Watchwith, a startup that manages sync-to-broadcast content, has banked a $5 million series A round led by Rogers Venture Partners, along with participation from early stage investors Gracenote and Arris.
Watchwith, which recently landed wins at Fox Broadcasting and NBCUniversal, said it will use the funds to build more tools for broadcasters and advertisers, expand its customer base and extend the reach of its “syndication network” to cable operators, telcos and connected TV partners.
Watchwith, formerly known as Related Content Database (RCDb), launched its syndication platform in early 2012, touting a cloud-based system that enables partners to write apps once for distribution on connected mobile devices and the Web.
Shazam, Twitter, zeebox, ConnecTV, NextGuide and Viggle are among Watchwith’s distribution partners.
“Watchwith is solving significant problems for broadcasters and TV networks worldwide, and laying the foundations for significant new revenue streams from their programming,” said Mike Lee, general partner at Rogers Venture Partners, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based V.C. established in 2012 as a $150 million fund. Rogers Communications, a major wireless and cable service provider based in Toronto, is RVP’s sole limited partner.
“Watchwith’s vision is to enable a world where every frame of television is rich in opportunity for the viewer,” said founder and CEO Zane Vella, in a statement. “Our role is to turn the viewer’s attention, curiosity, and desire into action, and for that action to unlock new revenue for the programmer.”
