By Saba Hamedy
Los Angeles Times.
In an effort to expand its demographic reach, teen YouTube network AwesomenessTV announced Thursday that it will launch a new network geared toward millennial moms.
AwesomenessTV, which DreamWorks Animation purchased for $33 million in 2013, has grown into one of the Web’s biggest multichannel networks for emerging online talent. The network, which has more than 7.5 billion total views and 112 million subscribers, has served as an important launching pad for YouTube stars.
Its new lifestyle network, called Awestruck, is to debut later this year with original content on YouTube, Facebook video and Verizon’s upcoming video service. It will feature female-centric scripted and unscripted programming, including comedy series, drama series, docu-reality series and talk shows. It will also showcase both digital stars and celebrities.
“Millennial moms are digitally savvy, globally conscious and defined by more than just motherhood, yet they are surprisingly underserved,” Brian Robbins, chief executive and founder of AwesomenessTV, said in a statement. “We recognized a similar opportunity when we launched AwesomenessTV as teen viewing habits were dramatically shifting to online video. Awestruck will engage millennial moms as their viewing behaviors make a similar shift.”
An estimated 73 percent of millennial moms watch short-form content on their smartphones, according to a 2014 U.S. Mobile Mom report from BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting website. The survey polled 1,118 U.S. women ages 18 and up, with a mean age of 32.
As consumer appetite for YouTube and online videos grows, more companies, including movie studios and television networks, have been expanding into the space. As a result, AwesomenessTV has continued to expand its programming.
“We invested in AwesomenessTV because of its ability to be everywhere and everything for a specific audience, and that’s exactly what it will bring to millennial moms with Awestruck,” Neeraj Khemlani, co-president of Hearst Entertainment and Syndication, said in a statement.
