DreamWorks, AwesomenessTV to make original shows for Verizon

(Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc will offer more than 200 hours a year of original online programing from DreamWorks Animation and its AwesomenessTV unit in a bid to reach families and younger viewers who increasingly watch video on mobile devices, the companies said on Wednesday.

The programing will be available only in the United States, under terms of the multiyear deal. Financial details were not disclosed.

Verizon has said it will launch an online video service this year but has not provided many details on programing.

The new DreamWorks Animation channel will feature family-oriented live action and animated short-form content from the company known for "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda."

An AwesomenessTV channel, aimed at teens and younger adults known as millennials, will include scripted and unscripted series. AwesomenessTV networks are among the most popular on Google Inc's YouTube, with more than 7 billion views.

"Our audience is largely consuming our content on mobile. It's growing rapidly by the day," Brian Robbins, CEO and co-founder of AwesomenessTV, said in an interview. "We think there is way more room to grow."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; editing by Matthew Lewis)