with smartphones than TV remotes.
The online video giant is aiming to create 25 hours of programming per day with the help of some of the top names
in traditional TV. The Google-owned site is spreading its wealth among producers, directors, and other filmmakers,
using a $100 million pot of seed money it committed last fall. The fund represents YouTube's largest spending on
original content so far.
YouTube believes it is laying groundwork for the future. While the number of traditional TV watchers has leveled
off in recent years, more and more people are watching video on mobile phones, tablets and computers, especially
the 18- to 34-year-old age demographic that advertisers covet.
The idea is to create 96 additional YouTube channels, which are essentially artists' home pages, where viewers can
see existing video clips and click "subscribe" to be notified when new content goes up.
Well-funded videos by a select roster of stars are likely to be more watchable than the average YouTube fare of
cute cats and webcam monologues. YouTube is betting that a solid stream of good content will attract more revenue
from advertisers, bring viewers back frequently and bolster its parent company's fledgling Web-connected-TV
platform, Google TV.
The cash has enticed some of TV's biggest stars, including "Fast Five" director Justin Lin, who directs episodes of
"Community," ''CSI" creator Anthony Zuiker and Nancy Tellem, the former president of CBS entertainment.
Zuiker is teaming up on a horror series for YouTube after observing his own family's behavior. His three pre-teen
sons spend more time on phones, iPads and computers than watching TV these days.
"We want to jointly take the risk with YouTube and roll the dice on the future," Zuiker says. "The old regime is
going to falter because everybody thinks the TV is the only device that really counts, and that's just not the
case."
For producers, it's a chance to create shows that are completely free of meddling from major studios. They can also
stay relevant with a younger crowd whose viewing is moving increasingly online.
Several new channels such as the extreme sports-focused Network A and Spanish-language Tutele have launched
already. YouTube hopes to have them all up and running by this summer.
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