YouTube expands its exclusive-content drive with 100 new video channels

Original content is the cornerstone of most content channels, but YouTube has been conspicuous over the years as a place for finding unoriginal content. Much of the site is absolutely unique, but there has always been a strong lean towards posting content that originally appeared elsewhere. Google’s push to change this hit a tipping point yesterday as they announced plans to add 100 more channels of unique content to their lineup.

Celebrities, news publications, and brands were amongst the channels being created. Name such as Reuters, Jay-Z, and The Onion were amongst the list of those receiving a share of over $100 million in advances to prompt them to create YouTube-only content.

Unlike other entities such as record labels and publishing houses that pay advances to artists and then maintain a certain level of creative control, YouTube plans on letting them loose in the market, posting pretty much whatever they want (as long as it complies with YouTube’s terms of service) and driving the video views through their own efforts. While much of the content will be featured by YouTube, they are paying the advances in an effort to seed content rather than control it.

This all falls in line with the launch of the next version of Google TV. If they can get enough popular channels going and have the unique content that people crave, it may have a chance of exceeding the results of its predecessor.

Here is a complete list of the artists and publications currently partnering with YouTube:

• Electus Channel – Pop Culture (name TBD)
• PMC PMC Entertainment News
• WWE WWE
• Young Hollywood Young Hollywood Network
• DanceOn DanceOn (Madonna)
• Fine Brothers Films MyMusic
• Everyday Health, Inc. Everyday Health TV
• TakePart™ TakePart™ TV
• Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) Spaces
• Uncommon Content Partners The Conversation Channel
• Demand Media eHow Home
• SB Nation SB Nation
• Magical Elves and InStyle magazine Little Black Dress
• Hearst Magazines Channel – Fashion & Beauty Channel (name TBD)
• Emil Rensing International Channel – Auto (name TBD)
• My Damn Channel My Damn Channel: Live
• Uncommon Content Partners Taste & Access
• Red Bull Media House North America Red Bull
• Machinima Machinima
• Katalyst Thrash Lab (Ashton Kutcher)
• Steve Spangler Science The Spangler Effect
• New Nation Networks New Nation Networks
• Smart Girls at the Party Smart Girls at the Party (Amy Poehler)
• Bedrocket Media Ventures and Full Picture Productions Look TV
• BermanBraun theLOGE
• The Young Turks Town Square
• BermanBraun & Rodale Inc. Vigor
• Electus NuevOn – Latin Channel (Sofia Vergara)
• Clevver Media ClevverStyle
• ModernMom.com ModernMom Channel
• Brady Haran DeepSkyVideos
• IconicTV 123UnoDosTres
• The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal
• Pharrell Williams i am OTHER
• SoulPancake Productions SoulPancake (Rainn Wilson)
• Chopra Media/Generate The Chopra Well (Deepak Chopra)
• Clevver Media ClevverNews
• The Bowery Presents The Bowery Presents
• Clevver Media ClevverTeVe
• Seedwell American Hipster
• Hearst Magazines Car and Driver Television
• Alchemy Networks Alchemy Networks
• CafeMom CafeMom Studios
• Bedrocket Media Ventures Channel – Comedy (name TBD)
• Demand Media LIVESTRONG
• Bedrocket Media Ventures Channel – Action Sports (name TBD)
• FremantleMedia Channel – Pets & Animal (name TBD)
• Big Frame BAM
• IconicTV myISH
• Electus Channel – Food (name TBD)
• Soccer United Marketing & Bedrocket KickTV
• Lionsgate Lionsgate Fitness Channel
• East of Center Productions LLC YOMYOMF
• EQAL u look haute!
• Philip Defranco Sourcefed
• Meredith Corporation and Meredith Video Studios Digs
• Vlogbrothers CrashCourse
• Walter Latham Digital Walter Latham’s “Kings of Comedy”
• Tony Hawk’s production company, 900 Films, Inc. RIDE Channel
• JON M. CHU Channel – Dance (name TBD)
• Vuguru & POW! Entertainment Stan Lee’s World of Heroes
• FAWN by Michelle Phan Fawn
• DECA KinCommunity
• Source Interlink Media Motor Trend
• The Nerdist Channel The Nerdist Channel
• Comedy Shaq Network The Comedy Shaq Network (Shaquille O’Neal)
• Demand Media eHow Pets & Animals
• Brady Haran numberphile
• Cooking Up a Story Food Farmer Earth
• Bleacher Report Bleacher Report
• TED Conferences TEDEducation
• Intelligent Television Intelligent Channel
• Pitchfork Pitchfork TV
• Vlogbrothers SciShow
• EYEBOOGIE POP SPOT
• Roadside Entertainment/BAC The NOC
• Alli Sports Alli Sports
• The Onion Onion Broadcasting Company
• VICE VICE
• Smosh/Alloy Digital Smosh Animation (name TBD)
• VICE Noisey
• Knights of Good Productions Geek & Sundry
• Mondo Media New Animators
• BermanBraun & Rodale Inc. Taste
• Varsity Pictures Awesomeness
• Black Box TV Black Box TV (Anthony Zuicker, founder of CSI)
• IGN Entertainment / Shine Group START
• @radical.media Channel – Education (name TBD)
• Frederator Networks Channel Frederator’s Cartoon Hangover
• monotransistor werevertumorro
• Thomson Reuters Reuters.com
• Slate Slate News Channel
• Maker Studios The Maker Music Network
• Maker Studios The Moms’ View
• Maker Studios Tutele
• Noisey VICE
• Iconic Life and Times (Jay-Z