Networks extend viral stars’ shelf life by cross-platform content release

Evidence

A month after their viral video, the girls were flown in from the U.K. to the U.S. in October 2011 for an interview and to reenact their viral hit. In a later segment, host Ellen DeGeneres invited singer Nicki Minaj to spring a surprise on the girls where she appeared on stage as a late notice request to chat and sing with them. Both videos have recorded over 32 million and 122 million views, respectively. So well received were the girls on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and its YouTube channel that shortly after, behind-the-scenes footage of Sophia Grace & Rosie was released on the show’s YouTube Channel, in a bid to capitalize upon their virality and extend their shelf life. — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 187

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: how a single mainstream-adjacent co-sign turbocharges a child’s virality into durable multi-platform stardom.
• XREF: connects to: Viral fame monetized through podcasting, casino appearances, and meme coins — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 815; Some viral meme figures decline to extend or monetize their transient fame — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 165; Network owners shifted from passive carriers to active curators of content — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 354

Broader Connections

• Viral fame monetized through podcasting, casino appearances, and meme coins #expands (0.80) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 815
• Some viral meme figures decline to extend or monetize their transient fame #qualifies (0.75) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 165
• Network owners shifted from passive carriers to active curators of content #expands (0.70) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 354