David Purdy spent 15 years in a variety of senior management roles with Rogers Communications, the last four as senior vice-president of content, prior to joining Vice Media as its chief international growth officer in January.
The biggest change, he noted, is that he has gone from defending traditional TV models from upstart media entities like Vice, to attacking them. “I used to be a game warden, and now I’m a poacher,” he joked during the recent launch event for the company’s new specialty TV service Viceland.
Developed in partnership with Rogers, Viceland is the latest – and most visible – iteration of the $100 million partnership between the two companies that was first announced in October 2014. The two companies also opened a 25,000 square-foot state-of-the-art production studio in Toronto’s west end in November.
Purdy said Viceland would offer viewers – and presumably advertisers – an alternative to the glut of “redneck reality shows,” “pawn stars” and “gator hunters” that populate the cable dial. “So much of what’s on the dial right now is formulaic,” he said.
The millennial-focused Viceland debuted Monday in a three-month free preview. The service is currently available in approximately 9.7 million homes through distribution agreements with more than 30 cable and satellite companies including Rogers, Bell Fibe, Shaw, Videotron and MTS.
Purdy said securing additional cable and satellite distribution agreements for the service is “job one,” but added that obtaining additional access to millennial audiences through the likes of gaming consoles, smartphones and over-the-top services will also be key to Viceland’s success.
The TV channel launched simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada, and Purdy said the objective was to expand into 12 countries within the next two years. “It’s going to explode and expand,” said Purdy, noting that Vice Media is currently in “deep conversations” with potential partners in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
While a linear TV channel might seem out-dated for a millennial focused brand like Vice, Colette Watson, vice-president, broadcast and TV operations for Rogers, said it had been the missing component in the brand’s multi-platform strategy, which until now had included print and digital.
“I think the way to succeed in any type of content creation or distribution is to hit all screens,” she said. “The order is different, but the strategy is the same: We cross all platforms and create programming that is right for that platform.”
Viceland is also offering advertisers an alternative to the standard 30-second spot, with a stated goal of incorporating more sponsorship and native content into its offer. In the U.S. Viceland GM Guy Slattery has said the goal was to have native advertising account for as much as half of its inventory within a year.
In Canada, Rogers Media president Rick Brace said Viceland would maintain the 16 minutes per hour of commercial time permitted by the CRTC, but predicted that some inventory would be allotted to customized spots offering what he described as a “Viceland feel” relevant to the channel and its audience.
Brace told Marketing the service represented a “new direction” for Rogers, one the company regards as the foundation of future millennial focused partnerships and organic growth in a key media segment.
“It’s dipping our toe in the millennial pool,” said Brace, noting that millennials currently represent roughly one third of the Canadian population and $1.2 billion in annual revenue. “It’s an area we weren’t playing in and thought we had to.”
Watson said Viceland is “totally” a launch pad for future explorations in the millennial space. “Our programming philosophy is ‘Find a need, fill a void’ and we were not reaching this market,” she said. “Vice is recognized worldwide as being the millennial brand, so this is a great strategic partnership and lines up with our company’s strategy to focus on that market.”
Viceland’s launch coincides with the arrival of the CRTC’s new pick-and-pay regime, which is expected to reward television services boasting a strong brand and distinctive programming.
“The winners will be the ones that have great content that has resonance with their niche market,” said Brace. “This is our bet on great content that’s going to [succeed] in the pick-and-pay environment.”
Watson acknowledged that a specialty TV service “is no longer a license to print money,” but predicted Viceland would thrive on the basis of its programming and its parent company’s cultural cache. “If you want to launch a winning channel, you’ve got to do it with a known brand,” she said. “Viceland comes with the Vice brand and a readymade audience.”
Vice Media is a true content factory, producing up to 6,000 pieces of new content each day in more than 30 countries around the world. This can range from a 5-10 minute piece on fashion or travel to a print article or a 30-minute TV show that adopts the Vice Media sensibility.
Viceland’s programming includes the food show F*ck That’s Delicious chronicling the life and eating habits of rapper Action Bronson; Gaycation featuring Canadian actor and gay rights advocate Ellen Page; a focus on the emerging marijuana culture called Weediquette and the music documentary series Noisey.
There are also nine Canadian productions on the docket including Vice Guide to Film, Abandoned and Dead Set on Life starring Toronto chef Matty Matheson (premiere dates for the latter two have not yet been announced).
Rogers also owns Marketing and MarketingMag.ca.
