Digital content has exploded over the years as more and more media companies have started targeting the Millennial consumer base. And when you look at video content alone, you can clearly see why Millennials are such a big piece of the puzzle.

Millennials spend about 7 hours a day on their phones, which is more than any other age group and in some cases, more hours than they actually sleep. It makes you wonder...what are these folks spending so much time watching?

Well, we’ve pulled together a list of a few of the top video series created by Millennial media companies to give you some inspiration and highlight some of the top video series being produced today.

The Sweet Digs video series features Millennial women and highlight what it’s like to live in cramped studios and stylish pads in cities like New York City, London, and Los Angeles. The videos give a glimpse into how much they pay in rent or have paid in renovation costs. Most Millennials can relate to the videos as they often talk about how to make the most out of a small space or inexpensive ways to dress up the place.

This series started in July of 2017 and has been so successful that they are currently on Season 4, with over 20 episodes total.

The OG of millennial media marketing, In 2018, Buzzfeed launched “As/Is”, the first series launched under the company’s newly formed division for its lifestyle brand, BuzzFeed Media Brands. As/Is features several mini-series about topics such as common issues women struggle with personally like hair removal or the very popular “Feed Famous”, which follows aspiring social influencers competing to become a social star. The video series covers everyday questions that many Millennial females find themselves pondering.

The As/Is YouTube account alone has more than 10 million subscribers.

This one isn’t just on the list just because you can catch the writer of this post in the background of an episode. It’s here because it’s blurring the line between digital video and traditional media. And Third Rail usually has an interesting lineup that many Millennials are very familiar with. Guests include celebrities such as Amber Rose and subject matter experts such as Malcolm Gladwell and are carefully selected to debate a highly-contested issue, with a live audience in tow.

Touted as the “ largest youth company in the world ”, Vice is no stranger to the Millennial digital video arena. Vice introduced an interesting twist on explainer videos with their “ How to Treat X ” series. Topics range from the do’s and don’ts on treating anyone from gender fluid individuals to flight attendants. There are about nine episodes, each ranging from about 3-5 minutes long and they’re designed to help people understand the nuances of life.

Guess who’s the largest group of pet owners? Millennials. That’s what makes the Dodo’s Comeback Kids a perfect video series for this animal-loving age group. There are three seasons-worth of heartwarming videos featuring the stories of animals that were given a second chance to live and bring happiness to their owners. I’m not crying...you’re crying.

Like most millennials, traveling to new cities is a must as is getting the full local food experience. Thrillist delivers on providing that experience through their series “ Gatekeepers ”. Each episode features a local “gatekeeper” who knows their way around a major city such as Denver. Episodes run for about 20 minutes and leave you with serious food envy.

“This is the way you fix politics by participating in it…” These words were spoken by Ithaca, NY’s mayor, Svante Myrick in Upworthy’s inspirational video series “ Another Person’s Shoes ”. This video series distills in two minutes powerful messages of hope, compassion and true American spirit that so many Millennials long for in today’s society. Topics covered range from volunteer medical flights to suicide and women’s pro football.

 LadBible’s “Free to Be” series featuring Smirnoff 

In June of 2018, LadBible and Smirnoff announced a new video series focused on inclusivity and to “attempt to make difficult topics around race, disability, LGBT+ and other issues more accessible.” The Free to Be series features real-life “nightlife heroes” such as a history-making deaf music artist and a toilet attendant (it’s actually quite a fascinating job).

The Vox’s Divided States of Women is another great video series targeting Millennial women. The series covers “most divisive and controversial issues facing American women today” in the hopes of bringing a common ground to American women no matter their beliefs. The series started in the fall of 2017 and has over 25 episodes covering everything from sexual harassment in the workplace to the unrealistic expectations of being a perfect mom.

HBO announced in February of 2019 that it would be renewing its documentary series “ Axios on HBO ” for a second season.  The new season “...will include a unique mix of breaking news content, exclusive interviews and short profiles.”  What’s interesting about this series is that it covers how different industries and trends are intermixing to change the world.

While they’re not following our best practice of bucketing content series and making it easy for me to link you to all the 5 stages content, it’s still a great series. 5 Stages covers everything from the 5 stages you go through before getting laid off to the steps you take to try budgeting.

Another great series from Vice is One Star Reviews. Whether you’re looking to laugh or are curious whether one star reviews really mean anything, this series is prime material. It’s hard to tell whether the series is returning with new episodes, but based on how viral it’s gotten, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of these videos.

