Chernin Group/AT&T joint venture Otter Media is building up its digital media offerings, and a fresh executive will now oversee the company’s growth and strategy. Sarah Harden, who previously served as The Chernin Group’s Executive Vice President and the EVP of Strategy and Investments at Otter Media, is Otter Media’s new President.

Harden has spent the last two years working with The Chernin Group; highlights of her tenure at the company include her roles in both the formation of Otter Media and the acquisition of majority stakes in services like Crunchyroll and Fullscreen. Her new role, among other responsibilities, will place a major focus on Otter Media’s properities, in which it continues to take a bigger stake. In November, for example, Otter Media announced an additional $22 million investment in Crunchyroll.

“Helping build and develop Otter Media since its inception has been an extremely rewarding experience and has laid a solid foundation for me to manage the venture in its next stage of growth,” said Harden in a press release. “I am thrilled to continue collaborating with my colleagues at The Chernin Group and AT&T, and at our portfolio companies Fullscreen and Ellation, to achieve our mutual, ambitious goals.”

The decision to promote Harden comes six months after Virasb Vahidi, who had served as Otter Media’s CEO, opted to leave the company. The Chernin Group hasn’t named a new Otter Media CEO since then, though many of Harden’s new job responsibilities resemble Vahidi’s.

Before joining The Chernin Group, Harden most recently worked at News Corporation and the Fox Networks Group.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Studios by Sam Gutelle
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House of Cards may arguably be Netflix’s most popular original series to date (despite a lack of confirmed ratings from the streaming platform). The political drama series, which has garnered Netflix a few Golden Globe and Emmy Awards, was renewed for a fourth season back in April 2015. Now, to keep up with the show’s momentum and in anticipation of its release, the streaming subscription premium video service dropped an official season four teaser, disguised as a political promo, during CNN’s GOP Presidential debate on December 15.

Viewers of the House of Cards teaser could easily confuse the clip with any other political ad currently starting to take up residence on America’s TV screens. Netflix’s promo shows a montage of happy, healthy, and safe U.S. citizens hard at work and enjoying their lives, situations which the narrator attributes to one man who puts “people before politics.” The promo then decidedly reveals its House of Cards affiliation by showing President Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey), who says, “America, I’m only getting started.”

Netflix has a history of releasing lots of teasers and trailers for House of Cards, so this will likely not be the last clip we get to enjoy before the full release of season four. For example, Netflix released its first official trailer for House of Cards season three within 45 minutes of Spacey winning his Golden Globe for his portrayal of Underwood. The streaming platform then ironically dropped a teaser depicting Frank and Claire’s tense, marital-strife-filled relationship on none other than Valentine’s Day. House of Cards season three got a second official trailer only a week later, just four days before the season’s debut.

House of Cards will return to Netflix for its fourth season on March 4, 2016.

Filed under: Articles, House of Cards, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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The 2016 Presidential race is now less than one year away, and one of the places where it is heating up is on YouTube. As the Democratic and Republican candidates increase their respective digital video outputs, they are looking for novel ways to connect with young voters. Bernie Sanders has come up with one of the most interesting ideas: He has teamed up with rapper Killer Mike for a web series that discusses various policy matters.

The series is set in a barbershop in Killer Mike’s hometown of Atlanta. Across six episodes, Sanders and the Run The Jewels rapper hit on a wide range of topics, from the senator’s democratic socialist philosophy to his economic plans to his stance on health care. Killer Mike, who introduced Sanders at a recent rally in Atlanta, tends to see eye-to-eye with the Vermont senator on most issues, and they share multiple appreciatory (and just a little awkward) fist-bumps over the course of the series.

At the same time, Killer Mike isn’t afraid to challenge Sanders when their viewpoints diverge. The best example comes in the last episode, when Killer Mike’s love of guns clashes with the senator’s firearms policy:

Most importantly, the tone between the two men is always cordial and respectful, and that’s what makes this series one of the best political interviews you’ll find on YouTube. It’s not the only Bernie Sanders video out there, but it’s a perfect example of how a politician should use digital media, and given Killer Mike’s cred in the hip-hop community, it will connect Sanders to the young voters he hopes to reach.

Filed under: Articles, Celebrity, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Add Roseanne Barr to the list of once-prominent pop culture figures who have taken their crazy to the digital video world. The comedienne is the host of She’s So High!!!!!, a new web series on her YouTube channel.

