PBS Digital Studios

PBS Digital Studios
Formation	2012; 12 years ago
Location	Arlington, Virginia, United States;
Owner	PBS Distribution
Key people	Noel C. Bloom
Parent organization	WETA-TV
Affiliations	PBS
Website	www.pbs.org/digital-studios

PBS Digital Studios is a non-profit organization through which PBS distributes original educational web video content. Based in Arlington, Virginia, it comprises both original series and partnerships with existing YouTube channels. Most of the series are about science, popular culture, art, food, news, and music.

History

PBS Digital Studios was founded by Jason Seiken in June 2012.^[1] They had their first viral hit with a "remix" of autotuned vocals from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood titled "Garden of Your Mind."^[2]

The PBS Digital Studios network has received more than 500 million views and has over 7 million subscribers. Popular series found on their channels include Crash Course, Blank on Blank, It’s Okay To Be Smart, and the multiple Webby Award–winning PBS Idea Channel.^[3] Each month, the shows average more than 5 million streams.^[4]

Its first scripted series, Frankenstein, MD, launched on August 19, 2014, and ran until October 31, 2014.^[5]^[6]

In 2015, PBS Digital Studios partnered with the Green brothers' series Crash Course, commissioning three courses in astronomy, U.S. government, and philosophy.^[7] Crash Course Astronomy launched January 15, 2015, Crash Course U.S. Government & Politics launched January 23, 2015, and Crash Course Philosophy launched February 8, 2016.

In addition to commissioning series, PBS Digital Studios have partnered with existing YouTube channels. They partnered with BrainCraft in June, 2014^[8] and Physics Girl in August, 2015.^[9]

In 2017, the network cancelled a slew of its shows, including popular channels like PBS Game/Show & the PBS Idea Channel.^[10]

Current series

Be Smart
Citizen Better
CrashCourse
Deep Look
Indie Alaska
Monstrum
Only in El Paso
Otherwords
PBS Eons
PBS Origins
PBS Space Time
PBS Terra
Reactions
Sound Field
Sovereign Innovations
Two Cents

Past series

As of December 2020,^[update] PBS Digital Studios lists the following as "past" series:

24 Frames
Above The Noise
America From Scratch
American Veteran: Keep It Close
A Moment of Science
A People’s History of Asian America
Are You MN Enough?
The Art Assignment
BBQwithFranklin
Beat Making Lab
Blank on Blank
Bon Appétempt
BrainCraft
Brave Spaces
Central Standard
Dead and Buried
Everything But the News
Fate & Fabled
First Person
FullTimeKid
Future of Work
Good Gumbo
The Good Stuff
Gross Science
Global Weirding with Katharine Hayhoe
Hip-Hop and the Metaverse
Hot Mess
I Contain Multitudes
If Cities Could Dance
The Intergalactic Nemesis
Indie Lens Storycast
InventorSeries
It's Lit!
Latinos Are Essential
Makin' Friends with Ryan Miller
Mike Likes Science
Modern Comedian
NOURISH
opbmusicStagepass
Origin Of Everything
Outside the Lyrics
Parentalogic
PBS Diorama
PBS Game/Show
PBS Idea Channel
PBS Infinite Series
PBSoffbook
PBS ReInventors
PBS Short Docs
PBS Vitals
Pancake Mountain
Physics Girl
Prideland
Ritual
Say It Loud
Self-Evident
Serving Up Science
Shanks FX
STELLAR
Subcultured
Tacos of Texas
The ChatterBox
Unusual Creatures
You're Doing it Wrong

Reception

Evan Desimone of NewMediaRockstars wrote, "Brilliant...takes you somewhere you didn’t expect."^[11] Sam Gutelle of Tubefilter called Idea Channel show, "Nothing short of superb."^[12]

References

^ Looking Back On A Year Of PBS Digital Studios, July 18, 2013.
^ First scripted series from PBS Digital Studios updates Frankenstein for modern age, July 25, 2014.
^ PBS Digital Studios to Premiere First Scripted Series 'Frankenstein, M.D.' on Tuesday, August 19 Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, July 23, 2014.
^ PBS Launching 4 New Digital Original Series, May 5, 2014.
^ Votta, Rae (July 23, 2014). "Newcomer Anna Lore cast as title role in new Pemberley Digital series 'Frankenstein, M.D.'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
^ Frankenstein, MD (TV Series 2014– ), retrieved September 24, 2018
^ Staff, Wrap PRO (November 6, 2014). "Vlogbrothers to Bring 'Crash Course' to PBS Digital Studios and Classrooms Nationwide".
^ "Big news! BrainCraft joins PBS Digital Studios". braincraft.tv. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
^ "Dianna Cowern's 'Physics Girl' Joins PBS Digital Studios". Tubefilter. August 21, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
^ Idea Channel is Ending. PBS Idea Channel. June 30, 2017 – via YouTube.
^ DeSimone, Evan (September 26, 2014). "We're Obsessed With The PBS Idea Channel! | New Media Rockstars". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
^ Gutelle, Sam (January 2, 2013). "PBS Idea Channel Explains Why Our New Year's Resolutions Fail". Tubefilter. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

External links

PBS Digital Studios: YouTube Channel—the location of their original web content
Current PBS Digital Studios YouTube Shows
National Public Media Archived August 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine—information from the National Public Media website
PBS—videos of PBS personalities whose words have been autotuned and remixed
Forbes—Looking back on one year of PBS Digital Studios

[Forbes-1] Looking Back On A Year Of PBS Digital Studios, July 18, 2013.

