Vice ‘to launch channels in 20 countries’

Vice Media CEO Shane Smith said that the company will launch 20 TV channels around the world this year, at company’s Digital Content NewFronts event in New York on Friday.

Smith, who began his short speech by lying on the floor and concluded it by singing a cover of Sham 69’s 1978 punk hit If the Kids Are United, reportedly said he planned to make Vice the “fastest-growing network in the fucking history of TV”.

He also said that Vice is due to launch six new digital verticals covering the topics of travel, health, gaming, money, LGBTQ and sustainability.

The first four of these brand channels were previously confirmed by Vice’s chief creative officer Eddy Moretti at MIPTV in April.

Vice launched its Viceland TV channel the US and Canada in February, and has already confirmed plans to roll it out to the UK and Ireland via Sky in September, and will launch a French version of the channel with Canal+ this autumn.

Vice creative director Spike Jonze and chief creative officer Eddy Moretti were named co-presidents of the network in February, while ex-Discovery Networks Asia boss Arjan Hoekstra has been hired to oversee the European channels’ roll-out.

A horizontal @shanesmith30 announces 7 new @VICE verticals at the #NewFronts pic.twitter.com/yWiawPycm9

— iab (@iab) 6 May 2016