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By Paul Sandle
LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Vice Media, the producer of videoreportage targeting the so-called Generation Y oftwentysomethings who do not watch much conventional television,is tying up with Greek television broadcaster Antenna Group.
Chief Executive Shane Smith said partnering with Antennawould enable Vice to launch digital channels with a slate oforiginal programming covering news, culture, music, fashion andsports, geared towards Vice's 18 to 32-year-old core audience,faster than building them piecemeal.
"It's a test of a cookie cutter for a new way of expanding,"he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"If it works, it's going to be something that we roll outaround the world, which means bigger partners and moretraditional media partners."
Vice had previously expanded by launching its magazine inlocal markets and then building up video content and digitalchannels.
Smith said similar joint ventures could be set up inSoutheast Asia, South America and Africa.
Vice started as a magazine covering punk subculture inMontreal in 1994, before expanding into online video, digitalchannels, film and television production and content producedfor major brands such as clothing company North Face.
High-profile stunts, such as taking basketball player DenisRodman to North Korea, have generated a buzz amongst the youngpeople advertisers want to reach and the New-York based groupsays its online channels now get 75 million video views a month.
Its original, and often irreverent approach has also caughtthe eye of older media hands Martin Sorrell, the head ofadvertising group WPP, and Rupert Murdoch, whosecompanies have both invested. WPP invested an undisclosed amountin 2011, and Murdoch's 21 Century Fox paid $70 millionfor a 5 percent stake last August.
Smith said young people in Greece and its neighbours insoutheast Europe had become politicised as they bore the bruntof the economic austerity, and they were hungry for a new typeof media. Vice's journalism from the region has included areport on a beach party held by far right party Golden Dawn in2013, and a documentary on the rising use in the country of thedrug sisa, a methamphetamine.
"There are a lot of pissed off young people, they want adifferent take on things," he said.
"The kids are going crazy. In most of the countries we gointo you have a large disenfranchised Gen Y. There's a changingof the guard in media and it's time to go into these markets."
The joint venture - terms have not been disclosed - willlaunch original programming online in the coming weeks, andseveral shows will receive television syndication in the firstyear, Vice said.
Advertising will be sold jointly, combining Antenna's localadvertising contacts and Vice's relationships with globalbrands, Smith said.
Privately owned Antenna Group is a leading broadcaster withits network, better known as ANT1, second to MEGA, according toAGB Nielsen viewer ratings for November 2013. It is also asupplier of pay-TV operations for Greek communities abroad viaits satellite channels, and operates free-to-air televisionchannels in Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro.
Chief Executive Theodore Kyriakou said Antenna and Vicemade a formidable team. "This wide-ranging strategic partnershipensures that Vice will be a key element of our growth in theregion," he said.
