Producer-distributor BIG Media and independent studio Insurgence are partnering on a major YouTube documentary rollout that will see more than 60 new channels launched featuring over 2,000 hours of factual programming from BIG Media’s catalogue.
The channels will span genres including science and engineering, wildlife, crime and paranormal, food, home and garden, fishing and hunting, and history and war. New content is set to be added weekly as part of BIG Media’s digital distribution push.
The companies said the initiative could eventually expand to more than 300 localised channels across ten languages.
The rollout is being powered by Insurgence StudiOS, a proprietary platform for channel creation, content delivery, metadata management and AI-assisted editorial programming. According to Insurgence, the platform currently supports networks that reach 25 million subscribers and generate 250 million monthly views.
“BIG Media’s unparalleled library of documentary programming across multiple genres truly makes this monumental upload a must-see for viewers around the globe,” said Niccolo Messina, CEO of Insurgence. “While the sheer scale of this collaboration is remarkable, the partnership between Insurgence and BIG Media signifies the beginning of Insurgence StudiOS as a transformative approach to YouTube distribution, allowing for a level of engagement previously considered unimaginable.”
Jon Loew, CEO of BIG Media, described the launch as the company’s largest YouTube initiative to date. “This represents BIG Media’s most significant commitment to YouTube to date, and Insurgence has made it possible to execute at an unprecedented scale. As YouTube has firmly established itself as the largest TV platform in the world – reaching more than 2 billion logged-in users monthly and now accounting for the biggest share of TV viewing in the US – it has become a critical platform for premium documentary storytelling. This initiative allows us to activate our library in a way that is both global in reach and highly targeted by audience interest.”
Pictured: Big Media’s long-running series Wardens