As you might expect given its title, Barr’s web series is centered around the substance she refers to as “the goddess ganja.” The first episode lasts less than minute, but that’s enough time for Barr to explain the premise of her show, ramble on about the role of fascism in the American war on drugs, and toss in a visual reference to the [10] guy meme. She also tosses out plenty of profanity and sass; if that’s your cup of tea, it’s right here:

Barr’s YouTube channel has been active for more than eight years and has accrued a small audience of a few thousand subscribers over that time. Will we be treated to many more of her under-the-influence musings? Only she knows for sure.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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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 U.S. YouTube Channels and the Biebs is apparently unstoppable.

Chart Toppers

Justin Bieber maintained his spot on the top of the U.S. chart for the sixth week in a row thanks to the seemingly perennial popularity of the music video releases associated with his latest studio album Purpose. Bieber fans and the world at large viewed videos on his YouTube channel more than 172.8 million times in the week. In a distant second place is still Ryan ToysReview. The biggest family-friendly toy and unboxing channel in the U.S. ended the week with nearly 87.9 million views.

FamilyFunPack is up next in the #3 spot. The online video exploits of this American family of seven racked up more than 79.6 million views on the week. WWE is next up in fourth place. The YouTube home for clips and highlights from World Wrestling Entertainment dipped 14% in views to bottom out at more than 79.3 million views during the week.

And rounding out the Top 5 is FunToyzCollector. The channel formerly known as DisneyCollectorBR (that was also the first breakout channel in the toy unboxing trend) dropped 23% in views and amassed almost 73.2 million in the week.

Top Gainers

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

The American entertainment company that’s in possession of the DC Comics library had a great week on YouTube thanks to the second official trailer release of one of its most anticipated upcoming feature films. The three-minute “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Official Trailer” quickly racked up an eight-figure view count to help the Warner Bros. Pictures channel to a 51% week-over-week increase in views, more than 30.6 million views on the week, and the #25 spot on the worldwide chart.

Channel Distribution

The top 50 most viewed U.S. YouTube channels this week amassed a total of 2,493,830,896 views. Here’s the distribution of a few of those channels by multi-channel network:

• VEVO: 17 channels in the U.S. Top 50, with Justin Bieber the highest-ranked channel of the network at #1.
• Maker Studios: 4 channels in the Top 50, with DisneyCarToys at #12.
• BuzzFeed, Collective Digital Studio, Movieclips, NBCU, OhMyGenius, Warner Bros.: 2 channels each in the Top 50, with BuzzFeed’s BuzzFeedVideo at #7, Collective’s FamilyFunPack at #3, Fullscreen’s PopularMMOs at #14, OhMyGenius’ Kids Channel at #36, and Warner Bros. The Ellen Show at #6.

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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Rooster Teeth’s long-awaited and very first feature film is about to have its digital and theatrical release. The Fullscreen-owned, Austin-based production company will release its sci-fi comedy Lazer Team exclusively on YouTube Red and in theaters around the world on January 27, 2016.

Lazer Team, which raised $2.4 million in Indiegogo crowdfunding back in July 2014, tells the story of four bumbling idiots from a small town who, after putting on separate pieces of a power suit, unknowingly become Earth’s saviors from an impending hostile alien invasion. The feature film from Rooster Teeth Productions and Fullscreen Films originally made its world premiere on September 24, 2015 during Fantastic Fest. Now, Lazer Team will be released digitally as a YouTube Red Original film on January 27, 2016 on the video sharing site’s newly-launched subscription platform. The sci-fi comedy will also be available on big screens in multiple theaters across the UK, Australia, North America, and other territories.

Fans interested in attending the theatrical screenings can visit LazerTeamtheMovie.com to purchase tickets. If fans notice there’s no screening in their area, they can request to host one thanks to Rooster Teeth’s partnership with Tugg, an on-demand service which helps moviegoers set up special screenings at their local theaters. And as a bonus to its most devout fans, all those who attend a January 27 or 28 showing of Lazer Team will get to see exclusive footage from the film, as well as receive a 25% discount to the Rooster Teeth online store.

“We are thrilled that Lazer Team will be released simultaneously on the big screen in theaters everywhere and digitally with YouTube Red,” said Matt Hullum, Lazer Team director and Rooster Teeth CEO, in a release. “We couldn’t have done it without our community, from our generous Indiegogo backers to the fans that have supported us along the way, and this release plan will allow us to share the film with all of them.”

You can buy tickets (or campaign for a screening in your area) for Lazer Team by visiting the movie’s official website.

