- Mike Shields, Mediaweek

NEW YORK For the second time in a month, Starburst has underwritten a content distribution deal for the Next New Networks’ series Nite Fite that resulted in an episode of the show receiving premium real estate on YouTube via its top home page ad placement.

On Nov. 4, a link to an election-themed episode of the animated Nite Fite was distributed within the top upper right hand ad slot on YouTube as the result of a campaign purchased by Starburst. That position is almost always restricted to pure ad units, according to executives at the niche Web video production firm Next New Networks.

Back on Oct. 6, an episode of Nite Fite dubbed "TV Is Crap!" received similar treatment, resulting in 500,000 total views and the top position on YouTube’s list of its most viewed videos for that day.

The series, which regularly carries promotional messaging from Mars’ Starburst, features a pair of fictional 50-somethings Penalty and Lloyd debating hot button issues such as the virtues of stick shift vs. automatic transmission. At the start of the Election Day episode the Penalty character is seen holding a pack of Starburst as he announces the candy as Nite Fite’s sponsor.

Officials at Next New said that YouTube typically delivers 50 percent of the views for episodes of Nite Fite -- part of the company’s Channel Frederator network, which has previously produced the pop culture-skewering animated series The Meth Minute.

The 17 Nite Fite episodes distributed on YouTube to date have generated 2.5 million views. The show, like most other Next New series, is also available on AOL, Veoh, iTunes and other video outlets across the Web.