Maker Studios Raises $26 Mil to Expand Global Video Reach
It’s been a busy month for Maker Studios: The digital media firm, a major YouTube multichannel network partner, said it has raised $26 million in a second and final part of its Series C financing to expand its international footprint.
The funding news comes after Maker’s announcement last week that it acquired Blip, an early online video distributor that Maker bought for its technology assets and distribution partnerships. Maker declined to comment on whether the new funding is being used to finance the Blip deal.
The second part of this round – for a total raised in the Series C of $62 million – includes investments from French media conglom Canal +; Astro Overseas, the government of Malaysia’s strategic investment fund; Singapore telecom provider SingTel; and venture-capital firms Lakestar, Northgate Capital and existing investor Upfront Ventures.
The first tranche of Maker’s Series C financing, $36 million raised late last year, was led by Time Warner Investments and included investments from: Upfront Ventures; Greycroft Partners; Ynon Kreiz, Maker’s executive chairman; Downey Ventures, the investment company for Robert Downey Jr.; Elisabeth Murdoch; FUEL: M+C, the investment company for John Miller and Jimmy Yaffe; Daher Capital; and producer Jon Landau. To date, Maker has raised more than $70 million; the company declined to provide a specific figure.
More than half of Maker’s viewers are outside the U.S., and the company works with YouTube creators in more than 80 countries, according to Kreiz.
“Our objective was to expand our investor base to include major players in key international markets,” Kreiz said in a statement. “The new funding will allow us to further expand our team and executive talent globally, extend our technology offerings for content creators and brand partners, and establish our local footprint around the world.”
Culver City, Calif.-based Maker generates more than 4 billion views online per month via 60,000 channels and more than 260 million subscribers. The company’s roster of YouTube personalities include PewDiePie — who runs what is now the most-subscribed channel on YouTube — as well as KassemG, Nice Peter, EpicLloyd’s “Epic Rap Battles of History,” the Shaytards and Snoop Lion’s WestFestTV.
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