UPDATED: Maker Studios Beats Machinima — Now Ranked The #1 Independent YouTube Network on comScore

[UPDATE 4:04 p.m. PT] Here is our exclusive interview with Maker Studios CEO Danny Zappin regarding this news:

Congrats on being the #1 Independent YouTube Channel on comScore! How do you and the team feel?

We are thrilled to be the #1 independent YouTube network. This accomplishment wouldn’t be possible without our incredibly talented partners and internal teams who have all worked so hard to get us to this point.

What do you personally believe accounted for this huge growth?

We have been growing steadily as a company since we founded Maker in 2009.  In the first year we started with Comedy and vloggers primarily, and then expanded into Gaming. Recently we’ve further built out our multi-vertical approach, zeroing in on our comedy, music, beauty/fashion and mom’s programming both domestically and internationally. Recent signings of The Gregory Brothers and Snoop have helped, and we’re anticipating even more growth to come.

What’s Maker’s next step from here? What are your plans to continue to grow the company?

We’re continuing to grow our network of channels, signing talented creators, as well as developing new compelling O&O programming. We’re excited by the success of partners such as Bad Lip Reading and Epic Rap Battles of History which has now moved to two battles a month and is showing great growth potential.

Aside from what’s public, have you guys signed any other new talents that you’d like to reveal to us at this time?

We have many exciting partnerships in the works and will be sure to share them with you as soon as we can.

[Original Post]

According to comScore’s September data, Maker Studios has surpassed Machinima for the first time ever and is now ranked third in the YouTube Partner Rankings. Positioned right behind VEVO and Warner Music, Maker Studios can now lay claim to being the current #1 independent YouTube network. Not considering Maker’s current debacle with Ray William Johnson, this makes for an impressive milestone for the YouTube network, especially considering how formidable of a giant Machinima is.

For those unaware of what comScore for YouTube is, they are an an analytics company that provides detailed measurements including traffic analytics and demographic and engagement data. YouTube channels are then ranked based on these numbers. Aside from YouTube, comScore is known for providing analytics data for almost every significant website on the Internet. If you’re ever trying to pitch your site/channel to big time advertisers, odds are they’ll want to check out your comScore data.

There are a variety of key events and moves that could’ve potentially led to Maker’s growth. One of their biggest moves this year was their partnership with Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Enterprises back in May. This was then followed by their signing of established talents like Snoop Lion (or Snoop Dogg, if you will) and The Gregory Brothers. Add in the constant, huge success of Maker channels like Epic Rap Battles of History, Bad Lip Reading and The Yogscast, and there is no question that Maker is a top contender in the battle between networks for the top position.

Another thing Maker does really well is working with many different verticals that include comedy, music and gaming. This allows them to expand their audience base and appeal to a wider demographic. Having access to a variety of audiences is something that advertisers love. But one thing that is concerning for Maker, however, is whether Ray William Johnson’s departure will affect Maker significantly in the long run. Either way, Maker’s overall success should ensure that the studio will continue to be on the radar of all potential unsigned talents.