Now Owned By Disney, Maker Studios to Launch Maker.tv

Maker Studios recently got acquired by Disney for at least $500 million back in March. Disney Chairman and CEO, Bob Iger explained why Disney acquired the company in Variety on Wednesday,

From the article:

“We can allow the Maker people to substantially improve the distribution and reach of shorter form video using these characters and stories and add their expertise on the production side,” said Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger during the call.

While the executive said Maker had built “a bit of a brand” for itself online over the past several years, “we see Maker first and foremost as a distribution platform and successful one. There’s a huge marketing opportunity for this company.”

Maker was acquired because Disney “did not have the ability in the near term to distribute and sell as effectively” as the MCN, Iger said. “They had expertise in creating short form video that wouldn’t have been as deep as it could have been at Disney.”

Read the full story here

TubeFilter did a story on Maker looking to build their brand away from You Tube and will launch Maker.tv

From the article:

Maker Studios is one of YouTube’s biggest networks, but how many of the viewers who watch Maker videos even know the company’s name? The network’s partners–a group that includes Epic Rap Battles of History, PewDiePie, and Toby Turner–are the recognizable brands that attract most fans, but Maker wants to get its own name out there. According to the Wall Street Journal, the soon-to-be-Disney-owned company will launch Maker.TV, a new off-YouTube video platform that will build its personal brand and help attract advertisers.

Maker.TV will be a video destination separate from YouTube. Its launch will follow one of 2013′s major trends: The migration of top YouTube content off of YouTube, an action that can distance creators from Google’s aggressive ad rates. However, Maker’s brass insists that the move isn’t about advertising; instead, it has everything to do with the Maker name. Erin McPherson, who came to Maker from Yahoo last year and is a champion of the new venture, explained that “creators know us. We’ll go to conventions and the Maker booth gets swarmed. We want to lean into that brand where it makes sense.”

“YouTube is great place to build audiences,” she added. “It’s not necessarily the best place to build a brand.”

Read the full story here

This is also a feel good story for investors as a Disney backed network running on a .tv can only bring about more exposure to the extension.