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WatchMojo

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WatchMojo is a company and website which produces and distributes internet videos. Based in Montreal, WatchMojo has over a hundred employees globally, some of whom are part-timers or freelancers. They create a very high volume of short videos with low production costs, particularly enticing Top 10 listicles, which WatchMojo uploads to social media platforms such as YouTube.

WatchMojo.com
Type of site
Created byAshkan Karbasfrooshan
Raphael Daigneault
Christine Voulieris
URLwatchmojo.com
Launched2006[a]
Current statusActive
Company
IndustryInternet video production, distribution
Headquarters
Montreal, Quebec
,
Canada
Key people
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan (CEO)

WatchMojo was founded in 2006[a] by CEO Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, Christine Voulieris, and Raphael Daigneault. Its first six years were not financially successful. It made a variety of factual brand-friendly content and made money from commissions or licensing their videos to brands such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola. In 2012, Karbasfrooshan pivoted WatchMojo's focus to YouTube and Top 10 videos. They became popular on the platform, where they have over 20,000 videos and 25 million subscribers. At one point, they were the most-subscribed Canadian channel.

Business

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WatchMojo is a company and website that produces and distributes internet videos. Each month, it produces hundreds of short videos with minimal production value and, under fair use, heavy use of unlicensed copyrighted footage.[3][4] The videos are then published on their social media platforms. WatchMojo owns over 35 YouTube channels, and also has smaller followings on Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.[5] The former include the primary YouTube channel, WatchMojo.com;[‡ 1] the identical but female-oriented MsMojo, launched in early 2016;[3] and MojoPlays, a gaming channel created in 2017.[6]

WatchMojo's headquarters are located at the corners of Saint Viateur [fr] and Saint Laurent Boulevard, in Montreal, Quebec.[1] As of 2019, its CEO is co-founder Ashkan Karbasfrooshan.[7] In 2016, WatchMojo had 45 full-time employees, all in Montreal.[8] In mid-2019, WatchMojo had 70 full-time employees across Montreal, New York City, Los Angeles, and London, along with dozens of part-timers or freelancers who research, write and edit the videos.[9] In February 2020, they had "100 full-time and part-time employees globally."[10]

In 2006, WatchMojo reportedly signed with talent agency William Morris Endeavor.[11] In 2018, WatchMojo signed with ICM Partners,[5] which was acquired by Creative Artists Agency in 2022.[12] The company's board of directors include Peter Horan and Janet Scardino. Previous and current members of its advisory board include former AOL executive and NatGeo president Ted Prince as well as former DMG Entertainment exec Chris Fenton.[5]

History

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You got these emerging platforms like YouTube. And I just felt like, you know what, if you were to create a video on every topic, eventually, you could probably hatch a business around that.

Karbasfrooshan, 2019[7]: 00:48–:56 

Iranian-born Ashkan Karbasfrooshan was partially raised in Spain and moved to Montreal with his family. While studying at the John Molson School of Business, he decided to work in the online industry. He worked at Mamma.com, a search engine based in the city, before joining the website AskMen and spending time at Montreal's sports radio station TSN 690. After leaving AskMen, Karbasfrooshan had the idea of starting a website for videos.[1]

Karbasfrooshan, his wife Christine Voulieris, and Raphael Daigneault found WatchMojo in 2006.[8][b][a] Montreal was far removed from the major entertainment and internet businesses in the U.S., which made it difficult to see the dynamics of the industry. Karbasfrooshan started out with around $250,000 — sizeable, but small compared to their competitors — and funded WatchMojo from his commissions as a salesperson and his minority stake in AskMen.[1] The business was met with intense skepticism from Karbafrooshan's accountants and advisors.[7]: 1:08  Karbasfrooshan told Global News in 2016 that, for the first six years, WatchMojo made no revenue. He and Voulieris did not pay themselves and took out a second mortgage so that they could pay their employees. In vain, he reached out to hundreds of venture capitalists, but they eventually reached one million dollars in debt.[8]