Last, but certainly not least on our list is another gem from Buzzfeed, “ Eating Your Feed.” The series takes us through the food adventures of hosts Andrew and Niki as they try some of the most outrageous food recipes. Everything from edible corgis to recreating black ice cream, these videos appeal to Millennials and anyone curious about trendy recipes.

 Why These Millennial Media Video Series Matter 

Why should you care about these millennial media top video series? If you’re asking us, we believe it’s the future of media consumption versus traditional broadcast TV or even OTT platforms like Hulu. We’re seeing a quickly changing landscape in how people, not just Millennials, view and consume content. Companies like Buzzfeed, Vice, and Ozy need eyeballs and advertising dollars to keep these top video series going and we’re interested to see how it all unfolds.

Recap: All Things Video Podcast with Ed Laczynski

As consumers realize they no longer need to pay for cable TV, where they likely pay for channels they never watch, the cord-cutter club is growing. Cutting ties with cable giants and finding entertainment through platforms like Netflix, Roku or MLB.TV, customers are honing in on exactly what they want to watch and paying for just that.

However, advertisers may have a harder time fitting into this new era. In years past, advertisers benefitted from limited choice. Consumers were not able to select the channels in their cable bundle and they weren’t able to skip ads — but now they can. It truly is the age of the consumer.

As Netflix has shown us, customers are willing to pay a low monthly subscription cost to binge on episode after episode of “Orange is the New Black,” without interruption — or with Hulu and others— minimal and targeted ads. And even if a customer is subscribed to multiple OTT services, those online video bills often still add up to less than what their cable company was charging for 400 channels they will never watch.

How can brands jump in and take a piece of the OTT pie?

Right now all signs point to data and analytics. Whereas linear TV audiences bought bundles, OTT audiences buy what they like. The OTT model captures valuable data that any brand would love to have and that is: What are people interested in? If advertisers know this, digital ads can be targeted and tailored for the audience. For example, fourteen-year-olds no longer need to sit through car insurance ads.

As online behaviors continue to be tracked and analyzed, ads become more relevant to the consumer.

Premium video providers play an important role, however, in bridging this gap between viewers and brands. Ultimately it is up to video providers to work with advertisers here. Why? Because it’s advantageous to both parties. As video providers track viewer’s engagement, those insights are gold for brands.

Video platforms like Zype make this possible by offering advanced analytics to provide deep insight into the viewer’s habits and behavior.

To learn more about tracking video engagement and the opportunity for advertisers, take a look at these resources:

Watch: Engaging audiences on Connected TV, a free webinar hosted by Tapad and Zype.

Learn: How to track video engagement using the Zype platform.

The Brand Opportunity for Cord-Cutting Audiences

YouTube implemented new monetization rules that will impact a large segment of their user base and make it harder to generate advertising dollars. Previously, a total of 10,000 lifetime views would enable a publisher to participate in YouTube’s Partner Program. Now that bar is set much higher, requiring at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 viewing hours over the last 12 months to be eligible to be in YouTube’s advertising pool. This disadvantages the up and coming content creators just getting their start on YouTube and channels with smaller audiences. Needless to say, the creator community isn’t happy.

This isn’t the first time YouTube has unexpectedly changed policies that jeopardize user’s ability to make money and reach audiences on the platform. Last year, YouTube began enforcing stricter content standards that resulted in many content creators losing advertising revenue. Many of Zype’s customers were affected by the rule change, including The Rebel Media who saw 90% of their YouTube ad revenue fall away in early 2017. You can find out more about how YouTube impacted The Rebel’s monetization strategy, here>>.

YouTube has continued to turn their back on the little guys in favor of larger, more “valuable” channels. As a result, more and more content owners (big and small) will take their content to other platforms that are more creative friendly, like Twitch. At the end of the day, the biggest impact for creators is that YouTube is no longer a reliable or effective platform to build an audience or make money.

The root of this issue goes far beyond advertising revenue, it boils down to control. Content owners put themselves at risk by relying on any single platform, like YouTube, to distribute their content. By doing so, they surrender control over their content audience and revenue and put themselves at the mercy of the platform’s terms and conditions.

If the nature of their content is deemed “inappropriate”, it is subject to be taken down. Even if a content owner is eligible for advertising, a big chunk of their revenue belongs to the platform. Their content may attract a large audience, but they don’t own that consumer data. Why does this matter? It matters because content owners no longer have control over their business’ future when someone else owns the land and dictates the terms.

