Unless a planeful of YouTubers heading home from Playlist Live goes missing somewhere over the South Indian sea, Disney’s acquisition of Maker should be the biggest news of the day.
In a deal that likely would have made ol’ Walt pretty proud, Disney Studios finalized their deal to own dynamic MCN Maker Studios. Purchasing the innovative online content studio with talent such as the Shaytards, KassemG, PewDiePie and Bart Baker, Disney has diversified its portfolio a bit more and only for the tidy sum of $500 million. Determining whether the Mouse House gets its money’s worth out of the deal will likely take some time and reports have not yet begun to surface as to what the company’s plans are for the online studio.
Interestingly, reactions from investors close to the deal have been mixed. Some have lamented that the company didn’t eventually sell for more (nobody directly involved wants to go on record with their comments it seems), while others are ecstatic that it fetched the price it did.
“It’s a ridiculous number, but I can’t say that out loud,” said the head of a large video network with a big YouTube presence to Re/Code. “And it’s good for me and everyone else who’s still in the sector.”
NMR wanted to do a reactions from Maker creators video coverage item, but apparently anyone with a stake in Maker has, well, gone to Disneyland. Or, since some of them are still chasing off the Playlist Live hangovers in Orlando, Walt Disney World.
The finalization of the deal today caps off two weeks of speculation and amazement over whether the deal would take place, and yet, begins an exciting new chapter for both companies.
Do you think this deal is a good thing or no? Let NMR know in the comments.
Here’s more business dealings as of late:
YouTube Pulls Its ‘Sweetheart Deals’ From Major TV, Film Studios
Endemol Spends Some of Their $40 Million; Signs Tween Rapper MattyB
Maker, Fullscreen, Collective, Et Al., Join Up To Form YouTube Trade Alliance GOVA
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