Video giant YouTube is looking at acquiring the New York-based viral video syndicate Next New Networks, according to The New York Times:
The acquisition would be YouTube’s first major foray into producing original content, and shows how intently YouTube is focused on offering professional shows, not just amateur videos and other short clips.
Next New Networks is an online production house that includes the Gregory Brothers, who produce the series Autotune the News, and its producers were responsible for two out of the top ten YouTube videos of the year. NNN claims to have gotten 1.2 billion views this year.
YouTube is following the path taken by some other viral sites, including New York-based CollegeHumor, which forged into original content production after starting out as a bulletin board where users submitted photos and videos.
The Bed Intruder song, was Next New Networks’ biggest hit, with over 50 million views.
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