Adult Swim to work closely with local content creators in Australia

“If their content is the right fit for the brand, then we’re definitely interested,” said Glenn Bartlett, creative director for Turner International Asia Pacific.

Adult Swim, best known for shows such as Robot Chicken, Harvey Birdman and Metalcalypse has partnered with MCM Media, which will sell advertising across all its digital platforms. Adult Swim’s premium content—clips and full episodes—is free to all consumers. In the US, Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, also part of Turner.   

Bartlett said Australia is a mature market, hence developing a multi-platform product versus one on a cable network seemed like the obvious choice. “This content works extremely well on digital platforms,” he said.

The online platform is targeting young 'fanboys' aged 16 to 34 who like “snacking” on funny shareable short-form content. Bartlett estimates 4 million potential viewers in Australia. “It’s notoriously hard to reach this demographic, and potential advertisers will definitely be interested,” he added.

Given that Adult Swim is a completely digital play, it will be promoted across multiple online channels.

According to Jeremy Carr, Turner’s vice-president for entertainment, digital and syndication, in Asia Pacific, the timing is perfect for the launch. “We identified Australia as a unique market where there’s a huge demand for short-form video, and it’s a great opportunity for both consumers and advertisers,” he said.

Turner has plans to roll the property out in other markets in Asia.