Shine Buys Web Video Producer

LONDON: Shine Group has acquired the online broadcaster and original content producer ChannelFlip, which specializes in short-form video.

ChannelFlip, founded in 2008 by Justin Gayner and Wil Harris, is among the largest creators of quality short-form online video programming in the U.K. Its original in-house productions include David Mitchell’s Soapbox, Richard Hammond’s Tech Head and Harry Hill’s Little Internet Show. The company also has partnerships with talent such as Alex Day, Harry Partridge and Stuart Ashen. ChannelFlip attracts up to 30 million monthly views to more than 7 million viewers globally.

Elisabeth Murdoch, the CEO and chairman of Shine Group, said: “Wil and Justin are true like-minded creative entrepreneurs and we welcome them and their team to Shine Group. They have built ChannelFlip into its leadership position through creative and commercial excellence, producing compelling and innovative online productions whilst persuading advertisers of the deeper relationships they can play within these. Following our entry into social gaming with Bossa Studios, this acquisition further underlines Shine Group’s relentless commitment to delivering excellence across all platforms and our determination to develop powerful direct to consumer models and connections to audiences, wherever they may be.”

Justin Gayner, creative director, and Wil Harris, managing director of ChannelFlip, added: “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 currently limitless, with audiences rapidly 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. It is an incredibly exciting time to enter the next phase in ChannelFlip’s story, and we are delighted to be doing so with such a creative group of companies as our new colleagues and collaborators.”