Nevertheless, WatchMojo continuing producing content, even if there was nobody paying for it.[1] WatchMojo's YouTube channel was created on 25 January 2007,[‡ 1] and its reach grew rapidly. Its videos were viewed over 13 million times that year and over 28 million the next.[13] In 2012, Karbasfrooshan decided WatchMojo should focus on YouTube and Top 10 videos, where he believed there was a bigger audience. That year, they became profitable.[1][9] From 2013 to 2015, the YouTube channel grew from one million to ten million subscribers.[3] In 2016, Karbasfrooshan was one of the 36 finalists for the title of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Quebec.[14]

As of April 2024, the WatchMojo.com YouTube channel has over 25 million subscribers and has posted over 26,000 videos.[‡ 1] In 2016, it was the most subscribed Canadian YouTube channel.[8] When it had 14 million subscribers in 2017, it was the 35th most subscribed worldwide.[1] According to Social Blade statistics in April 2024, WatchMojo.com is the fifth most subscribed Canadian YouTube channel.[15]

Content

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Short videos

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WatchMojo's videos are typically around 10 minutes long. According to Digiday, viewers typically watch the videos for 5–7 minutes. They are tailored to YouTube's recommendations system, which favours longer watch times.[16] They require little production value and feature, under fair use, heavy use of unlicensed copyrighted footage,[3][4] alongside voice-over narration.[17]

"Top 10 Horror Games So Scary You Forgot They Existed"

—WatchMojo video title[18]

For its first six years in business, WatchMojo made no revenue.[8] Early on, WatchMojo stayed away from amateur YouTube culture and followed a trend in informative non-fiction videos, producing thousands of these more corporate-friendly clips.[4] Their content varied from celebrity profiles to travel videos,[1] with titles such as "Freestyle Motocross Jumps", "Wolverine: Origins and History",[13] and "Cover Girl Tips For Faking It: An Eyelid Crease".[4] Unlike YouTuber culture, WatchMojo made no claim to artistry or independence. Karbasfrooshan disowned both, saying user-generated creativity and web series were suited to traditional television, but volume-based content would bring scalable financial success on YouTube. Theirs was content either commissioned by or sold to brands.[4]

"Top 10 Best Breaking Benjamin Songs"

—WatchMojo video title[18]

They earned money by licensing their videos to companies such as Bell Sympatico, AOL, MSN, Hulu,[1] TV.com, Yahoo, and the websites of newspapers.[13] Brands such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola used WatchMojo videos on promotional websites. In 2012, 80% of the company's revenue came from licensing and syndication. The rest came from advertising. That year, academic A.J. Christian wrote that WatchMojo's business model suggested that lifestyle new media content was the easiest to market to both consumers and corporations.[4]

"Top 10 McDonald's Menu Items"

—WatchMojo video title[18]

In 2012, Karbasfrooshan decided to shift WatchMojo's focus to YouTube, where he believed most potential viewers were, and Top 10 videos. Their content now almost exclusively consists of Top 10 videos which cover almost every subject.[1] These videos have titles such as "Top 10 Unexpected Movie Deaths", "Top 10 Foods That Kill You", "Top 10 Controversial Symbols", and "Top 10 Christina Aguilera Videos" (MsMojo).[3][18] WatchMojo video narrators include Rebecca Brayton — widely known as the "WatchMojo Lady" — Young Deuces, Tanner Zipchen, Phoebe De Jeu, Jess Adel, Ricky Tucci, and Noah Baum.[10] WatchMojo's website does not host user-generated content,[19] but it has a "Suggestions" section where users can recommend, upvote or downvote ideas for future videos.[3]

In 2019, Karbasfrooshan said that 80–90% of revenue comes from advertising and the licensing business still exists.[7]: 2:50  The company's sponsors include the U.S. Army, Netflix, and Universal Pictures.[9] They have interviewed celebrities such as Ed Sheeran and Ellie Goulding.[20][21] During the press tour for Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Brayton interviewed cast members Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon, and Zendaya, and the former two said they were fans of WatchMojo.[22]

