News broke earlier this week Discovery Channel was reportedly in talks to acquire San Francisco-based new media studio and distribution network Revision3. Well, now it’s official.
“Discovery’s mission to ignite viewers’ curiosity and its history of pioneering new platforms – from cable to HD to 3D – make it the logical leader in this explosive new wave of digital video growth,” said JB Perrette, Chief Digital Officer, Discovery Communications, who made the acquisition announcement. “With Revision3’s industry-leading management team and roster of great talent, we look forward to cultivating more original content and fresh personalities that resonate with passionate communities online and across all platforms, while enhancing our innovative marketing solutions for advertising partners.”
That roster of great talent referenced by Perrette includes a laundry list of online video superstars behind entertainment properties like Epic Meal Time, TechnoBuffalo, Soldier Knows Best, The Philip DeFranco Show, Vin Di Bona’s Cute Win Fail, and more.
Given today’s news, it wouldn’t be totally unexpected in the coming months to see the individuals featured in at least a few of those series to show up on Discovery Channel programming or watch relevant Discovery Channel vets (like MythBusters’ Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage) appear on screen with the likes of a Phil DeFranco or Harley Morenstein. Just imagine what an Epic Meal Time – Shark Week collaboration would look like (Hint: It’d look awesome.)
Revision3 reported 53% growth of ad-based revenue in 2011, and a video view increase of over 350% to 800 million views. Advertisers like Ford, Doritos, EA, Verizon, Sony, and more helped contributed to the growth, as well as branded product partnerships with distributors like J&D’s Foods.
Techcrunch reported the deal was in the $30 to $40 million range.
If you have any questions about the acquisition, you should ask them to Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback in person. He’ll be presenting at our Multi-Screen Mixup on May 16 in New York CIty. You can RSVP here.
As our industry becomes ever more populated by experts, and in the absence of collaborative…
With the amount of attention audio content is getting lately, we might as well rebrand…
Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends,…
Netflix has visited the farm once again. The streamer and Spotify have together poached Jay…
The creator supergroup that revived Supermarket Sweep on YouTube is ordering up another culinary competition.…
Meta is establishing paid subscription tiers across its network of social media platforms. A trio…