YouTube is continuing to roll out new channels as part of its push to develop into a destination for more original content. The latest addition, four sports channels that should appeal to a pretty desirable demo... males under the age of 30, include skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing action.
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RIDE (pictured) is one of the new sports-oriented YouTube channels. |
Here's what's new:
The Red Bull Channel is bringing 13 new original episodic series that will chronicle the competition and daily lives of action sports athletes including urban mountain biker and YouTube celebrity, Danny MacAskill, skateboarding pro Ryan Sheckler, action sports phenom Travis Pastrana and big wave surfer Jamie O'Brien;
RIDE, a 24-hour channel devoted to the skateboarding lifestyle that will feature Tony Hawk, Skatepark of Tampa, Jamie Thomas and Lance Krall among others. Subscribers will have behind-the-scenes access as Hawk hangs out with different celebrities;
Alli Sports gives viewers "a behind the curtain look into the lives of the biggest and fastest rising stars"; and,
Network A features some of the "best tricks and segments from some of the best action sports athletes and filmmakers from around the world."
"Bringing these new channels from some of the world's leading producers will be a welcome addition to our already broad base of action sports fans on YouTube," Claude Ruibal, global head of sports for YouTube, told the L.A. Times.
Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) YouTube long has been rumored to want to mold itself into more of an Internet-based cable company. The video site is ponying up $100 million to roll out a slew of free channels with professional-quality video.
YouTube believes that its bargain ad rates--they're lower than sites like Hulu, for example--and targeted advertising format are ideal for such a venture. The property, which Google bought for $1.6 billion in 2006, is offering advertisers opportunities to sponsor programming directly, and may allow content partners to sell ads as well.
For more:
- see this LA Times article
- see this YouTube post
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