Dad’s Army has a new challenger … YouTube DVDs
THEY have already taken the publishing world by storm, with a series of memoirs, novels and companion books for fans.
Now the YouTube generation is about to boost the DVD industry too, as BBC Worldwide signs up five online stars to lure new viewers, producing titles for the BBC’s commercial arm.
They will make up four of the 10 new commissions for the final quarter of this year, as the industry prepares for the Christmas season. Until now, the corporation’s DVDs have focused on drama, comedy and natural history, with hits including
and The new cohort includes Joe Wicks, a diet and fitness coach known for his
YouTube videos, who has written two best-selling books. Sam and Nic Chapman are sisters and professional make-up artists behind the Pixiwoo videos, and Louise Pentland, known as Sprinkle of Glitter, also specialises in fashion and beauty.
Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee, whose videos consist of pranks, impressions and challenges, will return for a second DVD, after sold 120,000 copies in 2015.
It is hoped the YouTubers, who each have between 1.7 million and 7.2 million subscribers, will help to reinvigorate the DVD market, which has suffered years of decline in the face of catchup television and streaming.
Rhidian Bragg, head of sales at BBC Worldwide consumer products, told
that he hoped fans would want to buy and treasure DVDs as something “tangible”. Saying the success of YouTube tiein books had proved there was still a “huge opportunity in the physical space”, he added: “The fact we have younger people coming through and looking to engage with the physical for us is quite exciting.”
Mr Bragg said that although the YouTubers were constantly updated free online there was still a desire for a physical keepsake. “Whether it’s YouTubers or
we see the same pattern: you engage with the content, you become a fan and then you want more in more formats.”
Previous YouTube successes include two novels by Zoe Sugg, known as Zoella, and books by Tanya Burr, Alfie Deyes, PewDiePie and Tyler Oakley.