K atie c ouric

Value in Multichannel Networks
Multichannel networks (MCNs) collaborate with video platforms like
YouTube to offer assistance to channel owners in areas like digital rights
management, programming, funding, partner management, audience
development, product, cross promotion, monetization, or sales in exchange
for some of the channel’s advertising revenue.
The decision to join a network on YouTube is based on where you are in
your career and where you want to go. MCNs can be extremely helpful, but
they’re like signing with any agent or manager—you don’t want to be at the

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bottom of anyone’s roster. You don’t want to be in a one-size-fits-all
situation that doesn’t suit your brand’s needs.
For example, Ranta explains that if an MCN offers you access to a tech
platform where you’ll get deep data and analytics, you can make better
decisions, but if you’re not overinterested in deciphering data and analytics,
it’s probably not the right MCN for you. However, if you’re ready to
package and sell your own television show, and it’s an MCN that has a track
record of success in that area, perhaps pursuing it could be highly valuable.
Reaching Kids and Analyzing Metrics
Williams shares that if your audience demographic is kids and families,
YouTube is great because it’s “where kids live.” Over 70 percent of
children’s video content consumption is done on streaming platforms. And
YouTube dominates in terms of watch time with kids. It’s been his
company’s primary platform for growth as they cater to this demographic.
When working with kids, your metrics are not related entirely to the
number of subscribers you gain, since children are too young to subscribe.
Instead, his team focuses on the strategy of optimizing for algorithms that
allow them prominent placement inside suggested and related videos. They
usually pay attention to metrics like watch time and follow-on views (how
many other videos a viewer views after the initial video) to judge the
effectiveness of their tactics.