ITV Invests in U.S. Digital-Media Company Zealot Networks

LONDON: ITV has invested an undisclosed amount in Zealot Networks, a Los Angeles-based digital-media company founded by former Maker Studios CEO Danny Zappin.

ITV, which is Zealot Networks’ first media-industry investor, is set to have a board position as the company continues its development. Zappin created the digital-first outfit last August. Since then, Zealot has acquired Audio Micro, parent company of AdRev.

The deal adds to ITV’s portfolio of digital investments in the U.S., which also includes minority stakes in Indigenous Media, a producer of scripted digital series, and Believe Entertainment, which works with advertisers to create multiplatform, digital-branded entertainment.

“Danny Zappin has been at the forefront of digital media in the U.S. for some time and it’s fantastic to be part of this exciting new venture,” said Kevin Lygo, the managing director at ITV Studios. “A key part of ITV’s strategy is to exploit the increasing global demand for quality content across a range of platforms, which closely aligns with Zealot’s own ambitions to not only distribute content across its own sites, but also to third-party platforms such as YouTube, Vine and Instagram.”

Zappin added: “A global media company like ITV investing in Zealot demonstrates a shared vision of our mission to transform digital media.”