Filed under: Articles, Fullscreen, News, Rooster Teeth, YouTube Red by Bree Brouwer
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A long-tenured Huffington Post employee who served as one of the chief architects of the publication’s video presence is on his way out. Roy Sekoff, who has spent the past decade at Arianna Huffington’s digital news source, will depart the company, according to a memo Huffington sent to HuffPo employees.

Capital New York, which first reported the news of Sekoff’s departure, also reprinted Huffington’s message to her employees in full. “It’s time for him to, as he put it to me, ‘stop dancing to the rhythms of the 24/7 news cycle,’ she wrote. “After years of cross-country commuting, he has decided to spend less time on planes and more time helping his daughter with her homework, while figuring out what he wants to do next.”

Sekoff has been with HuffPo since its inception, but in recent years, he has been most closely associated with the company’s digital video operation. He is one of the co-founders of HuffPost Live, a live-streaming news network that launched in 2012, and he has been involved in several of the video projects HuffPo has rolled out over the past couple of years.

In recent years, though, the Los Angeles-based Sekoff’s commute was made more difficult by the location of HuffPo’s New York office. HuffPost Live’s LA base closed down in 2013.

There’s no word yet on who will take over Sekoff’s position as the head of HuffPost Live. For now, we only know that HuffPo employees will, as Huffington put it, “raise a glass to Roy” at the company’s annual holiday party.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Hulu is bringing back one of its popular original series. The streaming video-on-demand service, which now boasts an ad-free subscription option, has ordered a fourth season of its teen drama series East Los High.

Created by Carlos Portugal and Kathleen Bedoya, East Los High follows the story of several Latino high school students in inner-city East Los Angeles. The series, which boasts an all-Latino cast, will boast twelve new episodes for its fourth season. East Los High is produced by the non-profit Population Media Center in conjunction Prajna Productions, Into Action Films, and The Alchemists. Katie Elmore Mota and Mauricio Mota serve as executive producers alongside Portugal and Bedoya, while Troy Combs and Carlos Reza co-executive produce.

Hulu originally announced East Los High at its Newfronts presentation back in April 2013. The streaming platform’s high school drama did so well the series was renewed for a second season, which debuted on July 9, 2014. Only three days after that season’s release, Hulu picked up a third, claiming the series was one of its top ten most-watched originals in the summer of 2013. Now, the series can also claim it was Hulu’s first fully-original series renewed for a fourth season (the streaming platform ordered a fourth season of The Mindy Project back in May 2015, but that show previously aired on Fox for three years before moving to Hulu).

No release date has been announced for season four of East Los High as of yet.

Filed under: Articles, Hulu, News by Bree Brouwer
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Netflix has acquired a new feature film to add to its burgeoning library of originals. The streaming video-on-demand service is working on the comedy flick Divanation, starring long-time favorites Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton.

Written by Lisa Addario and Joey Syracuse, Divanation features Midler, Hawn, and Keaton as three estranged members of a formerly-popular singing group who are forced to get together again nearly 30 years after their harsh split. The comedy flick, originally reported by Deadline, will reunite actresses Midler, Hawn, and Keaton, who all starred together in the 1996 rom-com The First Wives Club. Mythology Entertainment’s Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt, and William Sherak will produce Divanation alongside Alan Nevins. Tracey Nyberg is set as an executive producer.

Divanation is a solid example of how Netflix is looking to expand its demographic reach, especially in terms of older generations. For example, the streaming platform recently found great success with its original series Grace and Frankie, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. That series, which hasn’t yet debuted its second season, was already renewed for a third thanks to its popularity (ironically driven by a tweet from millennial-aged Miley Cyrus).

Netflix will move forward on production of Divanation as soon as the streaming platform finalizes the script and hires a director. No release date has been announced for the comedy movie as of yet.

Filed under: Articles, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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Shortly after the start of the new year, Maker Studios will experience a changing of the guard. The multi-channel network’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, will step down from his position, and current COO Courtney Holt will replace him as the company’s top executive.

After months of speculation about his status as Maker’s CEO, Kreiz will officially step down on January 11th. Back in August, Recode hinted that Kreiz could leave his post at the end of 2014. As we learned then, the timing of his departure is significant, since it comes just a few days after Disney finalizes the payout totals from its 2014 purchase of Maker. Kreiz, who was instrumental in engineering that deal, will therefore receive a hefty payday before stepping down, although Recode’s August report suggested the total payout will fall short of the $950 million Maker’s shareholders would receive were the company to achieve all its performance-based incentives. The base price of the deal was $500 million.

