WEBVTT - How Ellen DeGeneres Translates Her TV Brand to Digital 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:10.280 Welcome to another episode of Strictly Business, the podcast that 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:12.720 goes deep with some of the brightest minds working in 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:16.760 media today. I'm Andrew Wallenstein, co editor in chief of Variety. 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:20.560 With her long running daytime talk show, Ellen Degenerous is 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:24.799 known primarily as a TV star, but the multi platform 0:00:24.880 --> 0:00:27.840 empire she has built around herself in recent years has 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:30.840 made clear she is a powerful brand as well in 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:35.400 online video, social media, even gaming apps and to run 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:38.120 all that from her business. The Generous turns to our 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:45.599 next guest, Michael Riley, General manager of Ellen Digital Ventures. Michael, Welcome, 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:48.400 Thanks Andrew, and thanks very much to you and a 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:53.120 Variety for having me here today. Excellent. Uh, what I 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:57.800 want people to understand off the top is people might 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:00.160 think when I read that kind of set up, oh, 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.560 that's cute, she's got a website and a Twitter account, 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:06.039 just like everyone else on Earth. But it's so much 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:08.600 more than that. So can you lay out really what 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:12.119 Ellen Digital Ventures. I started over a year ago now, 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.039 but Ellen and her show have been going now for 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:18.360 sixteen years, and what's amazing is really to see over 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:22.120 that sixteen year period how they've transitioned and how now 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:26.640 we are transitioning sixteen years in the television space into 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:30.880 these billions of views in the digital world. And exactly 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.840 to your question, it's sort of in a what we 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:36.600 call the Ellen Digital network is is is an amazing 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:42.400 amalgamation of not only across platform followers and subscribers. Were 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:45.600 fortunate to actually just recently have achieved we have over 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:50.400 two hundred million cross platform subscribers and followers across all 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:54.880 of the you know, the key uh platform social media space. 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.480 So that is just remarkable when you think of you know, 0:01:57.560 --> 0:01:59.840 obviously there's brands out there like I don't know of 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.320 uz feed or Revice that have millions and billions of 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:04.720 views and all that. But you're building this and I'm 0:02:04.760 --> 0:02:07.400 even sure what to say here. Are you building it 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:10.400 on the back of Ellen the celebrity or Ellen the 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:13.359 show or is that the same thing? It's it's not 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:15.560 the same thing, and it's really what it is. It's 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.800 it's building an organic brand that at its core is 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:23.000 about comedy and fun and kindness. And for the most part, 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:26.239 it's really about authenticity. And if there's anything that Ellen 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:30.960 really celebrates, it's being authentic. And this whole idea of 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.639 belonging this and if you think about her voice over 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:37.480 sixteen years, her voice continues to get louder. And all 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:41.000 of this started as an hour in the daytime world, 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.160 and I feel I I think that the genius of 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:48.359 the alchemy that we have is really the basis of 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.680 the sixteen years of experience in this amazing daytime show, 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:54.760 and it's how are we taking the talent, how are 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:57.480 we taking the I P and the franchises that have 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:00.680 been built over sixteen years, And that is just a 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.560 moment in an hour a day. We can take all 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.800 of that I P and explode that out into the 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:10.120 digital space available twenty four hours a day, three hundred 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:12.640 and sixty five days a year, and to your point, 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:17.600 it generates over a billion views a month. The only 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.000 thing that I could think of that sort of comparable 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.600 is and it's different. A pretty key way is remember 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:29.680 Oprah Winfrey was a daytime personality who didn't build that 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.720 kind of empire online, although she did some stuff there 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:36.160 as well, but she turned all this into a cable network. 