teen girl named Lisbeth whose life changes after she tries on the little black dress Hepburn wore in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. New Form Digital plans to take the Being Audrey Hepburn book and turn it into a 12-part series, much in the way Bernie Su and Pemberley Digital have turned Jane Austen novels into Emmy-winning digital series. New Form’s adaptation of Kriegman’s debut novel will premiere sometime in 2016.

Being Audrey Hepburn seems like an appropriate candidate for adaptation. Emmy-winning Kriegman has a long history with storytelling in the media, starting with the creation of Nickelodeon’s 90’s TV series Clarissa Explains It All. Kriegman worked as an executive story editor for Doug, Rugrats, and Ren and Stimpy, and has also written several episodes for Saturday Night Live. His second book, Things I Can’t Explain: A Clarissa Novel, is based on the titular protagonist of Clarissa Explains It All who’s now in her twenties; the book is set for publication in November 2015.

In addition to Being Audrey Hepburn, New Form has been working on a few other noteworthy projects. The digital studio just released its second round of incubator series from creators like Wong Fu Productions and Jack & Dean. New Form also teamed up with The Jim Henson Company to develop the web series Oscar’s Hotel for Fantastical Creatures. The wacky fantasy-style series features several YouTube stars and is set for release on Vimeo on September 15, 2015.

Filed under: Articles, New Form, News by Bree Brouwer
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Condé Nast Entertainment (CNÉ) is increasing the workforce of its branded entertainment video department. The premium video production company has hired Will Misselbrook as Head of Branded Entertainment and Eden Gorcey as Head of Branded Content, Digital Sales, and Strategy.

At CNÉ, Misselbrook will be in charge of leading the company’s overall branded entertainment creation and development and will report to CNÉ’s EVP of Programming and Content Strategy Michael Klein. Misselbrook arrives at CNÉ with plenty of video and content production experience from companies like BBH New York, Wieden & Kennedy, and BBC. Misselbrook was also the former VP and Director of Global Content Development for luxury lifestyle brand Coach, and the executive is co-owner of the movie production company Valance Films.

As for Gorcey, the new head of branded content will work directly with CNÉ advertisers to determine the best video opportunities for their brands. Gorcey comes to CNÉ from Starcom MediaVest Group, where she was VP of Digital and worked with clients such as Coca-Cola and Heineken to develop content partnerships. Gorcey also held positions at T3 and Grey San Francisco. The new CNÉ executive will report to the company’s CRO and SVP of Digital Sales Lisa Valentino.

The addition of Misselbrook and Gorcey is CNÉ’s response to the burgeoning demand from advertisers for branded digital video. CNÉ claims the branded content it creates with advertisers helps increase awareness and purchase intent for various brands an average of 150%. Valentino explained that branded content “is on fire” at the company, and CNÉ has worked with more than 300 clients in Q3 of 2015 alone.

“As advertising budgets for digital video continue to increase and migrate from TV, marketers are looking for authentic ways to break-through and communicate their message,” Valentino said. “CNÉ’s expanded branded entertainment unit, which also serves as a contributing partner to [branded content studio] 23 Stories on all things video, gives marketers robust and exciting opportunities to engage their consumers with the quality content they demand especially on social and mobile platforms.”

“These moves continue to show CNÉ’s commitment to elevating the storytelling around branded entertainment,” added Klein. “Marketers will now have unparalleled creative access to our development and production team to create engaging video. And, through CNÉ’s vast digital network, which includes The Scene, the industry’s first platform dedicated to premium digital video, the distribution opportunities across all screens are just as compelling.”

CNÉ’s digital video network currently includes 19 different channels, with The Scene claiming 40 different verticals of its own. As a whole, CNÉ has produced over 4,000 videos which have pulled in roughly two billion annual views since 2013.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, News, Production Companies by Bree Brouwer
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Landscapes has arrived. The 12-track album curated by YouTube star Anthony “Lohanthony” Quintal is now available from iTunes and Google Play.

