Last week Rooster Teeth was acquired by Fullscreen, a digital media company that is majority owned by Oter Media and a joint venture between AT&T and The Chernin Group. Fullscreen is one of YouTube’s largest networks, and describes itself as the, “first media company for the connected generation.” They were founded in 2011 and currently their videos have over 4 billion monthly views.
Founded in 2003, Rooster Teeth is an online production studio based out of Austin, Texas. The company is most well-known for the web series RedVsBlue, a parody of the Halo games. Their YouTube channel has nearly 8 million subscribers. Their content can also be viewed on their website and streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.
This deal comes shortly after Rooster Teeth broke Indiegogo’s funding record in June 2014 when they raised over 2.4 million for their first feature length film, Lazer Team, which is expected to be released in March 2015. That record has since been surpassed by three other Indiegogo campaigns, but the project is still the platform’s highest funded film.
According to a Reuters post, “With Rooster Teeth, Fullscreen adds a leading producer of online comedy and gaming-related content that is popular with 18-to-34-year-old males.” Their level of engagement with their audience and recent crowdfunding success has shown that they are truly a pioneer of online video and a fan favorite.
The article noted that, “Rooster Teeth also sells DVDs, T-shirts and other merchandise, and hosts an Internet culture and gaming conference in Austin called RTX that in 2014 drew 30,000 attendees.” By teaming up with Fullscreen, the company can afford to create new (and better) content and host more events while still remaining true to themselves and their fans.
Burnie Burns, Rooster Teeth’s creative director posted that he is excited about the company’s recent deal:
“[I]t means that you — our audience — will get to see our best content yet. We will be able to develop new shows without losing a step on the productions you already love. I am humbled by this incredible chance to grow the job that I value so much. Your tireless support of our work and your devotion to our people has been a joy that I cannot begin to express. Now, we get to start paying it back.”
Rooster Teeth’s CEO Matt Hullum also posted an update on their website saying:
“We’ve known the amazing team at Fullscreen for several years, and we are confident that they have the vision and integrity to empower & enable us take Rooster Teeth to greater heights than we ever could have achieved solely on our own. This is a company that is paving the way for the future of media and entertainment, and it’s a future that we want to play a huge role in. Together our possibilities are endless.”
It looks like Rooster Teeth fans can expect to see them around for years to come and look forward to more of the exciting content they have been bringing for the past eleven years.
