Go90
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet television, Mobile app |
| Founded | September 2015 |
| Founder | Verizon Communications |
| Defunct | July 31, 2018 |
| Fate | Service discontinued |
| Headquarters | United States , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Brian Angiolet (initial SVP), Chip Canter (former GM), Ivana Kirkbride (former CCO), Richard Tom (former CTO) |
| Owner | Verizon Communications |
| Parent | Verizon Communications |
go90 was a United States-exclusive Internet television platform and mobile app under the ownership of Verizon Communications. Marketed as a mobile-centric "social entertainment platform" aimed primarily at millennial viewers, it offered a combination of original productions and licensed programming sourced from various content providers.
The platform encountered challenges stemming from ineffective content discoverability and an ambiguous content approach, which prompted leadership shifts including a revamp following Verizon’s acquisition of former rival Vessel. Incorporating purchases such as Intel's OnCue initiative along with Vessel, Verizon’s cumulative investment in go90 was estimated at approximately $1.2 billion.
Despite promotional efforts leveraging Verizon’s AOL and Yahoo! assets—such as Tumblr—the service ceased operations on July 31, 2018.
History
Verizon purchased Intel's OnCue streaming technology in January 2014 for roughly $200 million. The company unveiled go90 in September 2015 as a mobile-first "social entertainment platform" targeting millennials, featuring video content from diverse partners alongside interactive elements like forming "crews" related to shows and sharing clips across social networks. The name referenced the action of rotating a smartphone 90 degrees to landscape mode for viewing. Verizon integrated advertising technologies and content resources acquired through AOL and planned to launch between 50 and 55 new series with short episodes.
Brian Angiolet, then Verizon’s senior vice president for consumer products, initially led go90. In March 2016, Chip Canter, previously at NBCUniversal, took over as general manager and recruited Ivana Kirkbride from YouTube to serve as chief content officer. Under Canter’s leadership, the content mix broadened to include categories resonating with younger demographics—such as gaming, music, science fiction, sports (including live broadcasts), and female-oriented dramas—and aimed to expand beyond exclusively mobile platforms.
With Angiolet as Global Content Chief, Verizon made strategic investments to bolster go90. In April 2016, Verizon acquired a 24.5% ownership stake in AwesomenessTV, a digital media company focused on youth audiences, for about $159 million, valuing AwesomenessTV near $650 million. Over several years, Verizon committed $180 million for AwesomenessTV to create content specifically for go90. Furthermore, the joint venture Verizon Hearst Media Partners acquired Complex Media in a transaction that valued the firm between $250 and $300 million.
Struggled launch and Vessel integration
Despite high hopes from Verizon, go90’s initial year did not meet expectations; most shows attracted only a few thousand viewers, with rare exceptions such as The Runner, which reached around one million views. During Chip Canter’s tenure, the platform lacked clear direction regarding content and distribution strategies. Reports indicated that Verizon prioritized sheer volume over precise audience targeting and failed to supply adequate metadata for categorizing videos properly, causing delays in optimizing search functionality from an anticipated three months to nearly twelve months. In May 2016, CEO Lowell McAdam conceded that go90 might have been "somewhat overhyped," signaling a more cautious outlook than before.
On October 26, 2016, Verizon acquired Vessel, a streaming startup founded by former Hulu executives Jason Kilar and Richard Tom. This acquisition was largely talent-focused; Vessel was subsequently shut down with its staff absorbed into go90 operations while Kilar exited the company. In January 2017, Verizon laid off 155 go90 employees at its San Jose location to make room for the incoming Vessel team and appointed Tom as chief technology officer of Verizon Digital Entertainment. Quarterly financial disclosures revealed that average daily usage of the go90 app was approximately 30 minutes per user, with organic growth noted in early 2017.
In March 2017, go90 rolled out a significant redesign of its app aimed at improving content discovery and personalized recommendations; this update highlighted live events such as sports and incorporated Vessel’s "motion poster" advertisement format. The following month, Tom replaced Canter as general manager. By May 2017, despite substantial financial input—Verizon had invested over $200 million in video content—the platform reported an average monthly user base of 2.1 million.
Original content
go90 presented a variety of original programming, including series like Mr. Student Body President, My Dead Ex, and The Runner—the latter produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Other notable titles included T@gged, Tween Fest, Street Fighter: Resurrection, and Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy. The platform sourced its original productions from studios such as CollegeHumor, Funny or Die, Nerdist Industries, Machinima, MTV, and Rooster Teeth Productions. Additionally, prominent figures like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, LeBron James, and Rob Gronkowski contributed as hosts and executive producers, notably for the Shark Tank-inspired series MVP, which ran for two seasons.
In 2017, go90 secured a three-year agreement to stream all National Women's Soccer League matches that were not broadcast on traditional television.
