WWE Tubthumps TV Via YouTube

With YouTube doling out $100 million to content partners to create original programming for the site, many producers who landed that coin are still trying to figure out what to do with their new online real estate.

For WWE, the answer was simple: Use the WWE FanNation channel as a marketing tool to drive viewers back to its weekly TV shows and year-round slate of pay-per-views, while also building traffic for its own website, sales of toys, videogames, magazines and other merchandise.

In February, the company launched an initial slate of nine Web series featuring its talent. Shows like "WWE Inbox" and "Outside the Ring" have its wrestlers answer fan questions or reveal what their lives are like on the road. In "WWE Download," Dolph Ziggler sarcastically comments on YouTube videos, while "Foreign Exchange," is a comedic look at WWE hosted by Santino Morella.

"It's another outlet for our superstars, where they can further develop their on-air personalities," said WWE's chief marketing officer Michelle Wilson. At the same time, it "gives fans a different view of what happens backstage and lets them get to know our superstars better with a sense of humor."

YouTube already is seeing the amount of time users spend watching video on its sites growing considerably. In February, when WWE launched its channel, viewership rose 60% on YouTube, according to comScore, and channel subscriptions are up at least 50% since December...More?

source: variety.com