YouTube Launching 13 French Networks: ‘Producers’ Include Agencies, Websites

It’s all happening. This October, YouTube is launching 13 themed networks for France, which will appear both on the web and on connected TVs.

An RFP was released for programmes to populate the networks, a process that sticks out especially because it wasn’t only major production firms that could enter; agencies and websites were also eligible. Brands that made the cut include production firm Endemol, agency Capa, website Auféminin.com (for women) alongside sister site Marmiton (for cooking); and “new generation” producer “Troisième Oeil” (“Third Eye”). Jean Dujardin, who made a big Stateside splash this year, has also been asked get involved in a comedy project.

The budget for partnering producers may range from 500,000€ to 1,000,000€ for the development of 20 hours of programming. The networks will be closely themed around family, health, cuisine or culture, and — crazier still — the annual programming budget is roughly the equivalent of French primetime network TF1.

Ad profits above and beyond a promised minimum will be split between content creators and YouTube, although pending contracts suggest that producer margins will be squeezed. Producers will also be forbidden from airing their programmes on other media for the first year.

Similar deals are currently being made for YouTube network launches in Germany and the UK.

YouView Now Live in the UK!

YouView, the Messianic connected TV service we told you about a few days ago, is now online and toting a tall slogan: “EXTRAORDINARY TV FOR EVERYONE.” The subscription-free magic box went live with 70 digital channels on board and 7-day catch-up TV service for BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, and Demand 5. Its ambition is about as modest as the slogan: to change the viewing habits of the United Kingdom.

Boxes can be had at retailers or via broadband providers, according to the site, but the truth is they sound easier to get than they currently are. This year a total of three YouView boxes will be available. The only one currently available is a Humax box for £299 — a price analysts say may give people pause before adoption.

CEO Richard Halton, though, is unfazed by this or any other dire news, including critics’ observations that the launch is about two years past its first promised due date. “It is only us that brings together the content and makes it easy to discover,” he said simply.

BT and TalkTalk boxes will be distributed this fall. Developers seeking to produce apps, or content providers wishing to take advantage of YouView’s open-door policy, would be wise to wait and see what adoption actually looks like before making the investment of blood, sweat and tears.

Sneak-Peek at YouView, the Messiah of Catch-Up TV

Think of it as British box-top Hulu, with TiVo’s smart’s tossed in for good measure. YouView is a joint venture between UK’s biggest TV and broadband firms: the BBC, Channel 4, BT and TalkTalk, to name a few. It’s faced a series of launch delays in the last couple of years, but its ultimate goal is to aggregate all catch-up TV services on one smart platform. It’s officially slated to launch at a press event next week.

According to TNW (credit to them for the photo above), YouView partners attending the event will unveil their YouView set-top boxes. TNW also has shots of the Humax YouView box, a good indication of its plans for IPTV service.

Many boxes have already fallen into the hands of testers, but they’re heading to market in the months to come, equipped with 70 digital channels from Freeview, catch-up TV from the last seven days, series recording capability and on-demand programming. The service is currently only limited to a select number of channels, but more are expected to join prior to launch, which was originally slated before the 2012 London Olympics. Backers, though, have expressed a preference for getting the product right versus rushing it to market.

See more photos at The Next Web. There’s currently no word on whether YouView devices will be “connected” (equipped with social features), but there is a “Beyond TV” feature that’ll enable developers to create apps and widgets for the service. In any event, getting all your catch-up TV from one place is a good place to start so such features can enjoy maximum reach.

Ryan Seacrest: Draw Something’s Key to Network TV

Remember Draw Something, the game you played fervently for two weeks and then forgot about, but not before a titillated Zynga bought it for a whopping $200 million? The proud new parent aims to ride this wave to shore with a freshly-inked CBS deal for a network TV pilot, co-produced by someone whose form and tonality was practically used to clone all-purpose TV hosts: Ryan Seacrest.

We can feel that you are thrilled.

A little background: Draw Something is like a connected version of Pictionary. Prompted by a cue, you draw something and your partner must guess what it is. It was an immense success post-launch but has since lost significant userbase, including seven million in the last month, to the chagrin of Zynga, many of whose existing properties (Farmville and Cityville, among others) are slipping off the Facebook app charts. The company’s lost two-thirds of its value in a handful of months, and is hard-pressed to prove the viability of its $200M investment.

The “Draw Something” pilot will enable users to play alongside celebrities for a chance to win prizes. Prizes include a chance to compete with the celebrities themselves in some kind of sudden-death match by crayon. This formula is expected to compensate for the cost of Draw Something’s hide in two ways: 

1. The deal itself is worth an undisclosed figure already
2. This combination of gameshow-style TV and audience engagement on tablets or other mobile devices is expected to pave the way for similar transmedia models. More importantly, with the right kind of angle it may actually reignite interest in Draw Something.

Ryan Seacrest Productions produced the show in partnership with Sony Pictures Television and Embassy Row (the guys behind “The Glee Project”). Executive producers for the pilot include Ryan himself, RSP CEO Adam Sher and Michael Davies of “Who Wants to Be a Millionnaire.”

No date’s yet been set for first airing, but this is hardly Draw Something’s first claim to fame. Last week it closed promo deals with both Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez.

Above: Ryan Seacrest’s own handiwork, dedicated to Lady Gaga.

Calling All Screenwriters! Calling All Directors! Amazon Moving in on Youtube Territory

…or is it TV network territory? Hard to say, but if it succeeds it’ll make waves in both.

Amazon Studios is seeking scripts for a 22-minute primetime comedy or an 11-22-minute series for children. Entries should be “smart, character-driven series” that’ll be subjected for a 45-day option and evaluation period.

Promo videos can also be entered for a potential $7000 in awards. They can be from 10-60 seconds and should briefly communicate the show idea and its visual style. In terms of format, looks like sky’s the limit.

If you fall into the Development pool, you’ll get $10K plus guidance for developing the pilot. And if your show makes it into series production, you get $55,000 plus 5% of net merchandising receipts from toy and T-shirt licensing. Not to mention distribution on Amazon Instant Video — something we don’t take lightly.

In our childhoods, direct-to-DVD programming was considered a mark of shame (although some did pretty well, like the Aladdin sequels). Direct-to-‘net programming is a little like its pixel-packed cousin, except that it makes overheads lower for producers while broadening the distribution pool significantly. Success is a matter of marketing and storytelling prowess.

Consider the success of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” during its brief life online; it’s now available in Blu-Ray on Amazon, as well as on iTunes. 

More details plus an upload-work button here.