Ellen DeGeneres Creates Ellen Digital Network, Original Series
Comedian and daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is building on her online successes with the launch of the Ellen Digital Network, Created in partnership with the Warner Bros. Television Group, the Ellen Digital Network will offer ad-supported original online series on a variety of platforms.
In its first big get, the network has signed YouTube star Tyler Oakley to a content development deal. While there's no Oakley series to announce just yet, the Ellen Digital Network will work with him on a variety of online and TV projects. Not merely sticking to creators with proven track records, the network has also signed Joshua Holz and Daniel Lara—the young men behind the Damn Daniel viral video—who will create an original series on Snapchat.
The Ellen Digital Network will also create Ellen's Pet Dish (an animated series about DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's real-life pets), She's Brielle-iant! (about a smart four-year-old), and #MadeByYou (featuring the best videos from Ellen's viewers).
Speaking at the launch event in New York City, Jill Braff, general manager of Ellen Digital Ventures, said the network would offer high-quality entertainment that stays true to Ellen.
"At Ellen, we know how to tell stories," added Alana Calderone Polcsa, the company's vice president of branded entertainment. She pitched branded content opportunities to advertisers in the room, and noted that Ellen videos already get 664 million monthly views.
Video sites Ellentube.com and EllenTV.com currently get over 105 million monthly views, Ellen's YouTube channel averages over 300 million monthly views, and Ellen's Instagram account has over 28 million followers.
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