YouTube has remained rather mum on the success of YouTube Red thus far. But during her keynote address at VidCon this evening, CEO Susan Wojcicki offered a glimpse into the success of the initiative. Wojcicki said that more than half of all watch time for Red is taking place on mobile devices — suggesting the social buzz surrounding its original programming is loud. A Trip to Unicorn Island earned more Twitter impressions when it premiered, YouTube says, than Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, House of Cards, and True Detective.
Wojcicki also noted that Scare PewDiePie, a reality series featuring YouTube’s most-subscribed star, boasted audiences that rival the top shows on cable. To this end, Scare PewDiePie is one of three series being renewed for a second season. YouTube is also bringing back Foursome — AwesomenessTV’s high school dating drama starring Jenn McAllister, as well as an as-yet-untitled movie with Smosh about a man who moves into a haunted apartment. While the original series the movie is based on, Part Timers, wasn’t behind Red’s paywall, it was funded by YouTube.
With nine total Red series already live, Susanne Daniels, the company’s global head of original content, previewed six new shows at VidCon this evening. Per YouTube’s official blog, they include:
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- Step Up series: Step Up, a fan favorite dance film franchise that launched the career of Channing Tatum, transitions to a new series with a heart-pounding, sexy, music-filled, and dramatic look at dancers in a contemporary performing arts school. Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot, and Meredith Milton, all producers of the original Step Up films, will executive produce the series, along with Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum, who both co-starred in the original Step Up film.
- Rhett & Link’s Buddy System: In this new scripted comedy series, Rhett & Link must go out of their way to regain control of their Internet empire from their mutual co-ex-girlfriend who is now an evil infomercial queen holding a very big secret over their heads. The series also features Saturday Night Live alums Molly Shannon and Chris Parnell, as well as Leslie Bibb and Page Kennedy.
- Dan & Phil Tour Documentary: Top YouTube comedy stars Dan Howell and Phil Lester are taking their fans inside their latest world tour, The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire. With hilarious anecdotes, sketches, and lots of surprises for their fans, we’re bringing Dan and Phil’s successful live stage show exclusively to YouTube Red. They’ll also be giving audiences a behind-the-scenes look with a documentary about the making of the tour.
- Vlogumentary: Executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, Maker Studios, and Shay ‘ShayCarl’ Butler, Vlogumentary provides a personal, intimate lens into the world of some of YouTube’s biggest creators and demonstrates the power of the platform in shaping the lives of creative voices, their audiences, and the media landscape.
- Untitled Animated Series: 3BLACKDOT and its top YouTube creators SeaNanners, TheMrSark, and VanossGaming star in an animated comedy series, helmed by Michael Rowe, Emmy Award-winning writer of Futurama and Family Guy, about a team of ill-equipped paranormal investigators who struggle to unfold the mysteries of the paranormal universe for their desperate clients.
- Untitled Michael Stevens Project: In this new educational series, Vsauce creator Michael Stevens will take a deeper look into the human mind, using real subjects, including himself and special guests, to show some of the most mind-blowing, important, and least understood aspects of human nature.
