In a different era, one situated just a few short years ago, Awesomeness would be fixated on promoting the Noah Centineo Channel on YouTube.

But after numerous rounds of M&A, which started back in 2013 with Awesomeness’ $33 million purchase by DreamWorks Animation, and continued with Verizon’s $159 million investment into the business in 2016, the former YouTube multichannel network powerhouse now talks more like a traditional studio.

In fact, speaking about To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, a film produced by Awesomeness and distributed worldwide last year by Netflix, Awesomeness co-head Shelley Zimmerman calls the teen drama a “perfect vehicle” for Awesomeness' heart-throbbish talent Noah Centineo.

“We’re really proud of All the Boys, and how it’s resonated with audiences, and how it’s showcased our strong relationship with talent,” added Zimmerman, who spoke to MCN alongside Awesomeness’ other co-head Rebecca Glashow.

RELATED: Reaching Young Viewers in New Ways is Viacom's Pitch

The discussion with the veteran TV executives was billed by their PR operative as a kind of coming out—the first time they were poking their heads out following Viacom’s $50 million bargain purchase of Awesomeness last summer. (Awesomeness had been valued by as much as $650 million back when Viacom bought in, hoping to turn it into a programming engine for its ultimately doomed mobile content service Go90.)

“I would actually say we’ve been pretty loud over the last nine months,” said Glashow, a former Discovery Communications and Comcast Cable executive, disputing the notion that her executive team has been lying low during the Viacom integration.

Calling To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before “one of the most important films of a generation," Glashow said the film and its upcoming sequel elegantly define Awesomeness’ mission under Viacom, which comes off as equally bombastic -- to be the “studio of Generation Z.”

A Full SVOD Slate

Viacom’s purchase last July included the AwesomenessTV digital network, its film and TV studio business, the Awestruck lifestyle and entertainment brand, as well as an in-house creative agency.

All of these assets were put under the watch of Viacom Digital Studios, which is headed by Kelly Day, an executive who had left her post as chief business officer at Awesomeness to join Viacom back in the fall of 2017.

Reporting directly to Day, both Glashow and Zimmerman, a former Warner Horizon TV executive, have been with Awesomeness since 2016—long enough to have worked with the company’s founder Brian Robbins, during an era in which the company produced some of the most widely viewed YouTube short-form content on the planet.

These days, the focus is much longer in form and fixated on the SVOD market.

With Awesomeness’ NewFront presentation in New York right around the corner, the unit just premiered Pen15, a middle-school-focused comedy co-produced with Andy Samberg’s Lonely Island, on Hulu.

Also just launching on Hulu was season 2 of Zac & Mia, Awsomeness’ youth drama about two teens battling cancer.

Meanwhile, over on Netflix, Awesomeness is kicking off a busy spring slate with The Perfect Date, which stars Centineo as a high school student who creates a dating app that lets him act as a stand-in boyfriend to earn money for college.

Among other Netflix projects, Awesomeness is also working on Trinkets, which is based on writer Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith’s young-adult novel about teenage girls from different social circles bonding in a 12-step program for habitual shoplifters.

Awesomeness’ multichannel network era, Zimmerman said, was an opportunity to have a “daily conversation” with a youthful audience, with the company debuting as many as 15 short-form videos a week.

“But our growth has been exponential,” she added. “We’re now a robust, full-service studio for TV and film, as well branded content opportunities for various social platforms.

With Glashow officially serving as head of worldwide distribution, Awesomeness’ reach extends to international markets, where programming deals have been carved out with the UK’s Channel 4, RTL in Germany and HBO France, among other buyers.

“We’re out there trying to build the brand and serve this audience and deliver hits. We want everything to speak for itself, Glashow said. 

Viacom said it has purchased AwesomenessTV Holdings, parent of digit-first short-form video content company AwesomenessTV, which will join the programmer’s stable of entertainment brands housed within Viacom Digital Studios.

The deal had been expected for days.  Although terms were not disclosed, past reports estimated that Viacom purchased the company for under $300 million, a fraction of its earlier $650 million valuation.

Since the launch of Viacom Digital Studios in November,  Viacom says its domestic social video views have increased by 112% and watch time has risen 104%, while its YouTube subscribers have nearly doubled in the past year. The company claims its digital streams have tripled over the past two years driven by that social media growth.

