Online Video Content Specialist, Barcroft Media group, raises investment from Channel 4
ACF Investment Bank is pleased to announce that it has successfully advised Barcroft Media on raising growth investment from Channel 4.
This investment will fund Barcroft Media’s continued strong growth plan and maximise opportunities in the fragmented online content market to further establish the business as the global brand leader in shareable popular factual content.
Barcroft Media is led by Sam Barcroft (CEO) who founded the business in 2003, Caspar Norman (MD) and Alex Morris (Creative Director) and has offices in London, New York and Delhi.
The company creates, produces and distributes the world’s most shareable popular factual content. It is an integrated media group comprising online video channel Barcroft TV, linear TV production business, Barcroft Productions, Barcroft Media, an agency distributing factual content to leading publishers and broadcasters worldwide and branded content arm, Barcroft Plus, the fastest growing business within the group offering production, creative and distribution services to advertising, PR and media agencies and consumer brands.
Barcroft TV is one of the world’s most watched factual online video channels and is available on multiple global online platforms including YouTube, YouKu, Yahoo Screen, MSN video, Facebook, AOL On, GyaO, Amazon, and Onet. It has achieved over 1.8 billion video views to date and was the most watched factual vertical on YouTube globally in 2015. It regularly receives over 10m views for each of its most popular short form videos with a young skewing audience demographic.
Barcroft Media is also one of the UK’s leading independent editorial content agencies, creating, licensing and distributing popular short form and long form content to some of the worlds most prestigious news and entertainment brands in over 50 countries including the Mail Online, The New York Post, the Guardian and the Telegraph.
Barcroft Plus is the fastest growing business within the group and offers production, creative and distribution services to advertising, PR and media agencies and consumer brands direct. Recent work has included projects for PlayStation, Ogilvy and EE.
Barcroft Productions produces next generation popular factual programming for mainstream TV broadcasters including the Discovery family of channels, Nat Geo, Channel 4 and five, often leveraging the proven online popularity of different themes in order to drive audiences to linear TV.
This deal is Channel 4’s first Growth Fund investment in a British multi-media content company specialising in content creation and digital distribution, as part of the corporation’s wider digital innovation strategy. The new investment extends the Fund’s current portfolio of ten UK based companies, beyond traditional UK independent production support, in a bid to help develop the UK’s influence in the global digital market.
Programming
“We are delighted to have advised Sam and the team on raising investment from Channel 4. Barcroft is truly an impressive company with an incredible client list that spans the media and online worlds and a global audience reach that is highly desirable in a world of increasingly fragmented viewing. We very much look forward to watching them continue their growth story and assisting them on their further strategic options.”
ACF Investment Bank