Telecast, the video curation service born out of betaworks, has today pivoted into a fan-centric video service that gives hardcore YouTube viewers a way to connect with their favorite creators.
According to founder Matt Hackett, who was one of the first engineers at Tumblr, environments like YouTube and Vimeo have opened up a lot of opportunities for video creators to gain a following, but haven’t actually addressed the needs of the viewers themselves.
The viewing experience on these platforms, especially YouTube, is all about wandering from one video to the next, with a huge focus on pre-roll ads and related videos. And don’t even get me started on the loud, angry corner of the internet where YouTube comments live.
For super fans of various YouTube sensations, this experience is hardly conducive to engaging with the creator and enjoying your favorite content, which is why Telecast 2.0 is launching.
Telecast has partnered with a few video creators like Mr. Weebl, Little Horribles, I Hate Being Single, Nikki Limo, and Joseph Birdsong.
It’s free for video creators to join, but on an invite-only basis as Telecast wants creators with real fan bases as opposed to flash-in-the-pan success stories.
Users can then subscribe to one of these video creators channels to get push notifications, direct to their iPhone or iPad, whenever a new video appears on that channel. Subscribers can ask questions and give feedback that goes directly to the creator, rather than posting in the YouTube comments section and never being seen.
Creators can respond to questions and feedback for all to see.
In the next few weeks, Hackett reports that subscribers will have the option to become “supporters,” offering financial support to video creators through the app. Creators will get 70 percent of the revenue from these financial donations, and supporters will in turn receive early access to videos.
Supporters will also be able to download and watch videos online. Of course, videos on Telecast are always ad-free.
If you’re interested in checking out the new and improved Telecast, hit up the App Store now and download the free application.