The Philip DeFranco Show

The Philip DeFranco Show
Channel banner of DeFranco's channel
Also known asThe PDS
GenrePop culture and news
Created byPhilip DeFranco
Presented byPhilip DeFranco
(2007–present)
Country of originUnited States
Production
Running timearound 18 to 35 minutes
Original release
NetworkRevision3
ReleaseJune 21, 2007 (2007-06-21) –
present
Related
SourceFed
The Vloggity
ForHumanPeoples

The Philip DeFranco Show, often abbreviated and referred to as the PDS, is a pop culture and news series created by American YouTube personality, Philip DeFranco, and his main claim to fame. The show has gone through several schedule changes through its lifetime, but as of 2023, airs weekly, Monday through Thursday. The first video with The Philip DeFranco Show included in its intro was uploaded on June 21, 2007. As DeFranco became increasingly popular, he signed with Revision3, which would eventually acquire all of DeFranco's assets, including the PDS. The Philip DeFranco Show has been sponsored by Netflix, Ting, and State Farm. The show has been nominated for and has won several awards that focus on internet culture and web series. In 2017, DeFranco purchased his assets back from Group Nine (the company that replaced Discovery Digital Networks) and the Philip DeFranco Show is now a part of the Philip DeFranco Network and produced by Rogue Rocket, DeFranco's production company.

Format

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The show is recorded by DeFranco in his production office in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.[1] The PDS is then edited by James Girardier so that the episode is presented in a fast paced vlog format, complemented with use of frequent jump cuts throughout.[1][2][3] The topics discussed in the show vary, but usually cover pop culture and news.[4] Episodes usually have a 10-minute duration in which Defranco lists both arguments of a story and then states his opinion.[2] During the show's early existence, in 2007, DeFranco stated that he usually searches websites such as Technorati to find topics to discuss.[5] Episodes of the series include recurring segments, such as the "Douchebag of the Day" segment and "Today in Awesome."[6]

Some of the older episodes have been noted to include racy thumbnails, such as Big Boobs and You.[7] As of June 2013, the video now holds a thumbnail of DeFranco speaking.[8] The video was chosen as one of DeFranco's top five YouTube moments by New Media Rockstars.[9] DeFranco commented on racy thumbnails in a Los Angeles Times article.[10]

Eventually, DeFranco's format included a consistent opening line of "Sup, you beautiful bastards",[11] or "What's going on, you beautiful bastards," noted as intentionally casual.[12] For some time, the show's background set design featured a bright, distinctive blue DeFranco jokingly called "Phil Blue." Forbes contributor Fruzsina Eordogh commented "It was a very unique cobalt. The geeky toys on the shelves and various art [...] adorning the walls behind him let the viewer know what fandom he belonged to (like Star Wars, for example)."[13] DeFranco introduced a new set in 2018.[13] The Verge described DeFranco's show as "styled after anchored news shows," and added that he sits on a couch in the style of late-night shows.[14]

History

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Philip DeFranco speaking at VidCon 2012

DeFranco created his sxephil channel on September 15, 2006.[15] DeFranco would begin to upload vlogs, before uploading the first PDS on June 21, 2007.[16] Despite this, the show's debut date is disputed, and has been cited as being in 2006.[17]

Early episodes of The Philip DeFranco Show were short and black and white for either most of or the entire duration of an episode. This was because DeFranco was limited to a $20 black and white camera.[18]

In 2008, an episode of the PDS used footage of the 2008 Toronto propane explosion captured by then 24-year-old Saejin Oh without permission, a violation of YouTube's community guidelines. "I’m disgusted by it," said Oh in an email exchange. "Personally, I’m not worried they stole my video or made profit out of it. I’m rather more disgusted by the fact that they used a video of real-life event that caused death of two people to pay tribute to ... a movie." DeFranco declined a request from Wired for an interview on the subject. Saejin Oh submitted a YouTube copyright strike with YouTube, and the entire PDS video (not just the short segment featuring Oh's content) was eventually taken down.[19] The video received over 351,094 views and had monetization enabled, giving DeFranco potentially hundreds of dollars from Google AdSense (if earning the average CPM).[20]

During December 2008, one of his videos was removed from the front page, although, as a YouTube partner, his account was not suspended.[21]

In May 2013, The Philip DeFranco Show, as well as DeFranco's other assets, were acquired by Revision3, a network which DeFranco was signed to.[17][22][23] On May 1, 2017, DeFranco announced via his YouTube series that he would be launching a Patreon campaign and network called DeFranco Elite, reclaiming the assets of the Philip DeFranco Show to extend the brand on his own, with the help of his fans and followers. However, some fans were upset with DeFranco for claiming transparency despite not revealing the amount of money and donors he has.[citation needed]

Over the course of the series, guests have appeared on the show, such as cosplayer Jessica Nigri, and video game journalist Adam Sessler.[24][25][26]