[Current.org-2] First scripted series from PBS Digital Studios updates Frankenstein for modern age, July 25, 2014.

[bythe#s-3] PBS Digital Studios to Premiere First Scripted Series 'Frankenstein, M.D.' on Tuesday, August 19 Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, July 23, 2014.

[Variety-4] PBS Launching 4 New Digital Original Series, May 5, 2014.

[5] Votta, Rae (July 23, 2014). "Newcomer Anna Lore cast as title role in new Pemberley Digital series 'Frankenstein, M.D.'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved September 24, 2018.

[6] Frankenstein, MD (TV Series 2014– ), retrieved September 24, 2018

[7] Staff, Wrap PRO (November 6, 2014). "Vlogbrothers to Bring 'Crash Course' to PBS Digital Studios and Classrooms Nationwide".

[8] "Big news! BrainCraft joins PBS Digital Studios". braincraft.tv. Retrieved November 18, 2015.

[9] "Dianna Cowern's 'Physics Girl' Joins PBS Digital Studios". Tubefilter. August 21, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.

[10] Idea Channel is Ending. PBS Idea Channel. June 30, 2017 – via YouTube.

[11] DeSimone, Evan (September 26, 2014). "We're Obsessed With The PBS Idea Channel! | New Media Rockstars". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved May 25, 2022.

[12] Gutelle, Sam (January 2, 2013). "PBS Idea Channel Explains Why Our New Year's Resolutions Fail". Tubefilter. Retrieved September 29, 2022.

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v t e PBS
National Association of Educational Broadcasters (1925–1981) National Educational Television (1952–1970) American Public Television (1961–) Educational Television Stations (1963–1973) Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 Corporation for Public Broadcasting (1967–) America's Public Television Stations (1979–)
Documentaries	Independent Lens (episodes) (since August 9, 1999) PBS Short Film Festival (since 2012) POV (episodes) (since July 5, 1988)
Drama	Masterpiece (since January 10, 1971)
Music and fine arts	American Masters (since June 22, 1986) Art:21 (since 2001) Austin City Limits (since January 3, 1976) Bluegrass Underground (since 2011) Craft in America (since 2007) Great Performances (episodes) (since November 4, 1972) Next at the Kennedy Center (since 2023)
History	American Experience (episodes) (since October 4, 1988) Antiques Roadshow (since January 9, 1997) Finding Your Roots (since March 25, 2012) Secrets of the Dead (since May 15, 2000)
News and public affairs	Amanpour & Company (since September 10, 2018) BBC World News America (since June 3, 2019 from American Public Television) Firing Line (episodes) (April 4, 1966 – December 26, 1999; since June 22, 2018) Frontline (episodes) (since January 17, 1983) PBS News Hour (since October 20, 1975) To the Contrary (since April 3, 1992) Washington Week (since February 23, 1967)
Personalities	Samantha Brown Ken Burns Ric Burns Michael Gerson Amy Holmes Bill Moyers Hari Sreenivasan Judy Woodruff
How-to and special interest	MotorWeek (since October 15, 1981) This Old House (episodes) (since January 1, 1979)
Science and nature	Nature (episodes) (since October 10, 1982) Nova (episodes) (since March 3, 1974)
Networks	Create PBS PBS America (UK) PBS Digital Studios PBS Kids PBS YOU¹ World Channel
Major stations	Boston WGBH WGBX Chicago WTTW Dallas KERA Houston KUHT Los Angeles KCET KLCS KOCE Maryland MPT Miami–Ft. Lauderdale–West Palm Beach WLRN WPBT WXEL New Jersey NJ PBS New York WLIW WNET Philadelphia–Wilmington–Lehigh Valley WHYY WLVT Pittsburgh WQED San Francisco/Watsonville/San Jose KQED KQEH KQET Tampa–St. Petersburg WEDQ WEDU Washington, D.C. WETA WHUT
Former	BBC OS (January 1, 2020 – March 30, 2023) A Chef's Life (September 7, 2013 – October 22, 2018) Need to Know (May 7, 2010 – June 28, 2013) We'll Meet Again with Ann Curry (January 23, 2018 – January 8, 2019)
See also	List of PBS member stations List of programs broadcast by PBS PBS Distribution PBS Satellite Service
¹Defunct network ²Distributed by American Public Television (APT)