Skip to main content

YouTube takes another step toward premium content with Next New Networks

YouTube-NNNAntoine Dodson, mashups, and hyperactive pets be damned! YouTube wants professional video content and nothing will stand in its way. Google announced today that it acquired Web video company Next New Networks in its latest move toward premium videos. The New York Times first reported the collaboration in December, and now it’s finally come to fruition.

YouTube also recently entered talks to reach out to famous faces and pay them up to $5 million for a branded channel. The effort would obviously make YouTube a far more attractive advertising space, and undoubtedly would win itself quite a few new viewers. Now, it looks like improving it’s own original programming with the help of Next New Networks.

While YouTube has a wide audience and could easily find success in the online streaming market, it’s taking on some formidable opponents. The likes of Netflix and Hulu (and now, Amazon Prime) have established (to varying degrees) a foothold on online video, while YouTube will be relatively new to this game. According to the YouTube blog, the acquisition will act as “a laboratory for experimentation and innovation with the team working in a hands-on way with a wide variety of content partners and emerging talent to help them succeed on YouTube.”

YouTube also says that while it has “hundreds of partners making six figures a year…frankly, ‘hundreds’ making a living on YouTube isn’t enough and in 2011 we know we can and should do more to help our partners grow.” How exactly it’s going to do that isn’t quite clear yet: It almost sounds like Next New Networks will be a trial-and-error program. The company partnered with AOL last year to launch “The One,” a two-minute commentary homepage feature that was a major part of AOL’s new video platform.

YouTube devotees, an ever-growing demographic, are about to witness an interesting transition in its evolution. It’s distancing itself from video footage of everyday people and places and things (and cats…so many cats…), the very concept that made it an Internet sensation, in favor of semi-celebrity and processed programming. That isn’t to say this won’t be a successful move: The professional vlogger is becoming more and more of a reputable profession in the digital community, and the more Internet-savvy average consumers become, the more they expect out of Web content. So it’s not necessarily a bad move on Google’s party – but it comes with some risk attached.

Editors' Recommendations

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
The best new shows to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Max (HBO), and more
Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau in Gen V.

As September rolls into October, the best new shows to stream are leaning heavily towards superheroes and fantasy. Amazon Prime Video has premiered the first three episodes of The Boys spinoff series, Gen V, while Netflix's Castlevania sequel anime, Castlevania: Nocturne, has finally arrived. But if you're looking for some rom-com love, check out the third season of Max's Starstruck. Additionally, the second episode of Peacock's The Continental: From the World of John Wick is also one of the top choices of the week.

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Max, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+, and Peacock have to be breathing a sigh of relief now that the writers' strike is over. Once the streamers settle with the actors, they can get back to dropping new shows each and every week. It's definitely not cheap to subscribe to all of the streaming services, but you can save some money with the ad-supported tiers. Either way, keep coming back here every week for our updated rundown of the best new shows to stream.
When you're done here, check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and best shows on Disney+.

Read more
The 50 best movies on Netflix right now (September 2023)
Bert Kreischer and Mark Hamill in The Machine.

As we've said many times before, Netflix has a history of giving movies that failed at the box office a second chance to be discovered. In this week's update of the best movies on Netflix, the streamer has done it again with the arrival of The Machine. This comedy was DOA in theaters just a few months ago, but it currently sits in the top spot on the most popular movies on Netflix.

Additionally, Netflix is closing out September with Reptile, a new crime thriller with a very recognizable cast including Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian, Ato Essandoh, Domenick Lombardozzi, and Michael Pitt. This one is for mystery lovers, and it's going to keep you guessing about the identity of the killer. We wouldn't be shocked if Reptile quickly dethrones The Machine as Netflix's most popular movie.

Read more
The 50 best shows on Netflix in September 2023
Richter Belmont and Maria Renard in key art for Castlevania: Nocturne.

The final weekend of September is leading us into a new month, and Netflix is kicking off October with a horror anime and a true crime story. This week's most prominent addition to the best shows on Netflix is Castlevania: Nocturne, an animated show that should give fantasy and horror fans their fix in its eight-episode first season. Based on the early response to the show, we wouldn't be surprised if a renewal is quickly announced.

Additionally, Netflix has premiered Who Killed Jill Dando?, a true crime miniseries that has already raced up the charts of the 10 most popular shows on Netflix. This show revisits one of the most infamous unsolved murders in British history, while also examining the fate of the man who was initially suspected and convicted of killing Dando.

Read more