Where to stream the Streamy Awards
LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood A-listers have the Oscars -- but for YouTube and Vine stars, the biggest entertainment of the year has always been the Streamy Awards.
Since its inception six years ago, the awards show -- co-produced by Tubefilter and Dick Clark Productions -- has become a must-watch event for younger audiences who consume content mostly online.
This year the show has "crossed into the threshold of mainstream," Drew Baldwin, Streamys co-creator, told Mashable.
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"Year One we really wanted to create a platform with which we could shine a mainstream spotlight on all this amazing revolutionary things people were doing online," Baldwin said. "It's come a long way since then ... but it's still important to continue to celebrate these innovate storytellers who are reaching audiences in new ways and new formats that are being forged."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the awards show:
Where can you watch?
YouTube -- because ... where else? The live stream begins Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PDT.
YouTube serves as the official live stream partner for this year’s Streamy Awards. Viewers will not only be able to watch the show live on YouTube, but will also be able to connect directly with some of their favorite creators via YouTube mobile live streams (the ability to go live via mobile launched at VidCon this year).
"YouTube's been a partner with us for a long time," Baldwin said. "Last year even though it was a live broadcast on TV on Vh1 it was simulcast on Vh1's YouTube channel. This year is the first global partnership with YouTube and they are rolling out some new tech and features ... all the creators in the audience are going to be sharing their perspectives on their accounts too."
Who is hosting?
Vine star King Bach (whose real name Andrew Bachelor) is the Guinness Book World Record holder for the most followed account on Vine. The digital influencer, who is 28, boasts more than 15 million subscribers and 5 billion views on the platform, and won the inaugural “Viner” award at last year’s Streamy Awards.
He also has his own production company and has appeared on a handful of television shows including House of Lies, The Mindy Project, Black Jesus, Punk’d and Resident Advisors.
"It’s important to honor people in the space because this space is where the majority of people spend their time consuming content," Bachelor told Mashable in a phone interview ahead of the show. "The space and the awards show has just gotten bigger and bigger I'm excited and honored to host."
Where are they being held?
This year's awards are being held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California -- the same venue where the Golden Globes are held every year.
"I think people at the Golden Globes are going to start saying we're at the place the Streamys are," Baldwin joked.
What awards are being handed out?
The Streamys already announced 30 winners at an awards reception on Saturday at the YouTube Space in Playa Vista. (Check out the list of winners so far).
On Tuesday evening, winners of 14 additional categories consisting of Actor, Actress, Beauty, Breakout Creator, Comedy, Fashion, First Person, Lifestyle, Snapchat Storyteller and Viner, two new categories -- Feature and Live -- as well as the two Audience Choice categories -- Entertainer of the Year and Show of the Year -- will be announced.
What else can you expect?
A killer line-up of presenters including: Flula Borg,Shay Carl, Gabriel Conte, Philip DeFranco, Yousef Erakat, Brittany Furlan, German Garmendia of HolaSoyGerman, Gigi Gorgeous, Joey Graceffa, GloZell Green, Grace Helbig, Jenna Marbles, Jenn McAllister, Tyler Oakley, Logan Paul, Lele Pons, Rhett & Link, Andrea Russett, Lilly Singh, Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh, Superfruit,The Try Guys, James Van Der Beek and What’s Up Moms.
King Bach told Mashable to expect some "surprise guests," but he wouldn't reveal any more spoilers ahead of the show.
Lots and lots of social media posts. The official hashtag is #streamys, and organizers will be posting updates on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Vine as well as Snapchat (username: streamys).
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
