FilmRise and Viral Nationa, a social media company, formed a new distribution partnership to expand FilmRise’s Creator Partner Program. The agreement will add ten top creators spanning several genres to free streaming.
Viral Nation has selected ten diverse and talented digital stars to launch this partnership with FilmRise, including skater Andrew Schrock, who has more than 5.6 million subscribers on YouTube, mobile gamer Panda, who has 12 million subscribers to his YouTube channel for PUBG gameplay, and Singaporean comedia JianHao Tan, who’s garnered more than 7 million fans with his Titan Academy digital comedy sketch series.
Viral Nation creators will provide FilmRise with exclusive worldwide distribution rights to their libraries, which host hours of gaming, lifestyle, comedy, and competitions. Through the FilmRise Creator Partner Program, FilmRise will curate and re-package videos for worldwide distribution as broadcast-ready television episodes. The deal also includes exclusivity to all digital media, free ad-supported channels, free and pay TV, non-theatrical, airline, and ancillary rights.
Streaming subscribers are culling the number of paid memberships they sign up for. A quarter of streamers canceled at least three major services in the last two years, according to a study by Antenna. This year, 21% of streaming subscribers are expected to reduce the number even further, making free ad-support streaming platforms and channels an appealing option for many.
The deal brings a fresh batch of talents to free channels. It was negotiated by Max Einhorn, senior vice president of acquisitions and co-productions and Carolyn Marcus, director of creator partnerships for FilmRise, and Bianca Serafini, head of content licensing for Viral Nation.
“We have achieved remarkable success in amplifying the reach and influence of prominent YouTube creators by tailoring their content and distributing it across platforms worldwide,” said Einhorn. “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Viral Nation’s talented individuals to expand their fan bases to new heights.”
FilmRise is a Brooklyn-based film and television studio that operates the FilmRise Streaming Network, a portfolio of free ad-supported streaming apps and channels. Its content library hosts more than 50,000 licensed and original programs, including scripted and unscripted TV series and films. It’s available on Android TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, VIZIO, and YouTube TV.
Image credit: FilmRise