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:39.240 You guys are really doing the same thing. You just 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:42.120 don't have a linear cable now. And I think that's 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:45.240 obviously we're thrilled to be in the same category as Oprah, 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:48.600 who is obviously one of you know, you know, one 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.880 of the best brands here in the US. I think 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:56.400 that being in that category, Ellen is unbelievably passionate about 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:59.040 not only the digital space, but obviously who she is 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:00.760 and the show that she's old in the show and 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.760 you know, the world that she's created, and exactly to 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:07.680 that point, what I love about this space, and particularly 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:10.960 over the next few years, I'm very fond of talking about. 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.720 You know, in the seventies and the eighties, there were 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:16.400 basically four networks where you could put all of your 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:19.440 content and all of the advertising was there. In the 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:22.640 nineties and the two thousands, a place that I existed 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:26.000 in in the cable world that those four networks turned 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:28.320 into four hundred networks, and it was about how are 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:32.400 you adapting your content and your advertising to be to 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.279 understand the environment that you're in and just to stop 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:37.440 you there, what were you in the cable world? Sure? 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:41.360 So I started my media career with Turner Broadcasting, working 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.520 in the business development on corporate strategy team building out 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:48.640 the Turner Digital brands across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.680 So that's CNN International or Cartoon Network t n T. 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:53.919 And then I moved to the Walt Disney Company to 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:58.800 work both for Disney Channels worldwide and then for ABC Family. 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.560 Now free Form is the as event of ABC Family, 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:05.599 Got it Um? And so for me, it's this world, uh, 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.120 you know, four networks where you're building brands, and it 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:12.680 becomes much more about the environment in the twenties. This 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:17.400 opportunity now becomes about these wonderful brands that are being established. 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:20.640 And how are we actually taking Ellen, not only the 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.760 show and the digital brand into this limitless space. How 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:26.479 are we creating what is what we call the Ellen 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:30.000 Digital network. How are we creating franchises and I P 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:33.640 and bringing talent in there and really connecting in different 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:36.799 ways with the consumer across all of these emerging platforms. 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:38.960 And well, but there's a question in the in the 0:05:39.480 --> 0:05:44.720 Oprah comparison, could you argue that Ellen might have been 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:49.360 better off going the opera channel route that maybe you 0:05:49.400 --> 0:05:53.000 don't get billions of views, but there's some cable companies 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:55.640 probably willing to pay a lot of money. Why not 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:58.520 have gone that route? Sure? And I think the real 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:01.440 opportunity over the next three to five years is looking 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.360 at what the future holds and placing that. I mentioned 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:09.400 this UH when we were talking to different groups, this 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:13.200 idea of how are we making sure to be placing 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:15.640 these bets in these emerging spaces because we don't know 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:17.640 what platforms are going to exist. What we know is 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:21.719 the platforms today are going to change into platforms of tomorrow. 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:25.120 And where we feel fortunate is how are we working 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:28.880 with this strong brand in order to place that's across 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.200 all of these different platforms today that doesn't preclude us 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:34.760 from making decisions in the future. And I think that 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:39.000 is as we look at the changing consumer habits today, 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:41.239 as we look at the seismic changes of how people 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:45.440 are actually consuming content on these different platforms. We're thrilled 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:49.039 to be working with YouTube around getting our content not 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:52.120 only from the show, but also developing new and original 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:55.599 I P. We have an amazing show UH called Mom's 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:57.960 Planning led by Kristen Bell, who is a new mom 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:01.159 who is just absolutely amazing, generated over a hundred and 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:04.599 sixty million views. We're actually looking in the digital space 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:08.120 to find new talent. We have UH somebody emerging with 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:11.200 us in our in our digital stable called Kaalen Allen, 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:13.920 who is actually on the cusp of generating four hundred 0:07:13.960 --> 0:07:18.080 and fifty million views across all of his different platforms. 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:21.080 And these are new voices and new storytellers that we 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:24.320 would not always have have been able to get access to. 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:26.880 And these digital platforms are allowing us to serve that 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:29.400 up and allowing us to work with them, and then 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.280 working with those platforms to make those bets in the future. 