Maker Studios Takes Center Stage With Advertisers As It Prepares To Join Disney

This is a big day for the online short form video company that Disney’s spending nearly $1B to acquire — Hollywood’s biggest bet so far on the new production platform. Maker Studios stages its first NewFront presentation in NYC today. And Disney CEO Bob Iger talked it up in his earnings call with analysts. “We bought a lot of different capabilities, but mostly distribution” on the YouTube focused business, Iger says. “They also have access to great data and algorithms.” Although the purchase will shave a few cents from Disney earnings for a few years, “there’s a huge marketing opportunity for this company,” he says.
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