Condé Nast Entertainment plans to keep the foot on the accelerator, it assured ad buyers Tuesday at a NewFronts presentation heralding contributions from 10 new outside brands (among them Pitchfork, Onion Inc. and CollegeHumor) to its content hub The Scene. Also in the pipeline: an original series in partnership with Fox-Lonely Island teaming Party Over Here, a new channel dedicated to Latino millennials and two shows employing virtual reality technology.
“Like cable in the early days, the economics of premium digital video are maturing and enabling the industry to up its game," CNE president Dawn Ostroff said in a release prior to the event.
The company said it has produced more than 4,000 videos, maintaining that figure represents "more premium content than any other company," recording 2.5 billion views since launching a suite of digital channels in 2013.
Across 18 verticals tied to established properties such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ and Glamour, CNE plans more than 2,500 new pieces of video in 2015-16. On The Scene, the hub blending in-house and partner content that was announced at the 2014 NewFronts, it will debut sci-fi-comedy series Tyler Zone. It stars Danny Pudi (Community) and is presented by Fox-Lonely Island venture Party Over Here. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are exec producing.
The company will also partner with Jaunt Studios, a noted producer of virtual reality "experiences," on two "narrative/plot-based" series later this year.
CNE is also adding a 19th channel under its video tent apart from The Scene: Vida Belleza, which will feature beauty, food, lifestyle, celebrity, culture and docuseries content for and by influential female Latino millennials.
The 10 new Scene sources bring the total number of brands on The Scene to 40. According to CNE, the outlet has consistently ranked among comScore’s top five lifestyle platforms each month thanks to its wide distribution on the web and OTT platforms like Apple TV, Xbox and Roku.