Now more than ever, it’s critical that content owners stop depending on third-party platforms and start distributing their content across multiple channels, including platforms they own and operate, such as their website and OTT apps. This is the only way that content owners will gain total control over their business.

That said, content owners shouldn't abandon platforms like YouTube altogether. It is a great marketing tool to drive brand awareness and build audiences. Instead of it being the end destination, use YouTube as a tool to redirect viewers to content on your website and other channels that are under your control.

Zype empowers content owners with the technology to easily launch their own direct-to-consumer service and gain ownership of their revenue, content, and audience.

Create new revenue streams that are NOT subject to revenue sharing. Publish content that is NOT subject to arbitrary rule changes at a moment’s notice. Your owned and operated website and OTT apps are completely under your control and you choose the monetization strategy that works best for your business and audience.

Zype helps you reach your full potential and take your content beyond YouTube. Build a direct-to-consumer business that is 100% under your control, where you own 100% of your revenue and your content can thrive across multiple platforms.

There's no better time to get started. Find out more about Zype's creator-friendly plans and gain total control for your business today.

YouTube's New Monetization Rules: What Does It Mean for Creators?

All kinds of media companies and brands have not only adopted a subscription or membership business model, they’re also incorporating premium video content on their website. From media personalities such as Neil deGrasse Tyson for StarTalk, to fitness franchises like Crunch Fitness to lifestyle brands like Kin Community, many companies are adding tons of value to their customer bases by showcasing premium video content as part of their business model.

In order to be successful in today’s evolving market, all brands must operate as multimedia companies. Video is a powerful medium for marketing and engagement and provides ongoing and added value for members and subscribers across any industry.

Zype’s easy-to-use tools enable video businesses, media personalities and multimedia brands to quickly launch and monetize their premium video content directly on their subscription or membership websites. Unlike free platforms like Youtube, Zype enables content owners to host, manage and organize their video library, then publish that live and VOD content, all from a single platform. The key difference is the ownership and control Zype provides these subscription services, with the flexibility to gate and monetize video using their own branded video player on their website without any revenue sharing.

It’s easier (and quicker) than you think to get started. Here are several simple ways you can add video to your website with Zype.

The fastest approach - use Zype’s embeddables

Get to market quickly and start engaging with your audience right away. Zype’s powerful embeddable widgets are the easiest way to start streaming your premium video content to any existing website.

Simply choose the video or playlist you’d like to stream on your website, click to generate an embed code, then copy and paste that code on any page of your website. Voila. You have a monetized (and custom branded) embeddable video player that gates access to content for subscribers only.

Embeddables are very easy to implement! The best part is you can start earning revenue immediately using the integrated paywall that supports all types of monetization including subscription, rentals and purchases right out of the box.

Get detailed step-by-step instructions, here>>

Although these customizations are harder to implement than the embeddables (as in they may require some dev work), they give you a lot of flexibility and ensure your subscribers have access to content. You can use APIs to sync your current users with Zype, add subscribers right from your web player and remove subscribers when they cancel.

Check out this article for a detailed guide on how to integrating these API’s and a full list of supported commands.

The national fitness franchise, Crunch Fitness launched their subscription service CrunchLive to extend their services and give members access to streaming online workouts, anywhere and anytime. They partnered with Zype to publish their content to their website in addition to mobile and OTT apps across Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV. Since they were already using a CMS to manage their members, Crunch uses Zype’s APIs to import, manage and track their customer base right from the Zype platform.

If you are one of the 74+ million websites running on Wordpress, we’re working on a plugin so you can connect your website directly to your Zype account.  Stay tuned for the upcoming release!

The power of adding premium video to your website

The value and benefits of video are often overlooked, but extremely powerful. Incorporating premium video content into your membership or subscription website helps to provide ongoing value to your customers at every stage. Not only do your customers expect it,  but video content also helps you to attract and convert new customers, keeps your existing customers engaged for longer and reduces membership and subscription churn. Learn more about the benefits and value of video on your website, here>>.

Quick and Easy Ways to Add Premium Video to Your Subscription or Membership Website

<strong>If You Build It, Will They Come?</strong>

This timeless question has made its way across virtually every content creator, content owner, and digital marketer.

The OTT revolution has fundamentally changed how content owners and distributors interact. Content owners are entering the distribution space by building audiences online, and distributors are going into the content space to invest and create their own content.