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:38.240 I would also think that making Ellen digital first really 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:41.600 helps in terms of demographics, because my guess is, your 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:44.520 daytime audience is probably a lot older than the one 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:47.080 watching online. I think one of the things that we're 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.680 fortunate about is obviously the strength of Ellen and the 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:52.040 strength of her brand. And so as we look at 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:55.960 the changes in daytime television, Ellen still really is treading, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:58.920 you know, a great path in the daytime space. But 0:07:59.000 --> 0:08:02.000 where what we love about that digital spaces exactly to 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:04.320 your point is how are we bringing on these new 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:09.200 audiences gen Z, millennials, millennial moms. And we're really looking 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:14.360 to develop Ellen as this broad national and international brand, 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:17.400 and these new platforms allow access to that. I mean, 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.680 it's interesting if you didn't take that approach, I might 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:24.440 say that daytime TV almost could become a graveyard for 0:08:24.560 --> 0:08:27.000 what would otherwise be a great brand, and now you're 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:30.920 sort of realizing the full vision of that brand outside 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:33.680 of daytime. Sure, and I actually think it's both together. 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:35.960 So to me that when what we see the strength 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:39.000 around such a great brand is all boats rising. So 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:42.280 when we have great talent or great guests on the show, 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.000 or we're right in the midst of twelve days that 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:47.839 giveaways right now, which is is a key time for us, 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:51.600 we see not only our ratings rise, but we also 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.480 see all of the boats rise across the digital space. 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:58.480 So it's not one platform cannibalizing another platform. What we 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:01.760 see is when we are geting it correctly, we see 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:05.400 all of our audiences going up. And we're building out 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:08.199 ellen Tube as our owned and operated site, which we've 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.800 had for five or six years. Now, what we're seeing 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:14.800 is not only great audience happening on ellen Tube, but 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:18.040 we're also seeing those traditional audiences. And when I say traditional, 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:21.559 I mean the traditional audiences on YouTube and on Facebook 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:26.200 and on Twitter, on Twitter still continuing to really engage 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.760 with our content. And one of the benefits we have 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:33.559 as part of the scale that we deliver content at 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:36.640 as we have great relationships across all of those platforms, 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:39.640 and every day, every month, every year, we're looking to 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:44.480 really understand that consumer on that platform and engage them 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:46.560 in a way that makes sense and tell stories that 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:50.880 make sense for that platform. You mentioned YouTube. Obviously that's 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:53.400 a place where Ellen has a big presence, But how 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:58.840 do you manage sort of the cross platform digitally speaking thing. 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:02.800 Do you put her out there on Facebook, Instagram, Snap 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:06.000 all the rest? Uh, just as much or as is 0:10:06.000 --> 0:10:09.560 more of a YouTube centric play. No, we we are 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:13.000 absolutely looking across all of the platforms. Actually, interestingly enough, 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:17.520 we're one of only two content providers that generate over 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:22.680 two hundred million views across all three of the key 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:26.839 social media platforms. And so for us that and I 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:29.200 believe that the other one is actually the NFL. What 0:10:29.280 --> 0:10:33.800 it means is we're developing very close relationships with those platforms, 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.040 and the way we do it is by looking at 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.200 our content, and I think it at its core, it's 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:41.400 really being in business for sixteen years with the show 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:44.640 that's allowed us to extend that. When you see how 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:47.720 we produced the show, how we produce digital content, it's 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:50.880 one ecosystem and I think that's the strength of Ellen 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:55.040 our ability to leverage what we've learned over sixteen years 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:58.720 with true experts in their field, with a brand and 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:02.439 a talent in l and that is passionate and authentic. 