Fullscreen's young adult streaming service is shutting down
The subscription service is home to original shows featuring social media stars.
Fullscreen, the social-first streaming service for teens and young adults, is going kaput. Deadline is reporting that the VOD platform will close shop next year to focus on original productions and branded video content. At least all those social media stars won't be completely out of a job then.
If you didn't bother to fork out $6 per month to watch docuseries My Selfie Life and relive Dawson's Creek, you may need a Fullscreen refresher. Established in 2011 by former YouTube exec George Strompolos, the company is owned by Otter Media (a joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group). Last November, the streaming service was assimilated into AT&T's internet TV plans, courtesy of a free trial for mobile customers.
After the demise of NBC's Seeso comedy platform in August, Fullscreen's death is more proof that niche online services are struggling to co-exist alongside wide-ranging rivals like Netflix and Amazon. Leveraging AT&T's vast mobile subscriber base no doubt helped Fullscreen nab "hundreds of thousands" of paying customers and "millions" of app downloads. But, it simply wasn't enough.
Yet, the company isn't limited to its VOD service. After starting life as a talent network for online creators, Fullscreen Media snapped up YouTube behemoth Rooster Teeth in 2014, which it will continue to invest in, along with its branded content.
