Teen comedy series The Normal MFer recorded significant audience growth during its debut season on YouTube after its producers partnered with AI audience simulation platform Chronicle Media to expand its organic reach.
The ten-episode series, from CC0 Studios, creator Lawl (Joe McNaney), Space Jam: A New Legacy writer Alex Orrelle and The Hive Studio, reported a 619% increase in organic reach to 944,000, a 330% increase in new viewers to 890,000 and a 1,804% rise in watch time to 31,000 hours over the course of its first season.
Chronicle Media worked with CC0 and The Hive over a three-month period to identify new audience segments and increase engagement with the series. Using its autonomous social growth technology, the company said it identified underserved audience cohorts, including males aged 13-34 and viewers of animation, horror and dark fantasy content such as Adult Swim, Solar Opposites and Rick & Morty.
According to the companies, the strategy contributed to sustained growth from the series premiere through to the finale. Viewing also increased across multiple devices during the run, with connected TVs highlighted as a particular area of growth.
The Normal MFer follows a terminally online young man attempting to grow up while contending with video games, influencers, social anxiety, family pressures and pets that secretly harvest his data for an AI start-up.
Lawl and Orrelle said: “The Normal MFer shares similar origins with Backrooms – a kernel of an idea that began as a meme on 4chan and quickly found audiences on YouTube. Today’s creators now have the freedom to build and establish passionate fandoms across social media, representing a new model and pathway to success.”
With The Normal MFer, Chronicle’s tech “helped a project that began as a meme-driven, irreverent take on teen angst and online subculture find its audience and emerge as a breakout success on YouTube,” they added.
