Exclusive: Brat TV launches ad-supported streaming app

Brat TV, a Hollywood production studio for Gen-Z content, is launching a standalone app that will house all of the shows it typically distributes on other platforms.

Why it matters: The move represents Brat’s expansion from a production partner for other streaming platforms to a standalone media company that creates and distributes its own content.

• "This is first time we have a dedicated consumer app where people can watch our shows," said Brat co-founder Rob Fishman. "It's the same content, but for super fans, it's nice to have a dedicated outlet where they can download episodes."

Details: The app will feature 85 hours of original programming, including libraries from its hit shows, like “Chicken Girls,” "Crown Lake" and “Attaway General,” which featured famous TikTok star Dixie D’Amelio in its first season.

• It will include longer cuts of episodes that are closer to the length of TV shows (around 22 minutes), as opposed to show episodes cut for YouTube that are typically around 10-12 minutes.
• The app will be powered by Future Today, a tech company that manages the back-end streaming technology and monetization services for hundreds of content companies.
• “The brand-safe content and popularity with teenage audiences makes the Brat TV titles very attractive to our advertiser audiences and popular big-brand distribution platforms,” said Future Today CEO Vikrant Mathur.

Be smart: Brat already has extensive distribution partnerships with ad-supported streaming platforms like Roku, Tubi, Pluto and Samsung TV Plus, and will continue to air content on those channels, as well social networks.

• Last year, the company made its entire content library available on NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock. It produced nearly a dozen original shows for Facebook.

By the numbers: Launched in 2017, Brat has raised a total of roughly $55 million.

• It raised around $10 million last year from New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye and Goldman Sachs. The amount raised and Goldman Sachs' participation wasn't previously-known.

• Last year, the company roughly doubled its 2020 revenue ($15 million) and was profitable, per Fishman.

The big picture: Demand for content catered to Gen-Z has skyrocketed alongside the growth of streaming in the past two years.

• Streamers like Netflix and HBO Max have leaned into more programming targeted at that demographic with shows like "Derry Girls" and "Euphoria."
• Viacom acquired Brat TV rival "AwesomenessTV" for $25 million in 2019.

What to watch: In 2022, Fishman says Brat plans to expand into new forms of content focused on Gen-Z, including non-scripted shows and podcasts.

• It also wants to become more of a talent studio for Gen-Z stars, often born on social media, that are looking to broker relationships with more established programmers.
• Having Dixie D’Amelio star in one of its shows was a good example of how it can act as a launch platform for influencers in Hollywood.