Radar MCN launches Bondi Vet FAST channels
Radar MCN has partnered with some of the world’s biggest FAST platforms to launch a dedicated Bondi Vet Channel.
The channel is hosted on Samsung TV Plus in ANZ while the channel is also available on international platforms including LG, HiSense, Rakuten and Netgem.
Radar MCN General Manager Derek Dyson said, “We’re pleased to have had such great traction for Bondi Vet on FAST channels both here and around the world. Our channel on Samsung TV Plus ANZ is amongst one of the most successful on the platform.”
“We’re planning on launching a series of new channels in 2023 while we are always looking to partner with other content owners who’d like support to launch their own FAST channels,” he added.
Top five simple tips for improving YouTube channel performance
So you’ve set up a YouTube channel and added some content. You’re getting some activity but are wondering why similar channels are doing more views and engagement.
There are some simple but very effective steps you can take to immediately improve channel performance. Derek Dyson, General Manager of Radar MCN explains.
1. Thumbnails
Video thumbnails have become a bit of a dark art in recent years. Go to some very successful YouTube channels such as Mr Beast and you can see examples of best practice in this space. You don’t need to be an Adobe Photoshop Ninja to create effective thumbnails but it is worth putting them in the hands of someone with some basic image editing skills.
It’s really important to ensure that thumbnails are a good representation of what the video is about. Yes make it exciting and try to include a tease of the key scene from the video to draw people in. If for example your thumbnail shows a crocodile in a fight with a snake, but in reality the video is just about crocodile and snake facts, people will soon click away. Make sure all text is legible particularly on a smartphone device. If your content includes “talent” it is always worth including them in the thumbnail. People like to see people on YouTube.
2. Titles and Descriptions
Along with your thumbnails, putting some proper consideration into your titles and descriptions will go a long way to ensuring people will click on your view. Titles should be relatively succinct and should have consistency in style and tone. Like a newspaper headline they should also give potential audiences the key thing they will get out of watching this video. If we go back to our friend Mr Beast again, his titles are short, consistent, simple and tell you exactly what you are going to see (“I Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive”). Like with thumbnails, make sure that your description is an accurate representation of what happens in the video. YouTube, and audiences, are getting smarter at identifying “click bait”.
Descriptions (the bit under the video on YouTube) should of course have more information about what the video is about but there is so much more these can be useful for. As a starting point, it’s best practice to have links to other YouTube videos and playlists, as well as calls to action to subscribe to the channel. Think of YouTube as the giant search engine that it is (second only to Google worldwide) and fill your descriptions with key words that will help people find your content.
3. Playlists
This one requires discipline and effort but is well worth the reward. Organising your content into different playlists helps audiences navigate their way around your channel. If you have managed to draw someone to watch your content, you want them to stick around and watch more. It is pretty much the best way for you to ensure if someone has finished watching one of your videos, they will automatically be offered the next one to watch. They are more likely to keep going if the next video is on a similar theme. Always make sure someone on the team is responsible for keeping these up-to-date and identifying new potential playlists. Playlists can be promoted in video descriptions and as part of end cards.
4. Channel Artwork
This is an underrated aspect of best practice on your YouTube Channel. It’s important to have an eye-catching image and branding so audiences are assured that your channel is professionally run. It’s also one of your main noticeboards for audiences and you’ll note that many successful YouTube channels will always have their publishing schedule. For example, “new episodes published weekly” or “new season available”. You’ll need to make sure that you can deliver what you advertise, otherwise audiences who come for new content but don’t see anything published for months will often click away.
5. Channel Set Up
Sounds really boring but there are ten sections you can complete as part of setting up your YouTube page. Use all of them! These include more simple “about” sections through to the option to have an unsubscribed video trailer for the channel (really worthwhile in terms of driving new subscribers). Make sure that any text reflects the tone of voice for your channel and includes any key words that will help drive search.