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:05.240 And what it allows us to do is will look 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:08.839 every day at which platforms, which stories go where, making 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:11.760 sure that we see all of those boats rise. And 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:14.559 as I mentioned, having worked in television for for twenty years, 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:18.120 I think that the part of the secret sauce of 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:22.480 the Ellen Digital network is it's it's tied to the 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:25.679 show itself. And I think that's a real strength for us. 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.199 And I think one of the things is for us, 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:31.040 it's leveraging the strength over sixteen years and bringing that 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:34.360 to the space, curating that audience. Testing We're allowed to 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:37.160 test and innovative in a much quicker way. In that 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.400 digital space we're led we can engage that audience in 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.760 a much more sophisticated way. Um So to me, it's 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:47.360 actually all together, it all works as one ecosystem. And 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:49.880 I think that's the power of the Ellen bread And 0:11:50.200 --> 0:11:54.000 does that brand extend even globally because I wouldn't even 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.120 have stopped to think of Ellen is more than an 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:59.839 American phenomenon. But I guess digital is the very thing 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:02.200 it allows you to look beyond that. I think that's 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:05.880 exactly Obviously, the show is distributed all across the world, 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:09.600 so Ellen is very well known and recognized in most 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:12.920 places across the world. What the digital opportunity allows us 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:15.680 to do is break those barriers down even faster, and 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:19.320 it allows us to touch those consumers in a number 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:22.679 of different ways and really bring the global power of 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.400 Ellen in the digital space. And it's not just about 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:29.920 video content. It's also about how are we launching games? 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:33.840 You know games obviously across both Apple and the Android platforms. 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:37.439 Those are global initiatives, and we're in a fortunate situation 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:40.360 where we're looking at learning from what we know and 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.600 then really extending those tentacles everywhere. Before we get to 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:47.200 the games, one question though, before I get hyped up 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.440 on all the sort of digital global goodness of it all, 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:54.000 let's not forget that even other properties that have hundreds 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:57.240 of millions and billions of views are facing some pretty 0:12:57.280 --> 0:13:00.679 steep challenges when it comes to monetization. It's not easy, 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:05.040 uh too make a lot of money. So how are 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:08.160 you guys dealing with that? Are you insulated in some 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.480 way that say, a vice or a BuzzFeed is not well, 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:13.440 I think we're inside. And one of the reasons we 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.400 talked about this ecosystem with both the show, all of 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:19.640 the digital platforms are owned and operated and our apps 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:23.439 that we're launching is each of those have different monetization opportunities, 0:13:23.440 --> 0:13:26.600 and as we build a portfolio of assets called the 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:32.480 eleven Digital Network, we're also testing and innovating different monetization models. 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.000 And one of the things that we talk about is 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:37.959 branded content in the future. And the reason I used 0:13:37.960 --> 0:13:39.920 the example of you know, back in the seventies and 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.199 the eighties, the advertising was in one was in these 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.520 four places, and they had a particular form. Here we 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:48.920 are in the twenty tents and coming into the twenties, 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.600 advertising and integration is in a much different form. And 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:55.760 we spend a lot of time working with brands that 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:58.800 we've had on our show for ten years. How do 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:01.760 we innovate with them around branded content, around stories that 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.480 they want to tell. We again back to Mom's Planning. 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:08.160 We were fortunate to have the new Johnson's Johnson and 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:11.439 Johnson be integrated into the Mom's Planning episodes with Kristin 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:15.560 bell in very innovative in different ways. We recently launched 0:14:15.559 --> 0:14:20.480 a show with Total Wireless UM called Fearless led by 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.760 or Champion by Ashley Graham, and part of that was 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.600 how are we bringing these advertisers into this new space. 