Landscapes, which was first announced in August, features music from some of the artists who 16-year-old Quintal has enjoyed of late. The goal is to provide some more exposure for these musicians, all of whom are relatively unheralded. “Music is a huge part of my life, and I really wanted to showcase artists that ooze fabulousness on my first album,“ said Quintal in a press release. “For me, Landscapes represents an escape from reality, and every track off of my album is guaranteed to rescue you from those back-to-school blues!”

With his album, Quintal has joined the musical label Heard Well, which was founded earlier this year by another YouTube star, vlogger Connor Franta. Landscapes marks the first album from Heard Well beyond the ones Franta himself has curated and released. Will it lead to an influx of YouTube stars making their mark on the recording industry? Franta has already achieved big sales. Now, it’s Lohanthony’s turn.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Reelio has hired a new leader to help the company build on its expertise of connecting digital creators with branded content opportunities. The influencer marketing platform welcomed Dave Dickman as Reelio’s new President.

In his new role, Dickman will be in charge of Reelio’s sales and marketing initiatives around the world. The new president brings over 30 years of experience to his new job at Reelio. Dickman previously handled global sales for Apple’s digital and mobile in-app advertising platform iAd. Reelio’s president also held sales, marketing, and digital media roles at Disney and Warner Bros.

Dickman will work out of Reelio’s newly-established Santa Monica location, helping oversee the company’s expansion on the West Coast. Reelio CEO and Co-Founder Pete Borum said in a release the new location near Los Angeles will help the company “better serve the content creators, networks, top brands and agency partners that rely on our technology and expertise.”

“Dave has seen tremendous success overseeing global sales and marketing at some of the world’s most elite and admired media and technology companies,” said Borum. “His decision to leave that world and come work with us at Reelio serves as tremendous validation that the advertising and entertainment industries are undergoing a fundamental transformation and that Reelio is well-positioned to capitalize on that opportunity.”

“Reelio has made incredible strides building a unique technology platform and offering tools for its incredible roster of advertising and brand partners looking to connect with today’s digital influencers. Our office in Los Angeles allows us to have a stronger connection with content partners, since we are in the hub of talent, innovation and content creation,” added Dickman. “I’m excited to help lead Reelio through its next phases of growth and continue building the leading influencer marketing platform worldwide.”

Reelio recently closed a $5 million Series A round, led by both previous investors and a group of global investors. The company currently has a user base of 10,000+ creators.

Filed under: Articles, News, Reelio by Bree Brouwer
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Jukin Media has a new show arriving on linear television across the pond. The YouTube network and viral video licensing company has teamed with the global branch of dick clark productions to bring the series Now That’s Funny! to Viacom International’s Channel 5 in the UK in the fall of 2015.

Now That’s Funny! will be an hour-long viral video clip show aimed at families. Pulling from Jukin’s library of over 20,000 clips, the UK-based show will avoid running potentially offensive clips, and focus on delivering clean content, visual storytelling, and commentary on videos from categories like kids, pets, science, and wildlife. Channel 5 will run six episodes of Now That’s Funny! in total.

“Now That’s Funny! offers the most entertaining viral videos in the world, but they’re selected with care and presented in light, fun way,” said Jonathan Skogmo, Founder and CEO of Jukin Media and executive producer of Now That’s Funny!, in a release. “This is one that the whole family can watch together.”

Jukin has worked with dick clark productions in the past on two other television shows. The first was World’s Funniest Fails for FOX; the cable channel ordered a second season of the show, which will be renamed to simply World’s Funniest. Jukin and dick clark also worked on the half-hour clip show Fail Army, which airs on international TV outlets like Channel 5’s sister channel Spike UK and will soon be in its second season, as well.

“We’ve built an incredibly solid foundation with Fail Army, and that’s allowed us to explore exciting opportunities to build new programming catered to different audiences,” added Josh Entman, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer at Jukin Media.

Jukin Media currently reaches a collective 17 million fans across all its digital and social media accounts.

Filed under: Articles, News, Production Companies, Studios by Bree Brouwer
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