Pocket.watch announced it is launching 12 new creator-driven shows on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Tubi. The new series are compilations drawn from the YouTube libraries of several creators, repackaged for streaming audiences in a format consisting of 15 half-hour episodes per series.

To adapt the YouTube content for streaming distribution, the company removed platform-specific elements such as subscribe buttons, cleared music rights for all episodes, and created new logos and graphics for the shows. The finished videos also had to meet the streaming platforms' standards and practices guidance and feel evergreen, according to the company. "We're really turning it into TV," Pocket.watch CEO Chris Williams said.

Among the new titles is "Jesser: Ball or Nothing," in which the basketball creator pits athletes, influencers, and others against each other in sports competitions for $10,000 prizes. Another entry in the slate is "Zhong: Creator Essentials," which follows the comedian as he embarks on challenges such as using extreme camouflage to hide in public.

Each of the creators involved in the 12 compilation shows also appears in "Rabbit Hole," an original SNL-style series set to roll out on Hulu this summer. The original series is designed to serve as an entry point for streaming viewers to then explore the creators' broader content libraries available on the same platforms. "I think of it as, come for the original, stay for the library," Williams said.

"To a certain extent, platforms had traditionally associated production value with quality when those things aren't necessarily the same," Williams said. "It has taken them a long time to recognize a lot about creator content and that particular demographic and audience."

Beyond the 12 compilation series and "Rabbit Hole," the company said it is also developing five to 10 additional original shows focused on teens and young adults. Williams said the streaming presence changes how creators are perceived. "It makes them more than just a YouTuber and now a true media brand," he said.

Paid streaming services have been licensing content from prominent YouTube creators. YouTubers including Mark Rober and Ms. Rachel have had shows appear on Netflix, and platforms have signed creators such as The Sidemen and Salish Matter to content agreements. YouTube itself has been encouraging its creators to produce more TV-like programming.

Pocket.watch has previously placed creator content on traditional and streaming platforms. The company's Ryan and Diana shows have aired on Hulu, and it launched "Ryan's Mystery Play Date" on Nickelodeon alongside a new line of Ryan-branded products.