LOS ANGELES & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fullscreen, a global youth media company that develops online creators and programs multi-platform entertainment experiences, has agreed to acquire Rooster Teeth, a pioneering online creative studio and leading digital content brand.
With this acquisition, Fullscreen will accelerate its expansion with Rooster Teeth’s large audience and content production capabilities, both live and animated. As part of the agreement, Fullscreen will support the production of Rooster Teeth’s existing hit series and the development of new premium formats. With Rooster Teeth, Fullscreen will enhance its merchandise and live events initiatives, and integrate the innovative gaming and culture brand into its technology and advertising infrastructure. Otter Media, a venture between The Chernin Group and AT&T, recently acquired a majority stake in Fullscreen.
Since 2003, Rooster Teeth, led by Matt Hullum and Burnie Burns, has been a leader in online entertainment production and distribution. It has developed live-action shorts, serial comedies, animation, podcasts and gameplay videos. These include “Achievement Hunter,” “Immersion,” “RWBY,” “The Gauntlet” and one of the longest-running video series on the Internet, “Red vs. Blue.” The company’s lifestyle programming also includes a leading podcast network, a subscription platform and one of YouTube’s most popular multichannel networks.
“Rooster Teeth is one of the strongest and most authentic media brands in the world amongst 18-34 year old, male-skewing audiences,” said George Strompolos, Fullscreen CEO and founder. “The combination of its massive reach, unique creative voice and insanely powerful community makes it a perfect match for Fullscreen. Burnie and Matt are widely recognized as true pioneers in the world of online video. It’s an honor to team up with them as Fullscreen continues to redefine youth media.”
Rooster Teeth’s highly engaged audience of nearly eight million fans worldwide has supported the company’s expansion into diverse revenue streams beyond video. This includes music sales, merchandise and video games as well as live events, including RTX (Rooster Teeth Expo), the annual convention celebrating gaming and Internet culture. The expo attracted more than 30,000 attendees in its third year. Recently, the company crowd-funded nearly $2.5 million to produce “Lazer Team,” which broke records as the most funded film on Indiegogo to date.
“At Rooster Teeth, we have a long history of creating the best digital content in the industry,” said Burnie Burns, Rooster Teeth creative director. “With Fullscreen, we look forward to continuing that tradition in even bigger and better ways. Matt and I are excited about the opportunities this alliance will present for our creators and all the amazing content it will empower them to produce for our audience.”
Rooster Teeth will continue operating as a subsidiary in Austin, with Hullum remaining as CEO and Burns as creative director.
About Fullscreen
Fullscreen is a global youth media company that develops online creators and programs multi-platform entertainment experiences. 450 million subscribers generate more than 4 billion video views across Fullscreen’s global network each month. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company was founded in January 2011 by CEO George Strompolos, a co-creator of the original YouTube Partner Program. Fullscreen’s network includes more than 55,000 creators, featuring the Fine Bros., O2L (Our 2nd Life), Andrea Russett, Lohanthony, Devin Supertramp and Jack and Jack. Visit Fullscreen.com for more information.
About Otter Media
AT&T and The Chernin Group formed Otter Media in April 2014 to acquire, invest in and launch global over-the-top (OTT) video services. With more than $500 million in funding invested or committed to the venture, the alliance positions both companies to take advantage of the rapid growth of online video services, with each party bringing significant and complementary strengths. One of the strategic focuses of the venture is to invest in and build advertising and OTT video services for targeted audiences.
Otter Media’s portfolio includes a majority stake in Crunchyroll, a leading global subscription and ad-supported video platform for Japanese anime and Korean content, and Creativebug, one of the top go-to sources for high-quality online video arts and crafts instruction.
