Google plans to start producing its own films and television shows via a “production initiative” called 100 Zeros, Business Insider reports. The company is working with Range Media Partners, a talent management and production company, to identify projects that appeal to younger audiences and could “promote a positive view of [Google’s] products.”
Besides the obvious opportunity for product placement, the larger goal of the initiative is to fund projects that have a positive view of technology, and to get the creative industry interested in using Google’s products. Immersive View, Google’s 3D aerial scans featured in Google Maps, could be a tool it pushes, Business Insider writes. Veo 2, Google’s AI video model, seems like a natural candidate, too. Whichever way the company goes, 100 Zeros already has a movie under its belt: The initiative reportedly helped pay for the marketing for the indie horror movie Cuckoo.
When Engadget reached out to Google for comment, the company shared the X post below, confirming that 100 Zeros isn’t a studio, but was created to help filmmakers incorporate XR and AI into their productions:
Google has some experience in the entertainment industry through its defunct YouTube Red Originals program. When YouTube first launched YouTube Red, the subscription service now called YouTube Premium, it did so alongside a slate of original content featuring notable YouTube talent. The program produced a number of shows and films, including popular series that found homes on other streaming services, like Cobra Kai, but never became a true competitor to Netflix.
100 Zeros doesn’t sound like another YouTube Red, and instead, a more traditional play to make original content and sell it to other distributors — just with a potentially Google-y flavor.
Update, May 5, 3:30PM ET: This article was updated with a social post from Google confirming the existence of its new production initiative.
This story originally appeared on Engadget
