YouNow is a live social network that enables audiences and performers to connect in real time and is devoted to the unlimited potential of human creativity.
Paula Batson, the company’s vice president of public relations and communication, emphasized that there is an evolution toward real-time video during her presentation at the [a]list summit at the W Hotel in Seattle on Wednesday.
“The audience is demanding participation media,” she said. “This is a new kind of media where viewers are contributing to the media, as well as the broadcaster. It’s not just a push medium. It’s a great way brands can get involved because 70 percent of users can interact. It’s ‘one to many’ that feels like ‘one to one.’”
Backed by Oren Zeev and venture capitalists Venrock, Union Square Ventures and Comcast Ventures, the platform choice-for-youth—13-to-24 demographic—has over 100 million user sessions a month and live-streams 50,000 hours of new video content every day. Batson noted an average viewer spends 50 minutes a day on the social network. They’ve also gained the attention of publishers like The Huffington Post, MTV and Refinery29 in recent months.
“Teens are going crazy for YouNow. The audience is part of the content, and we encourage influencers with companies if they feel like it. They’re at the interaction, and want to be a part of the media that’s being created. Broadcasters do an amazing job getting involved with their audience by engaging with them in real time.
Batson continued: “This is the early days for us. Brands and agencies are beginning to work with us, and we want to experiment together for a drive-to-action. When brands make the investment, they’ll be able to communicate in an authentic way. We’re really looking for creative brand marketers to work with us and talented creators, and see the potential.”