"Top 10 Paranormal Events in Movie Shoots"

—WatchMojo video title[16]

In February 2016, WatchMojo posted the controversial "5 Facts About Veganism".[23] In a 2016 article titled "Top 10 'Top 10' lists that make no f**king sense whatsoever", The Daily Dot's Luke Winkie lamented the "algorithmic click-miners" of WatchMojo who occasionally produced "baffling" titles and noted that, by then, most people on YouTube had been recommended WatchMojo videos.[18] In the student-edited Cinephile: The University of British Columbia's Film Journal, Joceline Andersen argues that WatchMojo has corporatized fan culture on YouTube by turning Top 10 rankings and the use of copyrighted footage, formerly an outlet for fans which were nevertheless an irritation for corporations, into a commercial enterprise explicitly for brands' benefit.[24]

"Top 10 Star Trek Movies"

—WatchMojo video title[18]

WatchMojo videos' strong use of copyrighted content has led to many Content ID copyright strikes to them over their history. In all cases, WatchMojo has argued against them, citing fair use.[25] It was briefly terminated in 2013 because of multiple strikes.[26] On the channel, Karbasfrooshan published several videos in 2019 to highlight instances of alleged Content ID abuse from copyright holders. His company estimated that holders unlawfully claimed over $2 billion from 2014 to 2019. He tentatively suggested that YouTubers file a class action lawsuit to obtain a monetary settlement, which led to much discussion among YouTubers, but said he hoped it would not be necessary.[25]

Longform content and other ventures

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In the late 2010s, WatchMojo started experimenting with longer content, especially after a rise in their channel's TV viewers. Karbasfrooshan said that he had wanted to establish a successful business first before making an attempt at long-form programming.[1][16]

For example, in 2017, WatchMojo produced both the hockey quiz show The Lineup and The WORST Travel Show, a Facebook Watch comedy series hosted by actor Kyle Gatehouse.[1][27] In a February 2019 appearance on BNN Bloomberg's The Open, Karbasfrooshan announced the launch of a entrepreneurship-focused spin-off brand called Context (later ContextTV).[7][28] Prior to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, they released their first documentary, Fox in the Henhouse, about the rise of socialism and the limitations of capitalism in the nation.[16]