“Awesomeness has done an incredible job building their brand into a digital media powerhouse for today’s most sought-after and hard-to-reach youth audiences,” said Viacom Digital Studios president and former AwesomenessTV chief business officer Kelly Day in a statement. “The team brings strong digital expertise, deep connections with top talent and influencers, a world-class television and film studio, and a robust branded content team and creative agency that will accelerate the growth and scale of Viacom Digital Studios.”

AwesomenessTV is expected to be a good fit with Viacom’s youth-oriented MTV and Nickelodeon networks, as it reaches about 158 million subscribers with about 300 million monthly views and an additional 6 million people watch it on YouTube. AwesomenessTV’s Emmy-winning production studio also has a library of over 200 hours of long-form television and feature films.

AwesomenessTV was co-founded by Brian Robbins, who currently serves as president of Paramount Players at Viacom, and Joe Davola. AwesomenessTV was previously owned by Comcast/NBCUniversal, Hearst and Verizon.

Viacom is in talks to purchase short-form video pioneer AwesomenessTV, two years after the company received a big cash infusion that valued it at about $650 million, sources familiar with the companies confirmed.

News of the deal was first reported by Bloomberg News. 

AwesomenessTV was created by DreamWorks animation in 2013 and Verizon purchased a 24.5% stake in the company in 2016. It was believed AwesomenessTV’s short-form videos would play well on Verizon’s mobile platform, particularly is go90 service, which launched in 2015. 

But Verizon plans to shutter go90 this month and AwesomenessTV’s other partners – Comcast owns 51% (which it inherited after buying DreamWorks Animation in 2016) and Hearst the remaining 24.5% -- apparently are wiling to sell.

According to sources familiar with the companies, Viacom is in advanced stages with Awesomeness TV and could reach a deal in the next few weeks, although there is no guarantee the transaction will be completed.

Two former AwesomenessTV executives also currently have a Viacom connection and their familiarity with the brand adds to its attractiveness to the programmer. AwesomenessTV co-founder Brian Robbins is president of Viacom's Paramount Players youth-focused production division and former chief business officer Kelly Day is president of Viacom Digital Media. 

Adding to Viacom's interest is that Awesomeness TV will likely be priced at less $300 million, way below the $650 million valuation the company received when Verizon first invested in 2016.

Jordan Levin has been named  CEO of Awesomeness, the digital content J.V. focused on younger audiences that is now operated by NBCUniversal, Hearst and Verizon Communications.

Levin, most recently the chief content officer of the National Football League, replaces Brian Robbins, an AwesomenessTV co-founder who exited the company in February.

RELATED: Jordan Levin Joins NFL as Chief Content Officer

According to multiple reports, Jeff Shell, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, announced the hiring of Levin this week in a memo, noting that Levin will work alongside Awesomeness president Brett Bouttier to oversee a portfolio that includes AwesomenessTV, Awesomeness Films, DreamWorksTV, Awestruck and the recently announced Awesomeness News.

“Jordan is currently transitioning out of his role at the NFL and will begin at Awesomeness on May 30,” Shell wrote.

Levin, a founding exec of The WB Television Network, previously was  EVP and GM of Xbox Entertainment Studios, a founder of cross-platform studio/talent firm Generate (now part of Defy Media), and previously worked with Shell at the Walt Disney Company.

About one year after abandoning its effort to become the uber-dominant distributor in the country when it walked away from its $67 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable, Comcast has turned its attention to programming, with its NBCUniversal unit's $3.8 billion deal to buy DreamWorks Animation, a move that will help boost its content library while potentially seeding its theme park business with new characters to build attractions around.

In DreamWorks Animation, NBCUniversal gets access to a film library that includes Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon, as well as a growing TV production arm that has churned out programming like Dawn of the Croods, Turbo and more for Netflix and other distributors. In NBCU, DreamWorks Animation finally gets the deep-pocketed parent that can help it produce more films and, with its cable and broadcast networks, provide another outlet for content.

Reaction to the deal was mixed. DreamWorks stock soared 24% (up $7.75 each) on April 28 to $39.95 per share, while Comcast shares fell 15 cents each (down 0.24%) to $61.15 per share.

Some analysts criticized the deal as being too pricey – it represents a 50% premium to DreamWorks’s stock price before rumors of a sale began to surface. Others said the benefits included additional theme park revenue from high-profile attractions and potential cost-savings on the animation side. NBCUniversal’s animation arm – Illumination Entertainment, under which DreamWorks would fall after the deal closed – farms out production of most of its animated movies to Japanese companies for a third of the price that DreamWorks pays.

