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With Hollywood partnerships, Machinima wants to be the HBO of gaming video

With Hollywood partnerships, Machinima wants to be the HBO of gaming video

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Machinima logo
Machinima logo

Machinima is already one of the more successful gaming-focused video portals on the internet, with a hugely popular YouTube channel and content partners like Warner Bros. and Paramount — but it looks like it has bigger ambitions. According to Reuters, Machinima is looking to branch out and launch a TV-style online video subscription service that focuses on longer-form content; according to Reuters' sources, the company is looking to raise $80 million and create this content thanks to expanded partnerships with the aforementioned studios as well as other Hollywood studios.

Machinima CEO Allen DeBevoise confirmed the company's plans with Reuters, though he declined to mention specific investors, partners, or the amount of financing his company was seeking. "We intend to raise capital to be a company in the spirit of HBO and AMC, but in an over-the-top world," he said. DeBevoise hopes to license full 44-minute shows under this new plan — a length that closely matches what standard one-hour TV programs shoot for before commercials. There's a chance these shows could end up on more traditional media, as well. The studios would retain ownership of their shows, giving them the right to sell them overseas or in other markets.

This new plan comes just over a year after Google invested $35 million in the company, a move that helped strengthen YouTube's push towards producing more high-end original content. Macinima's move towards offering a more premium subscription model could help Google in its mission to make its new paid subscription channels a success. There's no timeline on when this new programming will launch, but we imagine it won't be too far away if Machinima's CEO is already making his plans public.