Social media’s biggest stars are launching a streaming service
By sticking within the ambit of short-form content, Zeus seems like a perfect fit for the hyperactive attention spans of young web users raised on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. (But, even Hollywood is waking up to the pulling power of quick-fire episodes, so what do we know).
The trio of social powerhouses told Variety that the service will include programming across a range of categories, including comedy, beauty, fashion, and fitness. As prolific as they are, the three alone can’t muster that amount of content. Instead, they’ll be relying on other influencers to chip in, describing the setup as akin to a “farm team system in baseball.”
It essentially sounds like they’ll be nurturing talent and providing original content producers (like YouTube Red, Facebook Watch, and Netflix) with a hookup for their next shows. Chances are the three will pocket some cash from the platform, but there’s no word on monetization, or how much the service will cost.
The announcement comes at a precarious time for online video makers. YouTube’s “adpocalypse” — which saw ads mismatched to offensive clips earlier this year, resulting in legitimate creators losing revenue — ruffled a lot of feathers. And, the here-today-gone-tomorrow nature of platforms like Vine (which Twitter reportedly let fizzle out despite outcries from its talent) offers little comfort. Maybe, seizing the means of content delivery will put the power back in the hands of creators. And, so the rallying cry to take back our likes, shares, and subscriptions rang out from social media sites across the land.
Zeus will reportedly arrive in 2018 on iOS, Android, the web, and on all major streaming players and set-top boxes.
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