Shine Pursues Digital Path With ChannelFlip Deal
News Corporation-owned Shine Group has acquired online video specialist ChannelFlip.
Formed in 2008 by Justin Gayner and Wil Harris, the company has worked on a wide range of shortform content with talent like Harry Hill, David Mitchell and Richard Hammond. Available to view via YouTube, ChannelFlip claims to have a monthly online reach of 4.4 million viewers.
The news follows Shine's acquisition of social gaming company Bossa Studios last autumn. Explaining the rationale for the new deal, Elisabeth Murdoch, chief executive and chairman of Shine, said: "Wil and Justin have built ChannelFlip into its leadership position through creative and commercial excellence, producing compelling and innovative online productions while persuading advertisers of the deeper relationships they can play in these. Following our entry into social gaming with Bossa Studios, this acquisition underlines Shine’s commitment to delivering excellence across all platforms and our determination to develop powerful direct to consumer models and connections to audiences."
Commenting on their rationale for joining the firm behind MasterChef and The Biggest Loser, Gayner and Harris said: "From our first conversations with Shine, we knew we had found our new home with a company that shared our creative, commercial and technological ambitions for ChannelFlip. The opportunities in our market are limitless, with audiences changing their viewing habits to the web, the increased penetration of internet enabled smartphone and TVs, and online video now the fastest growing advertising market globally."
