‘It’s really evolved beyond UGC and has come up with some banging formats that range across genres’

The pandemic’s impact on production made for a difficult year for web channels but LADbible TV adapted with flying colours and produced a wealth of top-quality content for its target audience.

Despite limited production operations, the network took an agile approach, delivering 500 pieces of original content, including a weekly documentary throughout the pandemic-induced lockdown.

The judges were effusive in their praise, with one hailing the channel’s “consistent quality and digital-first formats”. Another added: “It’s really evolved beyond UGC and has come up with some banging formats that range across genres. It knows its platforms and has experimented.”

A third judge also pointed to an incredible genre range, citing studio-based talent shows to heart-wrenching docs.

LADbible adopted a unique approach to content production in 2020, bringing together an array of expertise from traditional broadcasting, digital and social video. The outfit’s diverse team meant that all formats helped reach underserved audiences and played into the company marketing strategy.

That content was instrumental in bringing minority communities into the spotlight and normalising their voices to a mass audience of 95m views of LADbibles over six months, along with 300,000 shares and 100,000 video comments. The channel has been all about tackling difficult issues, ensuring the business boosts its position as one of the world’s leading youth publishers.

SHORTLISTED

Mashed

This fun and unique offering saw the channel’s YouTube subscribers shoot upwards by 20%, while Facebook views doubled last year. The channel’s funny gaming and pop culture-inspired parody videos spoke to an entire generation stuck at home, looking for an escape. The youthful production team overcome many production challenges, leading to an incredibly successful 12 months. 

RE:TV

The platform was launched by the Prince of Wales to support the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s efforts to create a better future for people, with a set of fantastic case study films looking to solutions to global warming. Highlights included the Prince’s impassioned speech on the crisis, calling on business leaders to come forward, and the channel has amassed almost 2m views.

Simon’s Cat

The longevity of this much-loved YouTube channel was really felt during the pandemic, with 10 original films put out between March 2020 and 2021. The antics of the charming yet mischievous cat proved a fine antidote to the difficult times and this was reflected in a 50% year-on-year increase in views, which ended up surpassing the 100m mark.

Springwatch Facebook

This tight-knit community that acts as an accompaniment to the successful BBC2 series attracted a highly engaged audience from all over the world to stunning photos, entertaining and educational videos and unpredictable live moments. It perfectly covered Springwatch’s lockdown version, which was widely lauded as one of the better shows to have been produced in pandemic-induced conditions and led to a multitude of viral-worthy content.

Truly

Truly’s unique brand of authentic short-form docs resonated with a larger audience than ever last year, amassing nearly 800m views on YouTube. The network built a portfolio of hit, original shows that resonate with young, diverse audiences that may have not been reached by traditional media. Truly also moved into new areas, launching the likes of My Extraordinary Family with fanfare.