Time Inc. announced on Tuesday a focus on the digital celebrity set with a new platform, Instant, to launch this summer.
With digital stars gaining more mainstream traction, it partnered with People, Entertainment Weekly, and HelloGiggles for a mobile-first venture that will exclusively feature digital celebrities on video-focused apps.
“Just as People and EW have led and transformed celebrity and pop culture coverage for years,” said Jess Cagle, editorial director of People and Entertainment Weekly in a statement. “Instant will be the media authority on the new famous.”
While no specific stars have been mentioned as part of the coverage to come, Time Inc. called out platforms like YouTube, Vine, YouNow, and Snapchat as the focus of the project.
“Digital artists are the most explosive and addictive phenomenon in celebrity and entertainment today,” said Will Lee, digital editorial director for People and Entertainment Weekly in a press release.
The platform will feature content both created by digital stars, and news items about those stars. Content will be promoted on the EW and People sites. Time Inc. plans to reveal the project at VidCon, the largest gathering of digital video stars, fans and professionals, in June.
