X CEO Linda Yaccarino has announced her first major talent signing to the app, with Paris Hilton becoming the first celebrity to ink an exclusive content deal as part of X’s expanding video content push.
The queen of pop culture, music, business, and TV is #Sliving on X. @ParisHilton welcome to the @X family, we’re excited to launch an official partnership with you and your next-gen media company 11:11. Together we’re going to create a launchpad for new initiatives in video and… pic.twitter.com/7ctohyn3Nb
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) October 2, 2023
I mean, I’m not sure that Paris Hilton carries the sort of cultural cache that she did in, say, 2005, but she does have a huge online presence, and she has been at the forefront of many key trends.
As per Variety, Hilton’s new agreement with X will see her create four original video programs for the platform each year, for the next two years at least, which will include live-shopping broadcasts, Spaces audio chats, and more. In addition to this, Hilton will also serve as a launch partner for new X products, services, and feature releases.
X has been working to establish a stronger presence for creators, with a view to building out its content offerings, and eventually, according to owner Elon Musk at least, competing with YouTube for top creative talent. Ideally, that’ll then keep more people coming back to X more often to see the latest content, with X sweetening the creator pie via ad revenue share, enhanced subscriber options, improved video streaming, live streaming, and more.
The push also leans into Yaccarino’s expertise, in building out improved video streaming offerings.
In her previous role, Yaccarino was a key player in establishing NBC’s Peacock streaming service, which now has over 20 million subscribers, and it’s this knowledge that X is now looking to integrate into its own video offering, as it seeks to merge X’s popularity as a “second-screening” service (i.e. a complementary platform to regular TV viewing) into a more singular entertainment solution.
Which the previous Twitter team had also been trying to do for years. But maybe now, with social platforms become a more viable entertainment option, on par with traditional TV, it can capitalize on this opportunity, and transform the app into an entertainment powerhouse.
In order to do that, of course, it’s probably going to need a bit more star power than Paris Hilton. But it also needs to start somewhere, and if Hilton is able to build her business through an expanded partnership with X, you can bet that other big names will also start to pay attention, which could see more of them looking to sign similar content deals with the app.
In this sense, it’s a particularly big move. And while Hilton’s recent enthusiastic adoption of NFTs probably didn’t help to enhance her perceived cultural nous, if X can get Hilton’s fans engaged in the app, and even buying products through shopping streams (note: the details on this element are pretty fuzzy at this stage), that could be a big step.
If nothing else, Hilton will be a valuable billboard for X’s latest initiatives, which will get at least some of her contemporaries looking its way.