“The digital entertainment studio Brat TV is acquiring fellow studio Electric Monster, launching a new rollup venture that the companies hope will give them new scale in the digital video space. The new company will be called ZATV, and will be led by Brat’s Rob Fishman, who will be CEO of the combined venture. “With”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
The new company will be called ZATV, and will be led by Brat’s Rob Fishman, who will be CEO of the combined venture.
“With the introduction of ZATV, we’re bringing together best-in-class YouTube networks that leverage premium production to reach Gen Z, Alpha and beyond,” says Fishman. “We’re excited to combine these ventures and continue adding new channels and capabilities to our platform.”
The two companies are betting that combining forces will give them more scale on YouTube, as well as on other social platforms. The company will also operate three other divisions: Little Monster, a YouTube strategy and advisory firm; Beeline Talent, an influencer marketing division that has partnered with Snapchat on its Collab Studio; and Now Playing, a collection of YouTube channels that help film and TV studios market their libraries.
Brat rose quickly in the digital video space after it launched in 2017, driven by its tween-focused show Chicken Girls. More recently it launched its video podcast, Drew Afualo’s The Comment Section, which it licensed to Spotify, and acquired Eli Roth’s digital horror channel Crypt TV.
Electric Monster, which was founded in 2021, is behind YouTube channels like React, People vs. Food and Kids Learning Tube.
Investors in Brat include Anchorage Capital, New Line founder Bob Shaye and A. Capital, while Electric Monster was backed by Metropolitan Partners Group.
While Fishman will lead the combined company, the leadership team will be comprised of executives from both firms.
Ian Haft from Electric Monster will serve as CFO, Nuria Anson, Brat TV’s production head, will become Chief Content Officer, with Nicole Iizuka overseeing creative; Shannon Wachtell leading talent; Kevin Lee managing production; and Cade Hiser in charge of strategy. Tim Jablonski will continue to run the company’s Little Monster division. Terra Sollman and Natalie Andriano, from Brat TV, will lead sales and partnerships, with Nathan Jordan fronting the company’s podcast division.
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