As a content owner, you may be considering building your own OTT channel. There is also a chance you are already streaming your content, but aren’t happy with your licensing revenue. Either way,  you will want to take steps towards owning your own distribution channel and developing your own relationship with customers. This guide is designed to help you refine your understanding of OTT and help you make the right decision.

OTT stands for “over-the-top” and refers to the way content is delivered via the Internet where viewers don’t need to be subscribed to traditional services like cable or other paid-TV services.

You are probably very familiar with the OTT platforms Netflix and Hulu. These services disrupt the traditional cable models by allowing users to receive more value for less money and the freedom to cancel at any time. Many content owners have started to create their own standalone OTT services so they’re not relying on content aggregators or distributors to provide the bulk of their income.

As you can imagine, the disruption has created friction between traditional industries and  OTT providers. The Netflix OTT model is driving more and more customers away from traditional cable services and the trend is only accelerating in the last few years. Netflix now has more subscribers than the largest cable providers in the country.

OTT gained market traction quickly due to the culmination of a growing dissatisfaction with the traditional TV services. 73% of people feel that cable companies are predatory and take advantage of their subscription-based models at their customer's’ expense and 53% would leave if they had the chance. This is why cable TV’s market share has been nearly cut in half over the last two decades.

Traditional providers have had no choice but to adapt. The spike of Internet TV (IPTV) is traditional media’s response to OTT as they have started to distribute content on the Internet for free with sites like YouTube.

OTT is more than just another option. For any content creator, OTT is a dream come true. In fact, as OTT slowly becomes the standard for content creators, brands that have not gone OTT are struggling to keep up.

 OTT is a Good Start, But It’s Only a Start 

OTT is an incredible opportunity for content owners, but don’t be disillusioned. OTT is only the first step to completely owning your audience, owning your revenue, and total independence from middlemen.

Building your own OTT service provides an excellent foundation to grow your video business. When viewers interact with your content, they will download your customized branded apps on Apple TV or Roku, not Netflix. Or viewer can go directly to your brand’s owned-and-operated website. With a newfound independence, content owners no longer have to rely on the traditional distribution channels that once held all the control.  OTT video platforms such as Zype help to democratize distribution and empower content creators to take back control of their content and audience.

Once you have built and published your OTT platform, it’s exciting to see your branded app among Hulu and HBO GO as you scroll through Roku or Apple TV. Although it’s important to remember this is only the beginning. Just because you built your app, doesn’t mean viewers will come automatically. It’s time to focus on your viewers and start driving as many traffic as possible to your beautiful new app. This requires an unrelenting focus on distribution and audience development. Your OTT platform is merely the foundation for which your content marketing efforts are built upon.

Video content marketing goes far beyond what most content owners are prepared to do, let alone having the resources to execute on it. Before you consider going OTT, first determine whether you have an established audience and marketing bandwidth to make your video business successful.

 Owning Your Own Distribution Channel and Beyond 

In order to scale your distribution channel successfully, you must have a long-term strategy for building and maintaining your relationship with your viewers. With a myriad of different content marketing strategies, it’s easy to become overwhelmed quickly, so it’s important to find something that can sustainably work for you. Here are a few questions to ask when developing your own distribution channel:

Do I have the resources to execute this successfully? Overcommitting to a content marketing strategy and then realizing it’s exhausting your time, effort, and money is a pitfall that should be avoided at all costs.

Am I willing to experiment? You may find that the content strategy that has worked for you in the past, doesn’t cut it for OTT. Don’t be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone continually experiment with new ways to reach audiences.

Will this distribution channel reach my target audience? In order to drive traffic to your content, not only do you need to know who your target audience is but where they are. For example, if your video content is primarily crafting tutorials, you might find some success in targeting audiences and users of Pinterest and Etsy.

How will I retain my customers? It’s one thing to get someone to view your content for the first time, but a completely different ballgame to turn them into a loyal fan. Retention must be built into everything from your marketing efforts to your content.

While there are no guarantees that viewers will come just because you build an OTT channel, but it is certainly the first step in building and scaling your direct-to-consumer video business.

Is OTT the New Field of Dreams?

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Top Video Series from Millennial Media and Publishing Companies

Recap: All Things Video Podcast with Ed Laczynski

The Brand Opportunity for Cord-Cutting Audiences

YouTube's New Monetization Rules: What Does It Mean for Creators?

Quick and Easy Ways to Add Premium Video to Your Subscription or Membership Website

Is OTT the New Field of Dreams?

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