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:29.840 So one is we're working with advertisers across all of 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.520 the different platforms, which really allows us to be slightly 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.720 insulated against the change in algorithms, whether Facebook changes their 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.240 algorithm or YouTube changes their algorithm. We're actually working across 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:43.080 all of the social media platforms and so that allows 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.200 us some protection around making sure that our views whether 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:48.280 they come from our own and operated site, whether they're 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.520 coming from YouTube, whether they're coming from Facebook or Twitter 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:53.880 or Instagram. All of that allows us to be somewhat 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:56.600 protected in that way. And then as we look to 0:14:56.640 --> 0:15:01.360 innovate around different types of opportunities, we also are looking 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:05.200 to produce exclusive content for for platforms as well, which 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:07.400 is a different model. We had a show with YouTube 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:09.920 which we were very proud of. We've just recently done 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.960 a show with Leo Michelle and Twitter which was exclusive 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:17.160 to Twitter UM. So we're really testing different models as 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.600 we move forward. And then we want to lean into 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:23.240 the models that are working. And because again this whole 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:26.280 idea of being in the business for now sixteen years 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:30.000 season sixteen, we look at all of our different platforms 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:32.920 and make sure all the boats arising, which insulates us 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:36.400 over you know, different industry chanses. By the way, can't 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:40.000 all these shows that you're developing, couldn't you be selling 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:43.440 them back into TV? Why? Why isn't you know Ellen 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:48.000 in Daytime? Followed by Ashley Graham one hour later. Yeah, 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:51.680 you're exactly right. It's it's such one of the things 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:53.760 that I love talking about and as I said, I 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:56.160 just joined a year ago, is the genius of the 0:15:56.240 --> 0:16:00.160 format of this show, which really is just all all 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:02.440 of the different team members that put it together is 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:05.200 exactly what you're talking about. There is a pipeline of 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:09.960 talent and content that we've curated over fifteen years, and 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:12.440 it's how do we take that talent and do different 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:15.240 things every year? And to your point is how do 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:19.080 we then work with new emerging platforms. Take the ike 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:21.800 that we own, the stories that we are telling, and 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:25.160 then how do we turn those into longer form pieces 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:28.040 of content. Absolutely, we would love to look at that 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.400 in the future. Right now we're focused in the branded 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:33.880 content space and working with platforms UM. But what we 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:36.520 are always making sure is that we call us you know, 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:40.200 the Ellen Digital Studio piece of that, which is we're 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:43.840 very much about making sure that as we move forward 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:47.040 that R I P can take different forms. So let's 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:51.480 get into gaming. Why. I mean, it's not the most 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:55.080 intuitive move, So what are you doing in more? Why 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:58.160 are you doing? Sure? Actually, it's as sort of as 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:01.400 you look at the sixteen years of l in throughout 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:05.479 the seasons in her DNA, it fundamentally is gaming. So 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:09.359 there's always, um these amazing games that are played, and 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:13.200 it's much more of a casual gaming style. UM. So 0:17:13.480 --> 0:17:16.000 five or six years ago, UM, we were in a 0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:19.880 fortunate situation where we developed the mobile app called heads Up, 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.760 which is now has forty six million downloads later or 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:28.880 just over forty million downloads later, has been hugely successful. 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.760 It's a game that lots of people globally absolutely love playing. 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:37.640 And we've followed that up by looking at games basically 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:39.480 that we play in the show that we want to 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:43.119 make sure, uh that we can move into that digital space. 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:45.879 And the whole idea is about how are we taking 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:48.480 casual game. How are we using the Ellen brand, which 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.600 is steeped in casual gaming, and how do we introduce 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:55.600 that in a world that clearly is emerging, whether it's 0:17:55.640 --> 0:18:00.520 mobile games, whether it's licensed games that we work with ailans. 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:02.560 We just launched a game called Ellen's Road to Riches, 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:06.760 which is basically a slots game that has been hugely successful, 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.200 and we're on the verge of launching a new app. 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:13.919 Actually uh in uh partnership or excuse me, So we're 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:17.560 launching a new app in coordination with her primetime show 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:20.080 Game of Games. So the clue is in the title 0:18:20.280 --> 0:18:23.399 where Ellen loves playing games and we're thrilled to be 0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:27.360 launching a companion app where that will be a standalone 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.720 app that will have a collection of mini games and 0:18:29.800 --> 0:18:32.560 that that feels and looks both like the show as 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:34.600 well as what we do on the Ellen Degenera show. 