YouTube Edging Closer to Hollywood

Both Battleground and Lilyhammer get mixed reviews, as streaming services branch out

(NEWSER) - Online streaming sites Hulu and Netflix both launched original series this week, as both services take baby steps toward competing with regular television, reports Gigaom . A look at each:

• Hulu's Battleground is the more conventional of the two, a 13-episode comedy about a Senate campaign in Wisconsin that started today, with a new 22-minute episode airing each Tuesday. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has solid praise for Battleground, saying it is "a smart, well-written comedy series you might find on a premium cable network." The AP is less kind, however, calling it "a light, watered-down knockoff of The Office," while the New York Daily News comes down somewhere in-between.

Ray William Johnson's one-man show has 1.5 billion views

(NEWSER) - Sure, it's full of keyboard cats and double rainbows, but these days, YouTube is also a serious moneymaking machine. YouTube star Ray William Johnson is showcasing the medium's potential: With more than a billion total views, he's making about $1 million a year through his clips, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . Thanks to a twice-weekly show that gets 5 million regular viewers, the comedian—who mocks other popular YouTube clips—currently boasts the site's biggest audience. He goes by RayWJ. More»

Clip parodies pair of self-satisfied yuppies

(NEWSER) - Love New York? Hate it? Either way, this viral video will resonate: Inspired by Shit Girls Say and its many YouTube imitators, a sibling duo reels off trademark New York yuppie phrases. Among the highlights: Eliot Glazer asks himself over and over where the train is; he informs a cab driver of a "law" that taxis must go to Brooklyn; he and his sister offer informed opinions of local restaurants and complain about tourists. They're excited when a local news anchor walks by—but very proud not to own a TV, the Daily News notes. Click here or here for more videos inspired by Shit Girls Say. More»

Political comedy called 'Battleground' and travelogue show to debut

(NEWSER) - Hulu is expanding its foray into the world of original programming with two new shows set to debut before summer, reports the Wall Street Journal . Battleground, scheduled to begin in February, will be a 13-episode scripted comedy about a not-exactly-functional Senate campaign. Don't expect a low-budget production: Hulu execs said the show's costs would align with those of cable shows ... which can run as much as a few million dollars per episode. More»

Search giant may offer TV channels within video, phone, Internet service

(NEWSER) - Watch out, Comcast: Google is discussing a plan that could turn traditional cable on its head. The search giant is looking into providing video and phone services along with an already-announced high-speed Internet service in Kansas City, the Wall Street Journal reports—and the video service could include TV channels from Time Warner, Disney, Discovery, and others. With traditional cable providers looking for ways to control online content, the line between TV and the Internet keeps getting blurrier. More»