DeFranco has, on several occasions, announced the "end" of The Philip DeFranco Show. Each time, he quickly went against his word. The first time was on November 3, 2008, when DeFranco announced the show would end on November 3, 2009.[27][28] DeFranco stated in an interview, "I don't want to overrun my time because it'll mean a lot less to me."[29] On October 6, 2009, however, DeFranco announced that the show would continue past November 3, 2009.[30] On April 22, 2010, DeFranco announced, in the show's then-final episode, the conclusion of the show's run.[31] However, DeFranco stated he "needed to cancel the show", due to a contract he signed with a company "way back in the day" that allowed them to advertise his show, which he would have to agree to. DeFranco would continue uploading similar content on his sxephil channel, under the name Not Safe For Work, which was abbreviated NSFW.[32] The show, however, shortly returned to its original format, on May 7, 2010.[33] On December 19, 2013, DeFranco once again flirted with the idea of ending the PDS, tweeting out, "I think 2014 is going to be the last year of the PDS. But we'll have 365 days to figure it out together."[34] The show would continue into 2015, however.[35]

Reception

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The show has been able to attract large view numbers, as a Los Angeles Times article states "at its best, surpassing the average viewership of such recognizable programs as CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, HLN's Nancy Grace, MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show and even Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart".[2] By early 2013, DeFranco's sxephil channel, driven almost entirely on the PDS, had accumulated over one billion video views.[36] The series has been met with critical success, as well; DeFranco has been called "the Walter Cronkite of the YouTube generation".[1] DeFranco has also been compared to Jon Stewart.[37] Despite this, DeFranco has stated that "... in no world should I ever be considered a journalist. I'm just a guy talking about the world trying to have a conversation with people."[38]

In 2016, Aja Romano of Vox wrote that on The PDS, DeFranco is known for his "candid, often satirical delivery and his willingness to cover everything from celebrity gossip to memes."[39]

The PDS has been criticized for being "YouTube-centric".[40] DeFranco has admitted that a common criticism he receives is his use of jump cuts throughout episodes of the show.[41]

Awards and accolades

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Year Category Award Result Ref
2010 Best Vlogger 2nd Streamy Awards Nominated [42]
2013 Best News Web Series 2nd IAWTV Awards Won [43][44]
Best Writing (Non-Fiction) Nominated [45]
Best First-Person Series 3rd Streamy Awards Nominated [46]
Best News and Culture Series Won [47]
2014 Show of the Year 4th Streamy Awards Nominated [48]
2015 Show of the Year 5th Streamy Awards Nominated [49]
News and Culture Nominated [49]
2016 Show of the Year 6th Streamy Awards Won [50]
Best News and Culture Series Won [50][51]
2017 Show of the Year 7th Streamy Awards Nominated [52]
Best News and Culture Series Nominated [52]
2018 Show of the Year 8th Streamy Awards Nominated [53]
Best News Series Won [53]
2019 Show of the Year 9th Streamy Awards Nominated [54]
News Won [54]
2020 News 10th Streamy Awards Nominated [55]
2021 News 11th Streamy Awards Nominated [56]
2022 News 12th Streamy Awards Nominated [57]

