YouTube Partners With Studios and Celebs for Original Content Channels

In an effort to increase ad revenues, Google-owned video site YouTube said Friday that it’s launching more than 100 new video channels containing original content.

According to an anonymous source, YouTube is paying upwards of $100 million to several Hollywood production companies, new media groups and celebrities to create professional-quality videos that are more likely to attract advertisers than the site’s typical line-up of amateur clips.

Celebrities attached to the deal include Madonna, former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, comedian Amy Poehler, actor Ashton Kutcher, ‘The Office’ star Rainn Wilson, spiritual doctor Deepak Chopra and ‘Modern Family’ actress Sofia Vergara.

Other channels will be launched by entities such as news satire group The Onion, professional wrestling’s WWE, online magazine Slate and news service Thomson Reuters.

YouTube expects the channels will produce a combined total of about 25 hours of new original content every day, and many web series will debut at scheduled times.

Some of the new channels will debut this month, with the majority premiering next year.

[Associated Press]