“[T]o us, this deal makes a lot of sense, less because of the added animation heft to Illumination Entertainment (the studio that created The Minions) but more for what it could mean for the Universal Theme Parks,” Telsey Advisory Group media analyst Tom Eagan wrote in a note to clients. “It's easy to imagine a Shrek, Kung Fu Panda or Madagascar ride at the Universal parks."

BTIG Research media analyst Rich Greenfield took another approach, arguing in a blog post that DreamWorks has been on the block for at least three years, hasn’t traded above $40 per share since 2010 (the Comcast deal values the shares at $42 each) and has no other potential bidders besides NBCU.

“While we believe Comcast acquiring DWA is a mistake, [Comcast chairman and CEO] Brian Roberts clearly believes the acquisition is a good use of Comcast’s capital,” Greenfield wrote.

The analyst added that what could be attractive to Comcast is DreamWorks's 51% stake in Awesomeness TV, but said he believes that is overvalued, too – Verizon bought a 24.5% stake in the short-form video company earlier last month for about $159 million. And Verizon plans to develop content with AwesomenessTV for its go90 mobile video service, a potential Comcast competitor.

“DreamWorks will help us grow our film, television, theme parks and consumer products businesses for years to come,” NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke said in a statement. “… The prospects for our future together are tremendous.”

DreamWorks will be headed by Illumination Entertainment CEO Christopher Meledandri, wile current CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will become chairman of a new digital arm – DreamWorks New Media, comprisig the company’s ownership interests in Awesomeness TV and NOVA. Katzenberg will also serve as a consultant to NBCUniversal.

Verizon Communications said Wednesday that it has reached an agreement to purchase a 24.5% interest in AwesomenessTV in a deal that will values the multi-platform programmer at $650 million.

DreamWorks Animation, which formed AwesomenessTV in 2013, will remain is majority shareholder with 51% ownership, while Hearst will own the remaining 24.5%. Brian Robbins, AwesomenessTV founder and CEO, and Brett Bouttier, AwesomenessTV’s president, will continue to lead the Company.

In addition to its equity investment, Verizon will enter into an agreement with AwesomenessTV to create a premium short-form mobile video service, which will operate as an independent brand.  The new service will launch as part of the go90 offering and Verizon will fund the initiative through a multi-year agreement with AwesomenessTV.

 “In addition to delivering compelling scripted and non-scripted series with high production values, AwesomenessTV has demonstrated an ability to zero in on programming that Gen Z and millennials want to watch,” said Verizon executive vice president and president of Product & New Business Innovation Marni Walden in a statement . “The content AwesomenessTV has produced for go90 has exceeded all our expectations with shows such as Guidance and Top Five Live. That’s why we want to be in the AwesomenessTV business."

The new premium content service will initially be exclusive to Verizon platforms in the United States, while AwesomenessTV will retain rights for the rest of the world.

 “This deal gives us the resources to work with the biggest talent in front of andbehind the camera to create this new branded service and produce the most premium short-form content ever, made specifically for the device racking up the fastest growing viewership – the mobile phone,” Robbins said in a statement. “With Verizon joining DreamWorks Animation and Hearst as part of our equity ownership group, we benefit from the strategic insight and resources of the entertainment and communications industries’ most visionary companies and leaders. Our goal is to be the media company of the future, where content and distribution go hand in hand – we are now one giant step closer to that future."

  “The creation of this new branded service represents a transformational step, not just for AwesomenessTV, but also for the entire mobile video landscape,” said DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg in a statement.  “This agreement is clearly impactful for AwesomenessTV – with annual revenues expected to more than double in the first 12 months of content delivery – and even more exciting is the expansion of our relationship with Verizon, one of the world’s most powerful marketers and content distributors, and their commitment to explore with us this incredible opportunity.”

LionTree Advisors LLC acted as advisor to Verizon during this transaction and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC advised DreamWorks Animation. The transaction is expected to close in the next 60 days.

Multiscreen video distribution specialist Vubiquity said it has struck an international SVOD Deal with AwesomenessTV that will enable the millennials-focused service to extend its reach to regions such as the Middle East, Africa, South Eastern Europe and Latin America (excluding Brazil).

