With a new video division, Group Nine's NowThis is betting big on original shows across social, streaming and OTT platforms

Ben Lerer Ken Lerer

NowThis is launching an original video programming division.
"NowThis Originals" will develop and produce original shows to be distributed across social, streaming and linear platforms.
The idea is to create original intellectual property to reach a wider audience and tap into brand partnerships.

Group Nine Media's NowThis video news outlet is the latest publisher to launch an original video programming division.

The division, called NowThis Originals, will develop and produce original shows for distribution across social, streaming and linear platforms. It's separate from Discovery-backed Group Nine Media's own unit, Group Nine Studios, which supports the content teams across its media brands NowThis, The Dodo, Thrillist, and Seeker.

The Originals team consists of 25 people, and will be overseen by executive producer Matt McDonough. NowThis, meanwhile, led by deputy editor Jon Laurence and political director Nico Pitney, will continue to focus on producing daily video stories for social feeds. Both groups report to NowThis editor Sarah Frank.

"This is a strategic move for us to create more focus and clarity around something that we've already been doing," NowThis president Athan Stephanopoulos told Business Insider. "The idea is to create recognizable IP that will attract audiences, which we can then multiply across social, streaming and linear platforms."

NowThis has already produced 16 original shows since 2017. They include "ConTECHtual," which breaks down the origins and evolution of current technology, examining its potential for the future for Facebook Watch; and "MANE," which explores the intersection of culture and hair.

Since it ventured into original programming, NowThis' watch time has increased 36% year-over-year, with its shows having been collectively watched for more than 300 million minutes. The shows have also attracted interest from brands including Boost Mobile, Domain.com, SheaMoisture, and the NHL.

The goal of the new division is to diversify NowThis' distribution, audiences and revenue, particularly branded partnerships, said Stephanopoulos. Last week, parent company Group Nine CEO Ben Lerer told Business Insider that revenue diversification was a huge focus for the company as seeks to dive into e-commerce. The company said it was in talks with several partners for video distribution deals that would be announced later this year.

"A big focus for us is to lean into the type of programming we've been doing and create a whole host of new programs and shows that allow for brands to come and be a part of them," said Stephanopoulos.

To be sure, other big distributed-media companies have tested the original video waters before. BuzzFeed, Vox Media and Refinery29 have all set up divisions to create shows for social and streaming platforms — more so as these platforms have increasingly funded content creation.

It's hard to make money overnight this way, though, because selling video to distributors can be a slow build, video is expensive to do well, and typically yields lower profits than display advertising.

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