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:39.800 You know, feeding all this, It must be Ellen herself 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:44.880 as a social media presence. It's obviously, you know, a 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:48.919 very big one. How key is it to sort of 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.840 supporting all the different pieces of the Ellen puzzle it, 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:55.639 I would say it's critical, um and I think that 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:59.399 part of the success of not only Ellen Digital network, 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:03.160 but all of the cross platforms, followers and subscribers, at 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:07.119 its core is about Ellen being authentic to to her audience. 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:09.480 And I think one of the things that this two 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:14.679 way communication delivers is an ability to bring that authenticity 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:19.360 much closer to the consumer. And clearly social media has 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:22.800 been a very very successful tool in order to do that. 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:27.000 And I think one of the things people and newer, 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:31.400 newer generations as well as older generations, all of them 0:19:31.520 --> 0:19:35.639 in the social media space can sense in authenticity. And 0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:38.639 I think at its core what has made Ellen you know, 0:19:38.720 --> 0:19:43.600 successful in that space is her authentic voice in that world. Hm. 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:48.240 Is she the kind of person who is able to 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:53.240 really absorb all the kinds of things we're talking about 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:56.720 her business today? She hands on has vision or is 0:19:56.760 --> 0:20:00.640 it like, hey, I'm the talent. Absolutely not thing happens 0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:03.720 that she's not aware of, and that she she is 0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:07.720 the core. She's the core of everything that we do. 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:10.359 And one of the things that you see every day 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:14.240 coming into work is the passion, the enthusiasm, the authenticity 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:17.160 not only about her, but the team around her delivers 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:20.439 every single day. And I think that's part of the 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:25.200 success of the brand is that sixteen years later. It's 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:30.800 an operation that really is I think UM looking to 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:35.719 be innovative, looking to really drive new business models and 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:38.880 to really you know, take what has been developed over 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:42.199 sixteen years into these new spaces. I mean, from a 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:45.800 pure revenue perspective, is the state of this digital business 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:49.320 anywhere near as lucrative as the TV property. It's what 0:20:49.359 --> 0:20:52.399 we're thrilled about is we see deeper engage more and 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:56.200 more people with deeper engagement, with revenue on the rise. 0:20:56.640 --> 0:20:59.639 And I think for us that's the exciting part is 0:20:59.720 --> 0:21:04.159 can tinuing to invest in this world. Clearly the future 0:21:04.480 --> 0:21:06.840 is in these spaces. We don't know. It goes back 0:21:06.840 --> 0:21:09.240 to one of your original questions. We don't know what 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.000 the future looks like. What we know is we want 0:21:12.040 --> 0:21:16.879 to take this innovative brand into these new spaces and 0:21:16.920 --> 0:21:19.680 we want to lean into what's being successful. We want 0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:23.120 to figure out, you know, how to make sure that 0:21:23.200 --> 0:21:26.840 we are residing at at Any brand's core is about 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:31.320 how are you telling stories that engage the audience UM, 0:21:31.480 --> 0:21:35.160 and whether that's through technology today or whether that's daytime 0:21:35.280 --> 0:21:39.440 fifteen years ago. All of it is about understanding who 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:42.520 you are and how you want to communicate and really, 0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:45.880 you know, you know, bringing a little kindness to every day. 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.719 You know, you say kindness and you say authenticity and 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:52.359 comedy those are it sounds like the three stool, the 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:56.159 three legs of the ellen Brand stool. I hear that. 0:21:56.280 --> 0:22:01.240 It says to me wholesome pg um. Is that really 0:22:01.960 --> 0:22:05.679 the essence of Ellen's success, in the sense that she 0:22:05.800 --> 0:22:10.359 represents a certain very brand safe kind of comedy. I 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:12.679 don't think p G is the right word because I 0:22:12.680 --> 0:22:16.200 think actually one of the great things through her authenticity 0:22:16.240 --> 0:22:21.400 is that she gets permission for her to be who 0:22:21.480 --> 0:22:24.679 she is. And I think that's one of the things 0:22:24.720 --> 0:22:27.639 and I don't think PG we don't ever really use 0:22:27.720 --> 0:22:30.760 the term PG because I think part of her is 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:34.560 the realness that comes through. Obviously she's had an amazing career, 0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:39.119 but it's the real illness that the you know, and 0:22:39.160 --> 0:22:42.399 there's no other word than authentic. She is who she is, 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:46.160 and I think that has allowed her voice to shine through. 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:51.919 So as you go forward into anything that we should 0:22:51.960 --> 0:22:54.119 keep an eye out for from the ellen Brand that 0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:58.800 will sort of represent an interesting shift and interesting expansion. Yeah, 0:22:58.840 --> 0:23:02.240 I think it's really it's we're leaning into the successes 0:23:02.240 --> 0:23:06.000