YouTube to Double Down on Its 'Channel' Experiment

For Google's YouTube it was a $150 million experiment: Seed dozens of new video "channels" on its Web service and see what works. So far, Google likes what it sees from the eight-month effort. The company says it will put in another $200 million to market the channels as it attempts to upgrade its content from simple user-generated videos and to lure more viewers and advertising. The site has launched nearly 100 new channels so far this year, attracting talent such as actor Amy Poehler to create or star in original episodes in an effort to draw new audiences—and blue-chip advertisers. YouTube has secured commitments from advertisers to run more than $150 million of ads on the channels this year, according to a person with direct knowledge of the sales.