ViewLift, a specialist in helping TV and video brands deliver content over the top, has closed an $8 million funding round that will fuel an expansion of its operations.
The new infusion will add Robert and Walter McCormack-led Weekapaug Partners and Robert Hisaoka to a roster of existing investors that includes Ted Leonsis, Clark Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and Revolution.
Along with the investment, the company also announced it has launched its first Apple TV app, bringing the total number of devices and platforms where ViewLift products are available to 28. ViewLift also said it has hired Steven Brown as chief revenue officer. Brown had previously held sales exec positions at NeuLion and digital brands SilverCarrot and United Online.
“Steven Brown has long been a trusted guide for content companies looking to succeed over-the-top,” said ViewLift CEO Rick Allen. “He has a proven record of building industry-leading sales teams, and helping content companies both retain their viewers and add new audiences. We have the right leader to make our best-in-class platform the obvious solution for video providers wanting to win in the crowded content landscape.”
ViewLift entered the "platform-as-a-service" space in 2015. It has worked with a range of clients, such as local station giant Tegna, Major League Lacrosse, the Washington pro team and arena owner Monumental Sports, and its own in-house AVOD film and TV platform, SnagFilms. The Apple TV debut was for an app ViewLift designed for SnagFilms, which launched nearly a decade ago as a destination for indie narrative and doc fare. Among the hundreds of titles now available through the Apple app are Benedict Cumberbatch drama Wreckers, rock documentary Beware of Mr. Baker, and Larry Clark's celebrated indie L.I.E.