By 2019, WatchMojo launched a trivia app.[29] In May 2019, to promote Doom Patrol's first season streaming on DC Universe, Warner Bros. distributed the first episode to the YouTube channels of DC, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes, and WatchMojo, where they could be viewed free-of-charge for a limited time.[16][30] In September 2019, the 45th Saturn Awards were livestreamed on social media platforms, including WatchMojo's YouTube channel, for wider reach.[31] WatchMojo also invested in the Buffer Festival, which showcases digital creators.[28]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Some sources say 2005.[1][2]
  2. ^ A BNN Bloomberg article from 2019 claims that there were four other co-founders other than Karbasfrooshan, all of whom were still at the company.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kelly, Brendan (30 March 2017). "WatchMojo's latest venture is an online hockey quiz show The Lineup". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  2. ^ Brouwer, Bree (21 January 2016). "YouTube Millionaires: WatchMojo Aims To "Inform And Entertain" Its 10 Million Subscribers". Tubefilter. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "10 million subscribers in, WatchMojo aims for more YouTube growth". Digiday. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Christian, Aymar J. (25 January 2012). "Beyond big video: The instability of independent networks in a new media market". Continuum. 26 (1): 82–83. doi:10.1080/10304312.2012.630137. ISSN 1030-4312.
  5. ^ a b c Tartaglione, Nancy (13 September 2018). "Content Producer WatchMojo Signs With ICM Partners, Adds Chris Fenton To Board". Deadline. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  6. ^ Klein, Jessica (17 April 2018). "Naomi Kyle Joins WatchMojo's Gaming Channel With Let's Play Series". Tubefilter. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Erlichman, Jon (2019). Content is 'the new software': Mind behind YouTube phenomenon on the future of digital media. The Open. BNN Bloomberg (Television production). Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e Lau, Rachel (10 November 2016). "#GreatMTLer: Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, the creator of WatchMojo.com". Global News. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Erlichman, Jon (3 June 2019). "YouTube standout WatchMojo hires CIBC to explore sale". BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b Weiss, Geoff (26 February 2020). "YouTube Listicle Giant WatchMojo To Fete 15 Years With 'Live' Fan Event On March 20". Tubefilter. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  11. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (9 December 2014). "WME Signs Online Video Producer WatchMojo (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  12. ^ Hirsch, Lauren (28 June 2022). "Creative Artists Agency acquires ICM in deal that could transform Hollywood representation". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Rao, Leena (8 April 2009). "WatchMojo.com's Videos Watched More Than 50 Million Times". TechCrunch. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Québec region's legacy-building entrepreneurs advance to finalist stage of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program". Ernst & Young. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Top 100 YouTubers in Canada Sorted by Subscribers". Social Blade. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e Patel, Sahil (11 June 2019). "How YouTube programmer WatchMojo is expanding into long-form productions". Digiday. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  17. ^ Djerf-Pierre, Monika; Lindgren, Mia (11 February 2021). "Making sense of "superbugs" on YouTube: A storytelling approach". Public Understanding of Science. 30 (5): 541. doi:10.1177/0963662521989251. ISSN 0963-6625. PMC 8261781. PMID 33573480.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Winkie, Luke (6 October 2016). "Top 10 'Top 10' lists that make no f**king sense whatsoever". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  19. ^ Alicia Androich; Eve Lazarus; Norma Ramage (9 September 2011). "Canada's Digital Media Companies to Watch". Marketing. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  20. ^ Starkey, Arun (14 March 2022). "Ed Sheeran once compared Eminem to Bob Dylan". Far Out. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  21. ^ Chen, Joyce (15 February 2012). "Skrillex, Ellie Goulding dating: Music producer and British singer are 'really good together'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  22. ^ Bueno, Rose (17 June 2019). "The Best Moments from the SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME Press Tour". Nerdist. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  23. ^ Davis, Jenny L.; Love, Tony P.; Fares, Phoenicia (26 June 2019). "Collective Social Identity: Synthesizing Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory Using Digital Data". Social Psychology Quarterly. 82 (3): 254–273. doi:10.1177/0190272519851025. ISSN 0190-2725.
  24. ^ Andersen, Joceline (2020). "Top 10 Everything: WatchMojo and the Monetization of Fan Culture on YouTube". Cinephile: The University of British Columbia's Film Journal. 14 (1). University of British Columbia: 20–32.
  25. ^ a b Van der Sar, Ernesto (10 May 2019). "YouTube Content-ID Abusers Could Face Millions of Dollars in Damages". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  26. ^ Cohen, Joshua (15 December 2013). "Top 50 YouTube Channel Terminated, Casualty Of ContentID". Tubefilter. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  27. ^ Patton, Daniel (31 May 2018). ""WORST" show wins Best Webisode". Chicago Reel. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  28. ^ a b Weiss, Geoff (5 September 2019). "Canadian YouTube Giant WatchMojo Invests In Digital Video Festival 'Buffer'". Tubefilter. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  29. ^ "Facebook and The Q have been growing HQ trivia competitors overseas". Digiday. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  30. ^ Ridlehoover (17 May 2019). "DC Universe's Doom Patrol Pilot Is Free to Watch, But Not For Long". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  31. ^ Huver, Scott (12 September 2019). "Saturn Awards set to celebrate Hollywood's collective inner nerd". CNN. Retrieved 4 April 2024.

Primary sources

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  1. ^ a b c "About". WatchMojo.com. YouTube. Retrieved 14 April 2016.

Further reading

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  • Karbasfrooshan, Ashkan (2016). The 10-Year Overnight Success: An Entrepreneurship's Manifesto – How WatchMojo Built the Most Successful Media Brand on YouTube. Montreal: WatchMojo. ISBN 978-0995313712.
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