Media

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Seib, Al (August 28, 2012). "Behind the scenes at YouTube's "The Philip DeFranco Show"". Company Town: The Business Behind the Show. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Chmielewski, Dawn C. (August 28, 2012). "YouTube gives wacky anchorman Philip DeFranco greater exposure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Jaworski, Michelle (August 13, 2012). "YouTube's Philip DeFranco braves dangerous new waters for Shark Week". The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  4. ^ Humphrey, Michael (July 27, 2012). "YouTube PrimeTime: Philip DeFranco's 'People First' Plan Has SourceFed Booming". Forbes. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  5. ^ Ratner, Andrew (September 23, 2007). "For 1 college video blogger, it's a really strange trip". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  6. ^ Rayne (August 21, 2009). "sxePhil: A Little News, A Little Sarcasm, and Your Douchebag of the Day". Mind Cryme. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  7. ^ Sarno, David (October 14, 2007). "The bait is sexy; be prepared for a switch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  8. ^ "big boobs and you search query". YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  9. ^ Klima, Jeff (January 2, 2014). "PHIL DEFRANCO TO RETIRE? THE TOP 5 PHIL DEFRANCO MOMENTS ON YOUTUBE". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  10. ^ Sarno, David (February 4, 2009). "Technology". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  11. ^ Alexander, Julia (June 22, 2018). "Philip DeFranco says his YouTube show may change in the next 3 years". Polygon. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Alexander, Julia (October 18, 2017). "'Internet content' is YouTube, Twitch and Vine, not Netflix". Polygon. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Eordogh, Fruzsina (June 30, 2018). "A Critique Of Philip DeFranco's New Set". Forbes. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  14. ^ Plaugic, Lizzie (June 7, 2017). "YouTube's gossip vloggers have created their own tabloid industry". The Verge. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  15. ^ "sxephil about". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  16. ^ DeFranco, Philip (June 21, 2007). "Fake Rape is the new Black". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Discovery's Revision3 Buys Philip DeFranco's YouTube Ventures". Hollywood. Deadline. May 30, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  18. ^ Chindamo, Frank; Chindamo, Lynn (September 4, 2013). "Philip Defranco's Perserverance [sic], Sex Appeal Lead To YouTube Stardom". Tubefilter. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  19. ^ Wortham, Jenna (August 21, 2008). "Underwire Taking the Pulse of Pop Culture Popular YouTubers 'Borrow' Disaster Footage to Spoof Cloverfield". Underwire. Wired. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  20. ^ Learmonth, Michael (August 20, 2008). "YouTube Producers Milk Fatal Toronto Explosion For Fun And Profit". Business Insider. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  21. ^ "sxephil Gets Censored By YouTube". Rockland USA. December 27, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  22. ^ Shields, Mike (May 31, 2013). "YouTube Star Phil DeFranco Talks Revision3 Deal". Adweek. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  23. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (January 5, 2012). "Revision3 signs Philip DeFranco". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  24. ^ Solinsky, Kolby (August 6, 2014). "Cosplay coming back to Vancouver for Anime Revolution 2014". Burnaby NewsLeader. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  25. ^ DeFranco, Philip (October 4, 2012). "Best News Day Evarrr!!". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  26. ^ DeFranco, Philip (June 13, 2013). "Wendy's Wants To Make You Fat!?". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  27. ^ "End of the Road For Me - YouTube". YouTube. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  28. ^ DeFranco, Philip (November 3, 2008). "End of the Road For Me". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  29. ^ Powers, Nicole (January 2, 2009). "Philip DeFranco is sxephil". Suicide Girls. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  30. ^ DeFranco, Philip (October 6, 2009). "Peepshow's Aubrey Has Issues and It May Involve VRNWAAZ". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  31. ^ DeFranco, Philip (April 22, 2010). "The Last PDS and How we killed 55.8 Black people in 1787". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTUbe. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  32. ^ DeFranco, Philip (April 26, 2010). "NSFW- BoobQuake 2010". Not Safe for Work. YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  33. ^ DeFranco, Philip (May 7, 2010). "CRAZY TSA Beatdown bc Body Scanner Reveals Tiny Pen*s!!!". The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  34. ^ Gutelle, Sam (December 19, 2013). "2014 May Be The Final Year Of 'The Philip DeFranco Show'". Tubefilter. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  35. ^ DeFranco, Philip (January 5, 2015). NEW QUEEN OF PORN SPARKS OUTRAGE!!. The Philip DeFranco Show. YouTube. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  36. ^ Murphy, Kyle (January 11, 2013). "Philip DeFranco With Engadget At CES 2013". The Inquisitr. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  37. ^ Kessler, Sarah (August 4, 2014). "Inside YouTube's Fame Factory". Fast Company. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  38. ^ DeFranco, Philip (October 7, 2016). My Response to All the Hate and Angry Comments... The Friday Show. YouTube. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  39. ^ Romano, Aja (September 2, 2016). "YouTube's "ad-friendly" content policy may push one of its biggest stars off the website". Vox. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  40. ^ Shaw, Lucas (November 13, 2013). "Can Vice Build YouTube's First Huge News Channel?". The Wrap. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  41. ^ DeFranco, Philip (May 16, 2013). "YouTuber Philip DeFranco AMA". Reddit. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  42. ^ "Streamy Awards: 2010 List". Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  43. ^ Manarino, Matthew (January 9, 2013). "Shocking News: Felicia Day & Phil DeFranco Among Winners at 2013 IAWTV Awards". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  44. ^ DeFranco, Philip (January 8, 2013). "My beautiful girlfriend accepted my IAWTV award for best news show bc I got stuck but YAY thank you Nation!!". PhillyD.tv. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  45. ^ Manarino, Matthew (November 12, 2012). "BREAK OUT THE AWARD POLISH AND KLEENEX: THE IAWTV AWARD NOMINEES ARE IN". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  46. ^ "3rd Annual Nominees & Winners". Streamys. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  47. ^ "Streamys 2013, Phil DeFranco, Best News and Culture Series, Acceptan". Streamys. YouTube. February 17, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  48. ^ "Streamy Awards: 2014 List". Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  49. ^ a b "Streamy Awards: 2015 List". Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  50. ^ a b "Streamy Awards: 2016 List". Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  51. ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (October 2, 2016). "Streamy Awards: 2016 Full Winners List". Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  52. ^ a b "Streamy Awards: 2017 List". Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  53. ^ a b "Streamy Awards: 2018 List". Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  54. ^ a b "Winners Announced for the 9th Annual Streamy Awards List". Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  55. ^ "10TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS List". Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  56. ^ "11TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS List". Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  57. ^ "12TH ANNUAL NOMINEES & WINNERS List". Retrieved December 5, 2022.

Further reading

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