YouTube Multi-Channel Network Rightster Raising £15 Million For IPO

Undeterred by the recent trend of less-than-successful IPOs from online video companies, multi-channel network Rightster is putting its stock on the market. The British company is hoping to raise £15 million and launch a listing on the Alternative Investment Market, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange.

Rightster is an MCN that, much like fellow Brits Base79, specializes in helping existing brands establish channels on YouTube and beyond. Its clients include The Guardian, London Fashion Week, and ITN Productions, and it has also worked with viral video stars like the ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ kids through its partnership with Viral Spiral.

Rightster’s fundraising goal values the company at around £50 million. It is choosing to go public in lieu of raising venture capital, which has served as the go-to method for other online video networks.

Rightster’s upcoming IPO will be the latest in a series of recent online video-related public offerings, and the network will hope to fare better than its predecessors. After Tremor Video saw its stock prices drop sharply during its first week on the market, fellow ad network YuMe also suffered a disappointing start as it failed to raise even half of its initial goal. Given those results, Rightster should consider anything close to its £15 million mark to be a great success.

No matter how Rightster fares on the open market its decision to become the first true YouTube MCN to launch an IPO will be a notable one. Other networks would be wise to pay close attention to Righster’s stock .