You’ve most likely heard of a little website called YouTube -- you know, the site we link to whenever we want to check out videos of cats doing silly things or upload our own.  Next up in the trend: YouToo TV!

It’s the nation’s first social TV network. 

Mark Burnett’s VIMBY (Video in My BackYard) production company and KoldCast TV have teamed up with Chris Wyatt, CEO of YouToo TV, to help create this new twist in social media. The idea behind the name is that “you too” can appear on TV. YouToo TV used to be AmericanLife TV Network until the switch earlier this week.

So, how is YouToo different from the other hundreds of channels you surf right through while sitting on the couch? Like this: 500 people will appear on TV each day through “Fame Spots,” giving them their “15 minutes of fame” through a 15-second video. This network will be broadcast to 15 million people through Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, and Brighthouse. Viewers can send their videos from an Apple or Android smartphone, computer, or tablet, offering many platforms for this business to blossom and succeed. People will get to see their videos within minutes of sending them to the channel. Following a screening process in which YouToo employees check to make sure there is no inappropriate or copyrighted content, the video is sent to be broadcast to millions of people.  

The network is not just made up of viewer’s videos, though. It will also broadcast TV shows including “The X Files,” “Batman,” and “Green Hornet.” So, these videos might be in response to an airing of an “The X Files” episode and ask if people have ever seen something strange in the woods, for example. The possibilities for interaction seem endless. Short-form episodes are also in the mix of the network’s lineup, including such titles as "Red Carpet Run," "Patrick Duffy and the Crab," and "MacAwesome."

And there’s an economic incentive to make the change to a provider who carries the network. Following the initial launch and start-up of the network, people interested in getting YouToo TV can log onto the channel's website and will have an opportunity to receive a $200 credit if they sign up to move to a provider who carries the newbie network. 

Is YouToo TV the next big thing? Seeing that Mark Burnett has jumped on board, and he’s got quite a lot of successful credentials to his name, I wouldn’t write off this network just yet. Burnett thinks it’s the “next big thing.” By broadcasting people’s videos, viewers have a stake in the success of this network. They will help it float or die, basically. With the fact that viewer’s videos will not only be the network’s draw and shows such as “The X Files” and “Batman” will appear should further the network’s chances of sticking around. 

Are YOU ready for your on-air debut?

- Jillian Angeline, YH Staff