ViewLift Announces $8 Million in New Funding, Expands Platform to Apple TV and Adds Key Sales Executive

Funding will support continued hyper growth, accelerating sales, marketing and platform development

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Apr 07, 2016, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ViewLift, a leading OTT content distribution and monetization platform, announced today it has closed an $8 million funding round, with the Robert and Walter McCormack-led Weekapaug Partners and Robert Hisaoka joining existing investors Ted Leonsis, Clark Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Revolution and others.

Rapid consumer adoption of Smart TVs, mobile & other connected devices to access video content requires content owners to embrace OTT to serve their current audiences and develop new ones. Content owners can find this environment – with dozens of separate operating systems – as complex as it is promising. Through ViewLift, they can reach their audience on every device. U.S. OTT viewership is 181 million people – and the connected TV audience has been projected at 140 million.^¹

Since launching in 2015, ViewLift has rapidly grown to become the leading independent platform-as-a-service (PaaS) OTT solution. By leveraging ViewLift, customers have been able quickly to expand their businesses to OTT applications for home and mobile devices, reaching tens of millions of new customers each month. With ViewLift, customers can rapidly create and deploy scalable content distribution, accessing 28 mobile and OTT devices through native, branded applications.

Steven Brown, OTT industry veteran joins ViewLift as Chief Revenue Officer Most recently SVP of Advertising Solutions and Platform Sales for NeuLion, Inc., Brown previously held senior sales roles with digital marketer and publisher SilverCarrot; United Online (the public company formed by the merger of NetZero and Juno); and IGN Entertainment's Snowball. He started his career with sports powerhouse WFAN.

"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 platform expands to Apple TV, increasing footprint to 28 different devices The ViewLift platform now reaches 28 mobile and OTT devices, with the addition of its first client application on the new AppleTV platform. Created for SnagFilms, the app offers hundreds of award-winning independent films and television shows on the newest member of the Apple device family. The custom-designed app uses breathtaking visuals and the latest in immersive interfaces (including parallax scrolling); a seamless watching experience that can begin on any device and resume in place on any other; and a full array of film information and viewer interaction.

About ViewLift™
ViewLift is a full-service content distribution platform for the web, OTT and mobile, empowering media companies, sports leagues and teams, education providers and others to monetize their content through native branded apps on every major digital device. ViewLift's founding team brings years of domain experience as an operator (not just a technology provider) and strong industry relationships to offer a complete end-to-end solution for creating, launching and monetizing video applications across 28 device platforms, including mobile, over-the-top, connected TV and game consoles. ViewLift offers clients a range of monetization models on a proprietary platform with advanced analytics, tracking performance in real-time. From design and marketing to content curation and app hosting, ViewLift operates across the digital ecosystem, understanding each device's unique requirements and best practices. ViewLift is backed by leading VC firms, including New Enterprise Associates, Comcast Ventures, Revolution LLC and Clark Ventures, as well as tech and media pioneers Ted Leonsis, Steve and Jean Case, Terry Semel, Robert McCormack and others.

ViewLift clients include: Tegna (the TV and digital spin-out of Gannett); Monumental Sports Network; The Teaching Company/Great Courses; Lax Sports Network; Major League Lacrosse; Punjab Kesari (India's fastest growing news publisher); the five owned-and-operated channels of SnagFilms; and others.

Some of the hundreds of SnagFilms titles now available on AppleTV:

Wreckers: Family drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy (Netflix's 'The Crown').
Stone of Destiny: Adventure Romance starring Kate Mara ('House of Cards', 'The Martian') and Charlie Cox (Netflix's 'Daredevil').
Beware of Mr. Baker: Grand Jury Award Winner at SXSW, high-impact rock-n-roll documentary with commentary from Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Marky Ramone, Sid Vicious and other rock 'n roll legends.
- "A fascinating character study of a brilliant and difficult musician" - Washington Post; "The film's best moment is something that goes beyond anything in This Is Spinal Tap." - The Guardian; "It's all insanely enjoyable." -Financial Times
Devil's Playground: Lucy Walker's Emmy-nominated exploration of Amish teenage life.
The Trouble With Bliss: Romantic Comedy starring Oscar™-winner Brie Larson.
Southern Comfort: Sundance Grand Jury Award Winner documents the final year of the life of Robert Eads, a female-to-male transexual.
L.I.E.: A young Paul Dano stars in this award-winning drama.
Exclusive original comedy series with Alec Baldwin, Jim Gaffigan, Michael Showalter, Dave Attell, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Che and more.
Other notable titles: The Good Son, Lost for Life, Hotel Terminus, Brooklyn Rules, Charade, Blind Date, Gardens of the Night, Brother to Brother, City Lax and Kicking It.