Vevo Expands Original Programming While Avoiding MTV’s Path

If you're like me, you encounter music videos from Vevo fairly randomly mixed in on YouTube or embedded on websites so it's hard to have a sense of Vevo's full range of programming. But if you head over to Vevo's site you'll realize that they really are exploring what it means to be a video network. I took a closer look to get updated on their original programming and was pleasantly surprised to see that my previous concerns about Vevo following MTV's path were off the mark.

This week Vevo posted about their original content which is helping them move beyond Superstar MCN on YouTube to an independent network in their own right.

Three new shows recently premiered that are good examples of the music-related programming Vevo's exploring beyond music videos:

A.K.A. – Described as "Vevo's first animated series," it's actually a mix of artists talking about how they got their names interspersed with animated bits illustrating what they're saying which isn't quite as good as a cartoon.

Day Off With – Stuff musicians like to do in their free time.

DSCVR – Presents interviews and "stripped-down performances" by up and coming acts.

Note that having original programming with series of episodes allows for additional sponsorships and partnerships that don't usually fit music videos. For example, Fuze sponsors the Day Off With show.

I admit that casual comparisons to MTV are questionable but the common view is that MTV used to play music videos and now they don't. Obviously it's more complicated than that but part of the confusion came from the emergence of surreality shows which helped change the nature of MTV as a broadcaster.

Vevo's original programming is all tied to music via the musicians and the fans. So there's always a connection to music that goes beyond, for example, having a dj as a character on a reality tv show.

Plus you can still have that old school, lean back and watch videos programmed by someone else experience on Vevo TV but you have multiple streams and options.

Which makes me realize that my own linkage of Vevo and MTV in an earlier look at Vevo's activities was a bit off the mark.

More:

• Vevo To Insert and Swap Out Ads In Music Videos Via Deal With Mirriad
• New U.S. Video Stats: Google Dominates, Vevo #1 YouTube Channel

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.