Fox is expanding its online presence with this latest deal. The younger-skewing network announced on Tuesday afternoon that it has inked a multi-year agreement with YouTube that has the partners collaborating on WIGS — one of the video-sharing website’s original drama channels.
“Our overarching goal is to create an ecosystem where creative people and ideas can find expression independently in the online environment, but benefit from the resources that the larger platform of the network affords,” Fox’s Kevin Reilly said in a statement.
WIGS co-creator Jon Avnet added: “[We] are looking forward to working with Kevin and his team on the next iteration of WIGS. We will continue to write, direct and produce quality scripted entertainment with many of the most talented actors, writers, directors and producers in our business for our YouTube platform. FOX will allow us to expand our horizons and offer us limitless possibilities, which we intend to fully take advantage of in all traditional media platforms, as well.”
The trio launched WIGS last year. Avnet is the producer behind movies like Black Swan and Risky Business, TV veteran Rodrigo Garcia has worked on HBO goodies like Big Love and In Treatment and Jake Avnet was behind Righteous Kill. Together, they have helped evolve WIGS into the most popular scripted drama channel on YouTube, with approximately 100,000 subscribers and more than 22 million views.
The channel, which showcases short films, series and documentaries, has featured a number of well-known actors, including Julia Stiles, True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, Gary Cole and Toronto native Alison Pill. A unique factor about WIGS is that all of its projects star female leads.
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