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There is obviously so much more to running a successful and profitable YouTube channel. Radar MCN has a network of channels with millions of subscribers driving billions of views every year. We work with video creators, producers and businesses take their channel to the next level. If you want to do the same, get in touch via our contact page or email at [email protected].
Award-winning television producer WTFN Entertainment has launched a new division to support its rapidly growing digital content network.
Radar MCN, headquartered in Melbourne and with an office in the UK, will bring together a network of owned channels with millions of subscribers across YouTube, Facebook and Snap, as well as a series of global FAST Channels.
The network, which includes hit TV series Bondi Vet, generates 100s of millions of views per month, and will expand in 2023 with channel launches in the history, food and design space.
Radar MCN’s General Manager Derek Dyson said that unlocking the potential of WTFN’s owned library of content is just the start. “While we’ve managed to extract enormous value out of our existing content library, building channels supported by sustainable content models is our major priority. Now, we are keen to grow our partner base worldwide with production companies, content creators and other rights owners keen to not get left behind in this growing market.”
Dyson leads a team of 10, with Wildbrain’s highly respected Bo Yee Leung joining this month as Radar’s new Senior Digital Rights Lead. She will sit in the UK team alongside Head of Channels Hannah Hopes, also a former Wildbrain – and Endemol – employee, responsible for launching and growing the Mr Bean Facebook channel that has over 130 million subscribers, and Channel Manager Chiara Ronci. Ronci joined the team in 2022 from Warner Bros., where she managed successful YouTube channels such as Super Nanny and Harry Potter Wizarding World.
Radar MCN recently acquired the much sought-after YouTube Affiliate CMS status, which allows it to manage the rights and channels of third parties.
It has already partnered with several emerging and established content creators to support their drive for audience and commercial growth.
“Getting the YouTube Affiliate Status is a game-changer for us. There are less than 50 businesses worldwide with that tool, which combined with our production and traditional broadcast distribution capabilities, makes us pretty unique in the space,” Dyson said.
“Our proposition is simple. We make you money while you sleep by extracting previously untapped revenue from existing rights. We’ll also track down others pirating your content and get your money back there as well,” he added.
Amongst the new partners are YouTuber Creators such as Oceanliner Designs, which has quadrupled its audiences since partnering with Radar MCN.
“We’ve achieved almost exponential growth from that channel since we started. It was a fantastic channel before but with our strategic support and additional resourcing, its commercial performance is now off the charts,” Dyson said.
Other recently acquired projects for Radar MCN include the broadening out of AVOD channels for The Midnight Screening and Never Too Small, some of YouTube’s most successful movie and home lifestyle channels respectively.
Radar MCN reaches Affiliate CMS status
Radar MCN has achieved Affiliate CMS status with YouTube. This puts the company as one of three Australian businesses with the ability to not only manage rights on its channels, but also the rights and channels of third parties.
Radar MCN General Manager Derek Dyson said: “We’re delighted that YouTube has acknowledged us as one of the top YouTube channel managers is Australia. It’s not something they give away easily so it’s a huge milestone for the business”.
He added, “This ultimately means we can now work with partners in a number of ways, from giving YouTube channels access to our CMS tools such as geo-blocking, protecting and monetising rights. We can work with a range of partners from content owners such as production businesses through to creators who have had success on places like YouTube and want to take it to the next level”.
Bondi Vet Digital Universe
Bondi Vet is one of the world’s most popular digital channels for pet and vet content.
The series, which started life on network television, is now a digital content juggernaut with over 4 million subscribers across the likes of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Snap, and driving up to 100m views each month.
As well as traditional AVOD channels, Bondi Vet now has a FAST (Free Advertiser Supported Television) on a range of global platforms including Samsung TV Plus, LG, VIDAA, Freevee and Rakuten.
Radar MCN General Manager Derek Dyson said, “Bondi Vet is our network’s star performer. There is an insatiable appetite for pet and animal content globally, and we’ve build a model that allows us to continually feed that demand.”
