Global creator company Jellysmack is expanding into the FAST segment through a new partnership with The Roku Channel. The partnership will see the launch of two new linear channels, Hello Inspo and Mysteria, created around series from 17 of Jellysmack’s creator partners. The move is the latest example of digital-first content creators seeking to secure a share of this rapidly-emerging ad-supported space.
Hello Inspo is a lifestyle channel where creators share inspiration for everything from beauty and style hacks to home makeovers, recipes, and DIYs. The channel’s featured creators include Brad Mondo, LaurenRiihimaki (LaurDIY), Emmeline Mayline Cho (Emmymade), Liz Fenwick, HeXtian, Hellthy JunkFood (JP Lambiase & Julia Goolia), Smitha Deepak, Josh Elkin, and Karina Garcia. Mysteria, meanwhile, brings the biggest creators in true crime together for deep dives into twisted crimes and unsolved mysteries. The channel’s featured creators include Stephanie Soo, Christina Randall, True Crime Recaps (Amy Townsend & Chris Nathan), Killer Bites, Dr. Todd Grande, John Lordan (LordanArts), Brooke Makenna, and Danelle Hallan.
The new Roku FAST channels are an expansion of Jellysmack’s creator programme, which uses AI to detect promising creators and distribute their content to multiple platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and more. The company’s elite roster of digital creators includes names like MrBeast, Bailey Sarian, Brad Mondo, The Try Guys, KallmeKris, and PewDiePie.
The FAST initiative is led by Stefanie Schwartz, Jellysmack’s head of platform partnerships, who joined the company last year after leading Viacom Digital Studios as EVP and GM. “Our partnership with Roku is about finding big opportunities for creators,” she said. “The Roku Channel gives our creators the ability to reach a large and growing audience. We’re delighted to bring Roku top creators – at scale.”
Programming for Hello Inspo and Mysteria will be refreshed on an ongoing basis and new creators will be added to the schedule by Jellysmack as the channels expand. For Jellysmack, the two channels represent the company’s first FAST channels and the first deal Roku has made with the global creator company. For Roku, the launch brings some of today’s biggest digital creators to its platform. “We’re delighted to partner with Jellysmack as the company’s first-ever FAST partner,” said Ashley Hovey, head of The Roku Channel, AVOD. “The addition of these new channels is the latest example of how we aim to provide access to popular entertainment options for free.”
“Taking the leap from social media to streaming is the perfect next step,” added creator Brad Mondo. “Getting to launch shows on The Roku Channel is super exciting.”
Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. The Roku Channel reaches 100m US households (Q4 2022).
