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YouTube’s Ad-Supported Demi Lovato Documentary Gets More Than A Million Views In Its First Day

One of the first entries in YouTube’s lineup of high-profile, ad-supported original projects has returned a big first day. Simply Complicated, which offers Demi Lovato fans a behind-the-scenes look at the starlet’s life, received more than one million views in its first 24 hours of activity after arriving on October 17.

Throughout its eighty-minute runtime, Simply Complicated is filled with revelations about Lovato’s personality and career. Some of the most telling confessions have been cataloged over at Billboard, which has taken time to discuss Lovato’s admissions of her mental health issues.

Hannah Lux Davis, known for her work on music videos, directed Simply Complicated. You can add to the film’s impressive numbers by checking it out here:

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Simply Complicated was announced as a YouTube exclusive back in May, when the video revealed that it planned to roll out several original programs led by top-level stars

. Those shows, unlike the ones distributed on the $9.99-per-month YouTube Red service, would be free to watch and supported by ads. Since YouTube hasn’t released many concrete viewership statistics for its Red originals, its hard to suss out how Simply Complicated stacks up, but it’s safe to say that the project’s huge first day — which came with a six-digit complement of likes — represents a good result for YouTube.

Beyond Simply Complicated, YouTube plans to distribute other ad-supported originals for its audience. Ellen Show Me More, which stars Ellen Degeneres and arrived back in September, has registered a seven-digit view count of its own. Beyond that, viewers can expect projects from the likes of Kevin Hart and The Slow Mo Guys.

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Published by
Sam Gutelle

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