Whalerock to Launch Celebrity Networks via Web and Mobile App

The Kardashian sisters, Howard Stern and rap artist Tyler The Creator are all getting new shows, only not on traditional TV but rather the Internet and a mobile app. Whalerock Industries, a company based in Santa Monica, has confirmed it plans to launch personal channels for these artists in the coming months. Each channel will feature an eclectic mix of premium content from the celebrities including videos, music, photos, merchandise and gaming. The app will be available this June. 

According to The New York Times, “Whalerock’s longer-term goal is to shift the power — and the lion’s share of the profit — away from traditional media companies and toward talent.” The company however, has no intention to disrupt any deals that artists may have with existing traditional media companies.

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The Kardashians will continue with E! and Howard Stern will have the option to continue his radio show on Sirius.

The company’s owner, Lloyd Braun, a long time industry veteran, has said that Whalerock has the potential to “show how premium artists who want to control their media life and engage directly with their audiences can work synergistically with traditional media, resulting in a better business for everybody.”

By 2018, Braun hopes to have built his app to support as many as 12 to 20 performers and brands. The goal then, would be to take the channels from a mobile app platform and negotiate deals with cable and satellite providers to also carry the channels.

While it has been confirmed that the app will offer both free and paid content, Whalerock has yet to disclose an actual price point. “Nearly all of the channels will be supported by advertising and free to consumers,” NYT explains. Access to more exclusive content however, may come at a premium price.

Whalerock’s channel-based app will target both “cord nevers” and “cord cutters,” those that have either never paid for cable services or have recently cut the services for a la carte options.

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