The specialist streaming service for arts and culture Marquee TV has received £6.7 million (€7.8 million) in a Series A funding round from United Group and Viasat World to fund its global expansion.
Launched in 2018, Marquee TV is already the world’s leading performance arts streaming service with subscribers in over 100 countries.
With the overall subscription streaming market forecast to reach £100 billion by 2025, and the arts sector only beginning its transition to digital, Marquee TV is perfectly positioned to ride both waves of growth.
Commenting on the investment, co-founder and chief executive Simon Walker, said: “We are thrilled to raise this capital from not one but two brilliant strategic investors. United Group and Viasat World are both entrepreneurial organisations who understand what it takes to succeed in today’s digital media market. With their backing I’m confident we can accelerate our vision to bring the incredible gift of the performing arts to online audiences across the world”.
Victoriya Boklag, United Group chief executive, added: “Arts & culture is one of the last unexploited global content verticals. Marquee TV has built the foundations of a brand that can roll up this opportunity in every major market. We are delighted to partner with Simon and his team to serve this extraordinarily valuable audience who until now have not been given enough attention”.
Irina Gofman, Viasat World president and CEO, said: “The Marquee TV team has a genuine passion for the power and potential of the arts. Viasat World was an early supporter because our team shares that same vision to build a large-scale digital content vertical for global arts lovers and the ‘culture curious’. As one of Europe’s biggest content aggregators and curators, we are ideally placed to back the next phase of growth through partnerships with key talent, leading international arts organisations and major distributors”.
Marquee TV is based in London and New York and currently available on iOS and Android apps, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire, Comcast X1, Cox, Roku and Samsung, with regular launches on additional platforms around the world.
United Group is the leading telecommunications and media operator in Southeast Europe, while Viasat World is a leading international media company with a comprehensive channel and SVOD portfolio spanning the factual, entertainment, drama, film and sport genres.
