LADbible Group has launched content studio LADstudios.
The Studios will seek commissions from broadcasters and will also publish its content to a global audience “approaching a billion” via LADbible Group.
The launch of LADstudios has been put together by former Channel 4 digital commissioning and content strategy lead, Thom Gulseven, alongside former Endemol exec and LADbible Group Head of Programming, Ben Powell-Jones.
LADstudios will build on its experimentation and testing of social-first shows released in the last 18 months, such as The Gap, Agree To Disagree and Minutes with, and commissions such as Text Dating on Facebook Watch, by ramping up production of platform first formats, driven by data to help create more original content.
Thom Gulseven, Strategy Director, said: “In 2021, all content is in some way digital content, so it needs to be agile and work across every platform to reach as many people as possible. LADbible Group is one of the biggest content creators in the world and using the business’ deep knowledge of platforms and communities, our shows can be match-fit for full digital distribution from the very start of their development, whether that’s on a VoD platform, social or beyond.”
The announcement comes 18 months after Powell-Jones’ arrival at LADbible Group, with the publisher’s LADTV YouTube channel hitting 1 million subscribers, and the successful release of a number of original factual entertainment formats including Minutes with, Agree to Disagree and The Gap which was picked up by Virgin Atlantic in early 2020 for their inflight entertainment offering.
As well as publishing on its own channels, LADStudios will sell content to broadcasters that “promises digital-first content that has been tried and tested by LADbible Group’s digital experts that can be scaled depending on the platform or audience. ”
Ben Powell-Jones, Head of Programming, says: “One of the huge benefits of working within a digital publishing group is that we are one huge team that are able to test, iterate, discard or boost ideas as we go. Rather than have key experts, we have instead initiated a process over the last year that has allowed us to take more calculated risks to grow our long-running hits and make a real impact in this space.”
Thom Gulseven and Ben Powell-Jones will sit alongside long-standing LADbible Group Head of Social Video, Mike Vaughan, “ensuring that all LADstudios formats are directly informed by real time data from LADbible Group’s global audience.”
On this decision, Gulsevan says: “trends and tastes have never moved as quickly as they are now; working alongside Mike and his team of social editors and their knowledge of a staggeringly vast audience is utterly invaluable. Translating trends, community insights and platform nuances into the big show brands of the future all starts with seeing what’s working day to day, and why.”
LADstudios will bring together “expertise from traditional broadcast, digital content creation, data and insights and social video including long serving Head of Social Video, Mike Vaughan to ensure all formats and shows created are platform-first, agile, tailor-made, and importantly tested to ensure maximum impact. It will create broadcast ready original series and formats and is in discussions with broadcasters looking to create digital and platform first content. ”
Jon Creamer
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