Kreiz won’t be the first executive to leave Maker over the past few months. In August, just days after Recode published its article, Variety reported that Chief Content Officer Erin McPherson and Senior Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Welt had both left the company.

Kreiz, a former Endemol bigwig, came to Maker in May 2013, when he replaced the network’s co-founder, Danny Zappin, as CEO. Zappin promptly sued Kreiz and other members of the Maker board, arguing that they had unjustly ousted him from his position.

Holt, on the other hand, is one of Maker’s longest-tenured execs, having been with the company since 2011. When he takes over for Kreiz, he will assume the title of executive VP, per Variety. He will report to Disney Interactive co-president Jimmy Pitaro.

Filed under: Maker Studios by Sam Gutelle
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Stephanie Laing isn’t a familiar name in the online video world, but that’s about to change. The director and executive producer of HBO’s Veep will launch the female-centric online comedy network PYPO on January 4, 2016.

PYPO, which is an acronym for Put Your Pretty On, was founded earlier in 2015 by Laing and Susan Paley, a former executive from Beats by Dre. The new comedy network will feature original content including sketch videos, editorials, and animations. These creations will all focus on a different theme each week, such as why women say they’re sorry all the time (which Amy Schumer did a wonderful take on earlier this year) or what it means for a woman to “have it all.” Every Monday, PYPO will also release a weekly themed e-mail newsletter dubbed The PYPEline, followed up by a Thursday issue covering user-generated content from that week’s highlighted theme.

The idea for PYPO originated about six years ago, when Laing and her young daughter were about to leave the house. The Veep director told The Hollywood Reporter her daughter stopped on their way out the door and said, “Hold on, I have to put my pretty on.” Laing’s girl put on Chapstick, and the director realized she’d have to talk to her daughter about what it meant to be pretty. “Put Your Pretty On became our mantra on how to live your life,” Laing said. “When she was nervous for a test, I’d say, ‘put your pretty on.’”

After bringing on former Capitol File editor Elizabeth Thorp as editor-in-chief, PYPO signed various writing and creative talent to produce the network’s first slate of programming. Talent already on board with the upcoming comedy network includes Tony Roche (Veep), Georgia Pritchett (Veep), Marie Claire executive editor Lea Goldman, and Gemma Baker (Mom). PYPO also just finished up a trip to Australia to film some videos with Rose Byrne’s production company The Dollhouse Collective.

Laing said PYPO won’t just be for women, and the online network will push the limits of comedy. “The biggest focus for us is that we’re not reporting the news,” Laing explained. “There are a lot of sites like that focused on women that are great, but we want to create the news. Our focus is on original content and digital shorts. We want to provide that platform for women comics to try out material. Our message to them was, ‘let us help you be your own producer. Let us help you execute something.’”

Eventually, PYPO will work to expand into offline events and opportunities, including books and merchandising, as well as branded content. Ultimately, Laing would like PYPO to sell TV shows. “I’d like to think that we’d have our PYPO players,” the Veep director said. “We want to launch talent.”

As you wait for the launch of PYPO on January 4, you can check out a trailer for the online comedy network below:

Filed under: Articles, News, PYPO by Bree Brouwer
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In the spring of 2016, The Webby Awards will celebrate its 20th year of honoring the best of the best brands, innovators, designs, and individuals on the internet. And for the next few days, the show is looking for entries for its upcoming event. The annual Webby Awards, which bestows what the New York Times calls “the internet’s highest honor,” is accepting submissions for award consideration through December 18, 2015.

The Webby Awards accepts submissions across a range of categories under five different genres, which include websites, advertising and media, mobile sites and apps, social, and online film and video. Because the world of online video is constantly growing, the 2016 awards show will now boast five new categories under the online film and video genre. This year, creators can submit entries for art and experimental films, music videos, fashion and beauty videos, cinematic virtual reality projects, or interactive and gaming virtual reality works.

Last year’s Webby Awards honored some of the internet’s top talent and creators from among a large selection of nominees. The 19th annual event selected awarded Funny or Die with the Best Humor Website honor, while Grumpy Cat went home with the Best Animal Social Award. The Webby People’s Voice Awards were selected by over 500,000 internet users, who honored creators like Ellen DeGeneres, Michelle Phan, and the Fine Bros. for their contributions to the world of digital media and online video.

You can enter the 20th Annual Webby Awards before December 18 by visiting entries.webbyawards.com. Nominees will be announced in April 2016.

Filed under: Articles, News, Webby Awards by Bree Brouwer
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