All Access

Media Deals

Media Deals Alerts

Alert

Standard

Media Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Media Deals

BFD Expert Voices

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

YouTube is a great source of learning, but you have to go to Skillshare for structured classes and community, Skillshare CEO Matt Cooper says. He dined with Kerry last month as part of our "1 big meal" interview series.

Why he matters: He joined Skillshare as COO in 2016 and was promoted to CEO a year later. Prior, he was CEO of Visually, which was acquired by ScribbleLive. He started his career in investment banking for JPMorgan's TMT group.

🏢 Why we chose the restaurant: Tacombi in Flatiron. This location is near Skillshare's old office. "Tacos are important," Cooper says after sharing that he grew up in Texas and lived in California.

🌮 What we ate: We shared chips and guacamole and then had tacos. He ate Carnitas and Baja Crispy Fish. I had Al Pastor and Seared Fish.

How do you see Skillshare as a media company?

We have thousands of hours of streaming media going through our platform every day. The quote-unquote publishing model is different. 99% of classes on our platforms are produced by independent creators, by teachers. We sit at the intersection of a lot of different things — streaming platforms, consumer media, the creator economy, online learning and EdTech. The running joke has been, "What are you?" and I'm like, "Well, what has the highest multiple?"

There are competitors, and there are alternatives. The closest competitors are the other online learning platforms that have a similar approach — MasterClass, more of the celebrity crowd, ours tend to be more practical and more useful.

You're telling me Bob Iger's MasterClass isn't useful.

It's a different approach. MasterClass is yes, you learn some things, but it's almost like a biopic or "Behind the Music." I like that person, and I want to hear how they do it. I can watch Steph Curry break down a defense all day long. It's not gonna help me be a better basketball player.

The biggest alternative is YouTube. In theory, they should be our biggest competitor. The reality is they're our No. 1 source of new customers. We do a lot of influencer marketing.

General awareness. It takes time and money. I think the opportunities are just there's still a massive untapped market that doesn't know we exist.

How much runway do you have? Are you looking to raise?

We raised a small round last year. [Skillshare closed a Series E in November, with $20 million equity and $30 million in new venture debt.] We made changes in the business to get to EBITDA positive. We are now well-capitalized and have been EBITDA positive for two straight quarters.

We've raised $136 million in total. Most of the players in the space have raised $400 [million] to $500 million. We've always run pretty lean.

🛶 1 fun fact: After quitting banking, Cooper started a canoe and kayak rental business in southern Mississippi with his uncle. He lost four years of investment banking savings but gained knowledge in entrepreneurship.

1 big meal: Skillshare CEO on competition

Matt Cooper from Skillshare surrounded by a plaid tablecloth and place setting

Illustration: Axios Visuals; Photo: courtesy of Skillshare

• MeatEater, the hunting and outdoors brand with a popular Netflix show, acquired ultra-realistic hunting decoys and gear company Dave Smith Decoys and hired Jason Bergsman as its new CEO. He was previously CEO of entertainment company AGBO. The company plans to develop more shows, Sara Fischer reports. https://axios.link/3Mn00c1

• EU antitrust regulators are set to approve Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision next week, with May 15 the likeliest date, Reuters reports. https://axios.link/41xCBJe

2. Deal flow

• Hadley Gamble, senior international correspondent for CNBC, is leaving the network. Last month, Gamble accused former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell of sexual harassment, which led to Shell's firing. NBCU and Gamble negotiated a financial settlement worth more than $1 million. https://axios.link/3W4TfPj

• Stacey Snider is stepping down as CEO of London-based media company Sister Global. Chair Elisabeth Murdoch will assume her duties on an interim basis. Snider, who founded Sister with Murdoch and Jane Featherstone, will remain involved as a creative adviser. https://axios.link/44GfQpf

• Range Media Partners hired Nathan Brown as a partner, leading its new digital business unit. He most recently was general manager at Ellen Digital Ventures. https://axios.link/42lQg7h

3. Movin' on up (or out)

✊ Writers' strike highlights extra barriers Latinos and writers of color face (Axios) 

The exclusion of some writers from TV show sets "affects women of color most because we don't have a lot of the same connections, so if we don't have on-set experience, we're not coming up the same as some of our colleagues," writer Gabriela Revilla Lugo told Astrid Galván.

⚖️ OpenAI's Altman to testify at Senate hearing next week (Axios)

"OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee panel May 16, marking his first public appearance on Capitol Hill. ... NYU professor Gary Marcus and IBM vice president and chief privacy and trust officer Christina Montgomery will also testify," Maria Curi and Ashley Gold report.

👋 MTV News signs off for good after 36-year run (THR)

"MTV News was shuttered this week as part of larger layoffs at parent company Paramount Global. ... MTV News was already significantly reduced in size back in 2017, when it largely abandoned a strategy to take on outlets like BuzzFeed and Vice with a team of digital journalists led by Grantland alum Dan Fierman," Alex Weprin writes.

4. Channel surfing

Illustration of a pair of sunglasses with lenses that look like tv screens.

🌁 Situational awareness: Axios BFD is today! Our dealmakers event features big names in Silicon Valley and beyond talking about the news and trends driving headlines, markets and deals. The livestream starts at 2pm PT. Register to join us virtually.

@tim_bays: Lakers vs. Warriors. This pivotal game in the series is the second-biggest event happening in San Francisco today. 

@kerrymflynn: G-Eazy on Apple Music. Worked out this morning to one of my favorite Bay Area artists. 

✏️ Thanks to Michael Flaherty for editing and Katie Lewis for copy editing this newsletter.

Thank you for reading Axios Pro Media Deals! Please ask your friends, colleagues and taco fans to sign up.

May 10, 2023

1 big meal: Skillshare CEO on competition