Mobile gaming entertainment company Mobcrush just hired digital video veteran Phil Ranta, formerly of multi-channel networks Studio71 and Fullscreen, to head up its creator community.
Ranta’s hiring comes just as Mobcrush announced its “Go Live, Get Paid” platform. Currently in Beta, the platform will offer tools to help Mobcrush’s live streaming gamers increase their viewership and engagement. Streamers will be able to earn between $15 and $2,500 per hour of streaming, according to the press release, through advertisements and “sponsorship opportunities.”
Ranta’s job as head of creators, in part, will be to connect these live streaming mobile gamers with brands. As Mobcrush CEO Mike Wann put it, “We’re thrilled that Phil has come aboard to help us champion the incredible opportunities for gamers to get paid for live streaming their gameplay.”
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While Mobcrush is vague in describing possible brand sponsorships for streamers, it does say that it will support streaming across multiple platforms in addition to its own, like Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, and Periscope. Mobcrush has offered multi-platform streaming for a while, with the requirement that all live content also play on users’ Mobcrush channels. It’s unclear whether advertisements running alongside a user’s content will appear only on the Mobcrush platform or on other streaming sites, as well. The Go Live, Get Paid platform is expected to launch sometime next quarter.
Ranta plans to bring knowledge from his MCN background, as COO at Studio71 (formerly known as Collective Digital Studio) and Fullscreen‘s ninth employee, to his position at Mobcrush. “I look forward to growing and engaging a community around the Mobcrush platform that connects creators, audiences, and brands in exciting new ways,” Ranta said of his new job. Based on his both Ranta’s statement and his past, it seems like Go Live, Get Paid could take the form of an MCN-like venture, in which digital video networks help set creators up with brand sponsorships and advertisements in exchange for a percentage of their profits.
Mobcrush gained $20 million in a funding round led by Evolution Media Capital in October, 2016. Founded in 2014, the platform looks a lot like Twitch but is focused on mobile games. As of its 2016 funding round, the app boasted around 1 million active users.