“Bondi Vet started as a TV series but it is now very much a content universe. While audiences still enjoy looking back on the classic TV series, the fact that we can offer them original content every week is a real plus for them. It means we can keep growing and add new fans,” he added.
Oceanliner Designs
Oceanliner Designs is one of YouTube’s fastest growing history channels.
Radar MCN partnered with founder and host Michael Brady in 2022 with the goal of rapidly growing audiences and revenues on the YouTube channel.
The channel has now reached over 100,000 subscribers, reaching Silver Play Button status on YouTube, and has seen revenues increase exponentially.
Plans are now in place to expand the reach of Oceanliner Designs on other social platforms including Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok.
Radar MCN General Manager Derek Dyson said, “The partnership with Oceanliner Designs was a no brainer for us. It had huge potential when we started and Michael had already done a great job building the brand. The main blocker for grow was simply the volume of content that one person could create, so with extra resources in place, we’ve achieved exceptional growth”.
Michael Brady said: “The project has come such a long way since I started it as a hobby in lockdown. With the support of Radar MCN we’ve managed to increase output and they’ve managed to bring a lot of detailed strategy into the mix as well. It’s been a brilliant partnership for Oceanliner Designs.”
Radar MCN is partnered with Never Too Small, one of Australia’s most successful digital content brands.
The content, which focuses on tiny and micro apartments, studios and self-contained projects, has already attracted over 2m subscribers on YouTube, and is set to launch new channels with the support of Radar MCN.
New channels will be launched on Facebook and Snap in 2023 with the aim of reaching new audiences and developing new AVOD revenue streams.
Radar MCN General Manager Derek Dyson said, “We’re delighted to have Never Too Small on board. They have done a fantastic job growing a premium, thriving video brand on YouTube, and we’re excited to be able to create a new army of fans for their existing and ongoing content catalogue”.
As Jamie Durie visits Cirque du Soleil, viewers get an insight into the remarkable costumes, acrobatic training, and life on the road for the international cast and crew of OVO.
Durie, who trained with Cirque du Soleil early in his career and has a long-standing relationship with them, will also test his skills on the ropes and attempt jaw-dropping acrobatic stunts that feature in the new show.
Durie and his team rush to design, produce and install the unique touring garden as an Australian welcome gift, at the impressive Cirque du Soleil village on Santa Monica Pier in time for the red-carpet arrival of celebrities to enjoy before the OVO premiere.
Cirque du Soleil began in 1984 in Quebec with 20 street performers and has since expanded to a company with 5000 employees, including more than 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries performing extravagant shows in over 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents. Their international headquarters are in Montreal, Canada.
First broadcast 18 February 2012.
Uncovering hidden history around every corner.
In this series Sir Tony Robinson brings his inquisitive storytelling approach to Australia and New Zealand’s diverse suburbs and towns. His mission is to uncover the hidden history that lies behind, below and above the places we walk every day.
In each episode we find a different postcode laden with stories. They’re all established walks that tourists and locals frequently do, but Tony digs deeper to draw out the drama of the past. He’ll roam through the streets and laneways; divulging the tales of crimes, recounting acts of bravery, notable characters and showdowns that have shaped the area.
In 2013 the series won an ASTRA Award for the Most Outstanding Lifestyle Program.
First broadcast 10 September 2012.
Megafactories, Toyota Australia is a compelling one-hour documentary that uncovers the history, technology and innovation of one of the biggest car manufacturing companies on the planet.
It follows the challenges of gutting an ageing plant and rebuilding it from the ground up to make way for local hybrid engine production. From an army of robots, monster machines and a skilled workforce we reveal just what it takes to create the modern day car.
WTFN was chosen to produce the first Australian made episode of the highly successful Megafactories series for National Geographic Channel.
The production team was given unprecedented access to Toyota Australia’s vast Melbourne manufacturing headquarters, where seven massive plants make up this super-productive Megafactory. Also the film crew travelled to Japan to trace how a humble weaving loom played a pivotal role in the birth of the car manufacturing giant.
First broadcast 8 April 2013.