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the agreement covers  AwesomenessTV series such as Fifth Harmony Takeover, DIY or DI-Don't!, Hey Guys, It's Meg!, Makeup Mythbusters, Amanda Steele’s The Social Life, Cheerhab, My Dream Quinceañera, and IMO. In all, Vubiquity will distribute about 130 hours of content from AwesomenessTV to its international distribution partners.

"We’re excited to bring a fantastic brand to some of the largest territories in the world,” Vubiquity chief content officer Rob Jacobson, said in a statement. “Non-traditional programming is extremely popular in emerging markets amongst young audiences and AwesomenessTV has created terrific, popular shows and is shaping the type of content that the next generation expects. This deal gives our clients the opportunity not only to meet customer demands but also to get ahead of their competition. We’re delighted to be partnering with them in this SVOD initiative."

AwesomenessTV, which also distributes content via Verizon’s new go90 service and Comcast’s Watchable curated OTT video offering, is owned by DreamWorks Animation and Hearst Corporation, which has a 25% interest in AwesomenessTV. 

AwesomenessTV, the YouTube multichannel network acquired by DreamWorks Animation last year that’s focused on teens and tweens, has extended another branch to the TV screen following its "channel" launch on the popular Roku platform.

AwesomenessTV partnered with multiscreen specialist 1 Mainstream to open up its new distribution channel with Roku, which makes a lineup of streaming set-tops and adapters and will soon be baked into select HDTVs from TCL and Hisense, as well. Roku has shipped more than 8 million devices in the U.S.

Roku will give the MCN another outlet for AwesomenessTV, which has parlayed its YouTube presence into 1 billion monthly views.  And it represents another TV-facing platform for the MCN’s brand, as AwesomenessTV also produces a show for Nickelodeon.

1 Mainstream, an Internet TV company started up by former Roku, Apple, and TiVo execs based in Cupertino, said the AwesomenessTV channel will be offered on other devices in the months ahead.

“We are excited to bring AwesomenessTV’s great content to new screens, devices, and audiences,” said Rajeev Raman, 1 Mainstream’s CEO, in a statement. “Streaming devices like Roku open up powerful new distribution channels for today’s emerging content creators. With complete control over video quality, recommendations, and advertising - this is the best of all worlds for them.”

New York -- AwesomenessTV, the YouTube multichannel network launched in 2012 and acquired by DreamWorks Animation in 2013, that focuses on the influential teens and tweens demographic, knows how to connect with its audience and draw a crowd.

T.J. Marchetti, AwesomenessTV's chief marketing officer and a keynoter here Thursday at the Multichannel News/Broadcasting & Cable On Demand Summit, said a tweet sent out by The Janoskians, a group of YouTubers from Australia that does prank videos (and has parlayed that into 1.22 million Twitter followers), a few hours before an appearance at Times Square caused fans to swarm in and shut down the iconic area.

Their fans “totally overwhelmed the place,” said Marchetti (pictured above).

Nash Grier, another superstar on the AwesomenessTV roster known for his prowess on Vine, the Twitter-owned service that users tap to send out short six-second video clips, also drew a big crowd last fall during an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, causing a long-time producer to declare that the only other person who created as much pandemonium was teen hearthrob Justin Bieber.

While Grier may not be a celebrity in the traditional sense yet, he’s influential, Marchetti said, because Generation Z trusts him, and views him as relatable and approachable.

And those are just two examples of the power yielded by the key demographic that AwesomenessTV targets through its online video presence and its distribution deal with Nickelodeon.

“There’s a different language being spoken out there by Generation Z,” Marchetti said, noting earlier that AwesomenessTV is now drawing about 1 billion views per month. “The media that matters in the world today is video,” Marchetti added, noting that YouTube has become “part of the heart of that ecosystem.”

Marchetti said there’s no huge secret to the success AwesomenessTV has had connecting with its audience. “We just listen,” he said. “We’re just reading what’s out there…it’s about being in touch with that DMA.”

But the ability of MCNs like AwesomenessTV has also led to questions about brand equity – is it with the MCN itself or with its base of talent?

Marchetti acknowledged that talent is a key driver, but the broader mission is “to drive our brand.”

While YouTube remains a key platform for AwesomenessTV, the company is expanding beyond that. The prime example of that is the show (appropriately called AwesomenessTV) that runs on Nickelodeon.