Channel 4 Commission YouTube Creatives For Original Broadcast Content

As the lines between traditional and new media continue to blur, yet another terrestrial TV channel is making content available online and turning to YouTube creators to produce and star in those shows. Channel 4, one of the 5 main television broadcasters in the UK has embraced diversification in a huge way and their latest venture, an online TV commission for original talent, will be available on 4oD and on through their YouTube channel.

The project, ‘Mashed‘ will showcase original short form video content based around sketches and music with further input from YouTubers such as Dan Bull and composer John Boswell AKA melodysheep.

‘Mashed’ for online will initially run for six months with new videos added weekly – Channel 4 will broadcast a selection of the best content later this year.

The ‘Mashed’ consortium of independent creatives have also been commissioned to create the trailers for a selection of new programmes on the channel. The first include three humorous videos for the forthcoming series of documentary/reality show ‘Chicken Shop’ from YouTuber’sNick DenBoer, Tea&Cheese and Superpowerless. You can see the first online now.

Richard Davidson-Houston, head of online at Channel 4 said:

We’re engaging with talent that are new to Channel 4, in new spaces, to make new forms of content, aligning it with broadcast and 4oD – we’re looking to find a natural rhythm between the different media

AOL study finds that short-form video ads are more effective

A new study commissioned by AOL claims that short-form video advertising (ads that play during webisodes, cat videos, short interviews, etc.) is more effective than long-form advertising (ads that play throughout TV shows, movies, etc. or videos longer than 10 minutes).

The findings contradict the traditional logic that the standard 30-second TV commercial is the most effective in swaying an audience. So, long-form video ads may bring in the most money, don’t they don’t necessarily mean the audience is responding — at least when it comes to online video.

“Consumption habits are evolving rapidly, and we’re seeing consumers display many of the same ad avoidance tendencies online than they do with TV,” said AOL On SVP Ran Harnevo in a statement.

In the last several months, AOL has made it clear that video advertising will be a big part of its growth going forward. The company first announced plans to launch an online TV network for the Huffington Post, and later launched the AOL On network to showcase video content from all its web publications and partners.

AOL said the the study was administered to more than 800 respondents who watch online video on a weekly basis, and results are based on a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Below are some of the highlights from the study:

• Ads in short-form videos are more effective than ads in long-form content. More specifically, short-form video produced a 25 percent higher brand recall and a 42 percent higher purchase intent for the featured product or service.
• Viewers are adopting traditional avoidance behaviors during ads within long-form videos. Respondents found the ads to be too frequent and interruptive; as a result, they chose to avoid them altogether (by walking away, going to other sites, multitasking with their phone). This is the same “annoyance” behavior that is demonstrated when viewing television without the use of a DVR.
• Consumers want more targeted and humorous ads in both formats. In fact, 67 percent of respondents would be willing to be answer a question to make their ads more personalized and enjoyable.
• Consumers understand the exchange of free content for advertising, but they want to make sure their time tradeoff of watching ads also benefits them. They found coupons, contests and links as the most positive forms of engagement.

Global Ads Chart for October TOP 5 Peek of the Week

This month’s Global Ads Chart, from Unruly, should come with a health warning. Daredevils skydiving from space, headless magicians, and crumbling elevator floors – October was not a month for the faint of heart.

Recent research has found that the secret to social video success is creating content that elicits the strongest emotions from its viewers. Well, in October those levels were turned up to 11 as advertisers from a range of different verticals released a stack of action-packed, adrenalin-charged videos that set pulses racing across the web.

Leading the charge is Coke Zero’s Unlock the 007 in You. Now, most men have dreamt of being James Bond.  The girls, the guns, the, err, Martinis – the chance to spend a day in 007’s shoes is a chance of a lifetime. So when some wannabe Bonds were given a licence to thrill – even it is was for just 70 seconds – unsurprisingly, they grasped it with both hands. Bond’s latest mission involved running through Antwerp train station from one vending machine to another. OK, it’s not exactly parachuting with The Queen, but that’s probably why he left it to members of the public to be his ‘double Zero’ agents.

Following closely in 007’s footsteps is another action-packed ad from GoPro. The idea of jumping off the top of a mountain with only a flimsy parachute between you and a messy death may not hold much appeal for the average person. But thanks to the camera company, who has an army of crazy adrenalin junkies willing to film themselves risking life and limb for our entertainment, we get to experience just what it is like – without any of the impending doom. The video, which promotes GoPro’s new Hero3: Black Edition camera, has also enjoyed a thrilling a ride at the top of the Unruly Global Ads Chart, attracting just 9,000 shares fewer than Coke Zero’s Bond spot.

GoPro HERO3: Black Edition – Smaller, Lighter and 2X More Powerful

Unlock the 007 in you. You have 70 seconds!

An Unexpected Briefing #airnzhobbit

Martyn Ashton – Road Bike Party

Felix Baumgartner’s supersonic freefall from 128k’ – Mission Highlights