A+E Networks said its H2 network in the US will become Viceland, a brand new channel created by Vice, launching in early 2016. However, H2 will continue to exist outside the US.
Viceland (working tite) will be distributed in approximately 70 million US homes, and will feature hundreds of hours of completely new programming developed and producedentirely in-house by Vice.
“Vice has a bold voice and a distinctive model in the marketplace,” said Nancy Dubuc, president and CEO, A+E Networks.
“This channel represents a strategic fit and a new direction for the future of our portfolio of media assets. Shane Smith has led Vice from a fledgling magazine into a global media brand and all of us at A+E are excited to work with him and his passionate and innovative team.”
Oscar-winning writer/director Spike Jonze, a long-time Vice partner and creative director for the company, has been overseeing the development of the new channel, from show creation, to production, to brand identity.
“It feels like most channels are just a collection of shows,” said Spike Jonze. “We wanted Viceland to be different, to feel like everything on there has a reason to exist and a strong point of view. Our mission with the channel is not that different from what our mission is as a company: it’s us trying to understand the world we live in by producing pieces about things we’re curious about, or confused about, or that we think are funny. And if it doesn’t have a strong point of view then it shouldn’t be on this channel.”
“This network is the next step in the evolution of our brand and the first step in our global roll-out of networks around the world,” said Shane Smith, Vice co-founder and CEO.
“First: It allows us to be truly platform agnostic and enable our audience to view our content wherever they want. Second: It represents a continued growth in our content quality and raises the ceiling even higher for our brilliant teams to attack stories from long form features to multi-episode series and even short form interstitials that will challenge the accepted norms of current TV viewing. Third: We will test new and innovative monetization strategies placing Viceland at the pointy tip of the spear of the rapidly changing terrain of TV advertising.
“All in all, this new network allows us to continue our innovation in storytelling and content creation and take it to the next level. We couldn’t be happier working with Nancy and her team at A+E and we couldn’t be more excited to offer this opportunity to our Vice family of partners, producers, shooters, editors, and staff, to go out and make our indelible imprint on the cultural fabric of this modern age.”
A+E Networks will oversee technical operations and distribution and will work with VICE on ad sales and sponsorships. Vice will also handle all marketing across all platforms, utilizing its various relationships with partners across mobile and digital.
H2 is available in over 68 territories, which will continue to operate outside the US.
Just last month, Vice News has announced plans for a series of channels around the world.
HBO is also airing Vice branded programming, Vice News. This march, the broadcastert increased Vice’s current events coverage. It follows Vice journalists and founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi, and segment hosts Ryan Duffy and Thomas Morton as they go to different parts of the world interviewing people on political and cultural topics. The show will enter its fourth season next year.
