Blip.tv
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital media, Web series distribution |
| Predecessor | blip.tv |
| Founded | May 5, 2005 in New York City, U.S. |
| Founder | Mike Hudack, Dina Kaplan, Justin Day, Jared Klett, Charles Hope |
| Defunct | August 20, 2015 |
| Fate | Acquired by Maker Studios in 2013; platform discontinued in 2015 |
| Successor | Maker Studios (later Disney Digital Network) |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Kelly Day (CEO from 2012), Max Smith (CFO), Jason Krebs (President of Sales and Marketing) |
| Products | Web series hosting and distribution platform |
| Owner | Bain Capital Ventures, Canaan Partners, Ambient Sound Investments (initial investors); later Maker Studios |
| Parent | Maker Studios (from 2013) |
Blip (previously known as blip.tv) was a U.S.-based digital platform dedicated to web series content, providing creators with tools to distribute and monetize their original series. Established on May 5, 2005, the company operated from New York City with additional offices in Los Angeles. Its financial backing came from Bain Capital Ventures, Canaan Partners, and Ambient Sound Investments. Blip's mission was to "offer the finest original web series to viewers across various platforms," featuring genres such as drama, comedy, arts, sports, and others. The platform was acquired by Maker Studios in 2013 and ceased operations on August 20, 2015.
History
Blip.tv was created by Mike Hudack, Dina Kaplan, Justin Day, Jared Klett, and Charles Hope, initially relying on self-funding. The founders developed the site shortly after departing from Yahoo!'s video blogging team, focusing on delivering high-quality independent video content with an emphasis on hosting, distribution, and revenue generation. They built the user interface within a week and quickly attracted specialized producers and audiences. In 2006, Eric Mortensen joined to oversee content and programming as Blip transitioned toward becoming a media enterprise.
In 2007, Blip received investment from Ambient Sound Investments and later secured further capital from Bain Capital in 2008. That same year marked a milestone when Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore collaborated with Blip to distribute his documentary Slacker Uprising, pioneering free online film distribution.
The platform broadened its distribution reach in 2009 by forming partnerships with YouTube, Vimeo, NBC Local Media New York, and Roku. By 2010, Blip had exceeded 100 million video views and achieved over three billion total views by 2011. In that year, the company rebranded as "Blip" and revamped its platform to emphasize trending web series, evolving from primarily a distribution service into a destination for video content.
Following the departure of several founders, Kelly Day took on the role of CEO in 2012. She brought on Max Smith as CFO and Jason Krebs as president of sales and marketing. That year also saw the creation of Blip Studios under Steve Woolf’s leadership to work directly with brands, talent, and producers in developing premium original content. Among notable productions was The Gauntlet, created in partnership with Rooster Teeth. Additionally, Blip collaborated with Yahoo to promote shows jointly across both platforms.
By 2013, Blip Studios had secured exclusive talent and distribution agreements with groups such as Channel Awesome, Juliansmith.tv, and My Damn Channel, amassing over 250 million cumulative views. The company also inked content partnerships with creators like Ray William Johnson and producer Michael Uslan, alongside an agreement with Fremantle Media North America.
On August 21, 2013, Blip was purchased by Maker Studios, including its executive leadership team. Subsequent changes involved implementing stricter content guidelines that prioritized series format and production quality. In May 2014, users were informed about forthcoming upload limitations and channel shutdowns without any mention of policy infractions—implying financial motivations behind these decisions.
Ultimately, Maker Studios discontinued Blip on August 20, 2015, after providing a one-month notice period. The platform is no longer operational. Later on, Maker Studios itself was integrated into the Disney Digital Network.
Market and business model
Blip concentrated solely on serialized web series content, intentionally steering clear of the viral video and personal video hosting approach that platforms like YouTube popularized. Advertising income was evenly divided between the creators and Blip itself.
Since its inception in 2005, Blip attracted more than 2,500 independent creators and collaborated with over 300 prominent advertisers, including 26 of the top 50 U.S. advertisers such as GM, P&G, Microsoft, Google, and Geico. The platform provided advertisers with customizable video ad options, including interactive pre-rolls and overlay advertisements.
Popularity
By 2012, Blip had garnered close to 500 million global monthly views and attracted 40 million unique viewers each month, according to data from ComScore and Quantcast. Although YouTube exceeded 1 billion monthly views, Blip's users spent an average of approximately 80 minutes per month on the site, with individual sessions averaging around 25 minutes.
Channel Awesome
Channel Awesome began distributing its videos on Blip in 2008. Its well-known review series include The Nostalgia Critic, The Cinema Snob, and Atop the Fourth Wall, with The Nostalgia Critic drawing between 100,000 and 200,000 weekly views. In October 2012, Blip collaborated with Channel Awesome to launch The League of Super Critics on YouTube, featuring notable personalities reviewing television, literature, films, and music.
Rooster Teeth
Blip partnered with Rooster Teeth Productions, recognized for series such as The Gauntlet, Red vs. Blue, Immersion, and Achievement Hunter. The series Red vs. Blue received critical praise and earned the "Best Animated Web Series" award from the International Academy of Web Television.
Kipkay
Blip hosted KipKay’s DIY channel; however, KipKay continues to create content mainly on YouTube.
Other content
Through partnerships like My Damn Channel, Blip secured exclusive comedy programming, including the sixth season of David Wain's Wainy Days. The platform also featured shows like Daddy Knows Best starring Stephen Rannazzisi and the video blog series Daily Grace. Collaborations extended to online comedians Julian Smith and Ray William Johnson.
Following participation in YouTube’s $100 million original channel program, FremantleMedia transitioned production of The Pet Collective, an animal clip show, from YouTube to Blip. While the videos remained available on YouTube, Blip retained first-run distribution rights along with exclusive advertising sales responsibilities for the series.
Video features
Viewing Blip’s content on PCs required Adobe Flash Player, while mobile access was supported via an app available until early 2014 and operational through August 2015. Mobile browsers could play videos using an HTML5 flag supporting H.264 format. Uploads were capped at 1GB in size; videos utilized the H.264 codec for video and AAC for audio to ensure high-quality streaming. Show pages displayed promotional materials such as posters and banners.
Blip enforced strict content guidelines to remove or block material suspected of copyright infringement or exceeding fair use limitations.
See also
External links
- (archived version via Wayback Machine)