YouTube to spend $100M for content

CULVER CITY, Calif. -- YouTube is enlisting Hollywood's help to reach a generation of viewers more familiar with smart phones than TV remotes.

The online video giant is aiming to create 25 hours of programming per day with the help of some of the top names in traditional TV.

The Google-owned site is spreading its wealth among producers, directors, and other filmmakers, using a $100 million pot of seed money it committed last fall. The fund represents YouTube's largest spending on original content so far.

YouTube says it is laying groundwork for the future. While the number of traditional TV watchers has leveled off in recent years, more and more people are watching video on phones, tablets, and computers, especially the 18-to-34 age demographic that advertisers covet.

The idea is to create 96 additional YouTube channels, which are essentially artists' home pages, where viewers can see existing video clips and be notified when new content goes up.

YouTube is betting a solid stream of good content will attract more revenue from advertisers, bring viewers back frequently, and bolster its parent company's fledgling Web-connected-TV platform, Google TV.

The cash has enticed some of TV's biggest stars, including Fast Five director Justin Lin, who directs episodes of Community, CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, and Nancy Tellem, the former president of CBS entertainment.

Mr. Zuiker is teaming up on a horror series for YouTube after observing that his three preteen sons spend more time on phones, iPads, and computers than watching TV.

YouTube isn't the only Web video service that has started to pay for original content.

Netflix Inc. recently launched the original series Lilyhammer, while Hulu premiered Battleground.

But YouTube videos tend to be under 10 minutes, instead of fitting into traditional half-hour or hour-long TV slots.