Brooklyn-based film and television studio and streaming network FilmRise has announced that its original streaming series “BriannaPlayz” is set to play exclusively on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and in the U.K.
FilmRise’s new show featuring popular YouTuber Brianna Arsement, and stitching together the best of Brianna as she takes viewers into the world of videogame Minecraft, will premiere exclusively in July on The Roku Channel which is the top TV streaming platform in the U.S. by hours streamed.
Announcement of the deal – which is being touted as an industry first in the digital native content category – was made by Max Einhorn, SVP of acquisitions and co-productions at FilmRise, during the VidCon content creator event in Aneheim, California, which wraps today.
“We identified a great untapped opportunity early on – that highly popular online influencers could increase their audience reach and fanbase by converting their online content into long form episodes for streaming platform audiences,” Einhorn said in a statement.
“FilmRise has the unique turnkey ability to identify, curate and produce long form content from the digital native space, then monetize and market them on popular free streaming services, such as The Roku Channel, as well as our own far-reaching streaming network with great success,” he added.
“The Roku Channel and FilmRise have strong history of partnering together to bring standout content to streaming audiences,” said Ashley Hovey, head of The Roku Channel, AVOD, in the statement. “We are thrilled to be the exclusive AVOD home of ‘BriannaPlayz,’ as well as the first place that the series will be available on off of digital, extending the reach of this great series to households with an estimated 80 million people reached by The Roku Channel,” she added.
FilmRise’s growing digital native unit led by director of digital content, Bianca Serafini, has secured deals with top digital talent agencies, producers and digital programs such as “Brave Wilderness with Coyote Peterson,” Lorne Michaels-produced comedy content “Above Average,” gaming crowd series “Rooster Teeth” and others which they claim collectively deliver over 250 million built-in fans to streaming.