Original series
| Title | Genre | Premiere | Seasons/Episodes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Betch | Comedy | October 1, 2015 | 4 seasons, 42 episodes | Ended |
| Guidance | Teen drama | October 18, 2015 | 3 seasons, 27 episodes | Ended |
| Lizzie | Animation | January 22, 2016 | 1 season, 13 episodes | Ended |
| Street Fighter: Resurrection | Action | March 15, 2016 | 1 season, 4 episodes | Ended |
| Relationship Status | Drama | April 29, 2016 | 3 seasons, 35 episodes | Ended |
| Miss 2059 | Science fiction, Comedy | June 21, 2016 | 2 seasons, 24 episodes | Ended |
| The Runner | Reality | July 1, 2016 | 1 season, 30 episodes | Ended |
| T@gged | Teen drama | July 19, 2016 | 2 seasons, 23 episodes | Moved to Hulu (season 3) |
| Transformers: Prime Wars Trilogy | Science fiction, Animation | August 2, 2016 | 3 seasons, 28 episodes | Ended |
| Tween Fest | Comedy | August 3, 2016 | 1 season, 8 episodes | Ended |
| Rush | Drama, Action | September 20, 2016 | 1 season, 5 episodes | Ended |
| Mr Student Body President | Comedy | September 22, 2016 | 4 seasons, 40 episodes | Ended |
| Sleep Tight | Horror | October 4, 2016 | 1 season, 9 episodes | Ended |
| Raising Heaven | Docuseries | October 24, 2016 | 1 season, 6 episodes | Ended |
| Happy Wheels: The Series | Adult animation, Comedy | November 15, 2016 | 1 season,9 episodes | Ended |
| Thankgiving | Comedy | November16,2016 | 1 season,8 episodes | Ended |
| Embeds | Comedy | January18,2017 | 1 season,6 episodes | Ended |
| Drive Share | Sketch Comedy | January30,2017 | 1 season,30 episodes | Ended |
| QB1: Beyond the Lights | Documentary,Sports | February13,2017 | 2 seasons,20 episodes | Moved to Netflix (season3), Tubi (season4) |
| Confess | Drama | April7,2017 | 1 season,7 episodes | Ended |
| Snatchers | Horror Comedy | June22,2017 | 1 season,8 episodes | Ended |
| Threads | Comedy, Thriller | July25,2017 | 1 season,20 episodes | Ended |
| Explosion Jones | Adult animation, Action | September5,2017 | 1 season,12 episodes | Ended |
| In the Vault | Drama, Thriller | September13,2017 | 1 season,8 episodes | Moved to Crackle (season2) |
| Two Sentence Horror Stories | Horror Anthology | October3,2017 | 1 season,5 episodes | Moved to The CW (seasons2–4) |
| Zac & Mia | Drama | November7,2017 | 1 season,12 episodes | Moved to Hulu (season2) |
| Love Daily | Drama Anthology | February7,2018 | 1 season,7 episodes | Ended |
| Rebel Without a Crew: The Series | Reality | March19,2018 | 1 season,12 episodes | Ended |
| My Dead Ex | Teen comedy | March20,2018 | 1 season,8 episodes | Ended |
| Ture North | Docuseries | April19,2018 | 1 season,15 episodes | Ended |
Continuations
| Title | Genre | Previous network | Premiere | Seasons/Episodes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defining Beauty | Reality | The Platform | March 2, 2016 | 1 season, 5 episodes | Concluded |
Reception
Mari Silbey from Light Reading observed that a significant portion of go90's programming mirrored content already available elsewhere, casting doubt on the appeal of Verizon’s original productions. She further pointed out that the platform’s social networking elements lacked originality and were unlikely to attract a substantial user base. Advertisers expressed dissatisfaction with the platform’s slower-than-anticipated audience growth, with Warren Zenna of Havas Media highlighting a subpar user experience when compared to YouTube.
Verizon's approach to exempting go90 content from data usage limits sparked concerns about net neutrality, especially in light of the company’s public position on the issue.
The collaboration between the NWSL and go90 drew criticism due to technical glitches and restricted device compatibility in comparison to YouTube. Sports journalists cautioned that go90’s low visibility and inconsistent streaming quality could impede the league’s expansion. Persistent streaming difficulties eventually prompted the NWSL to move several weeks of matches to live broadcasts on its own website.
Demise
By 2017, as go90's performance declined, insiders indicated that Verizon had been excessively investing in content agreements, believing that substantial financial commitments would stimulate growth.
Following Verizon’s acquisition of Yahoo! and its consolidation with AOL into the subsidiary Oath, CEO Tim Armstrong revealed in early 2018 that while go90 was incorporated within Oath, plans were underway to gradually discontinue it. Armstrong characterized go90 as an "extremely ambitious initiative" that struggled to establish its brand identity, with its content partnerships being more effectively utilized by other Oath properties. In March 2018, Oath-owned Tumblr began distributing select go90 original productions internationally as a trial for this strategy.
After promoting go90 content through AOL and Yahoo channels, monthly average users increased to 17 million. On June 29, 2018, Oath declared that go90 would cease operations on July 31 to concentrate efforts on expanding digital-first brands in sports, finance, news, and entertainment targeted at mobile audiences and future 5G technologies.
Loss estimates differ: Digiday referenced sources estimating total expenditures of $1.2 billion including acquisitions like Vessel and OnCue. Verizon’s Q3 2018 financial report indicated $913 million in charges related to winding down go90. In September 2018, Verizon reduced the Content Operations team by 50 employees before dissolving it entirely.
Verizon Hearst Media Partners also discontinued projects such as Seriously.TV and Rated Red between 2017 and 2018. In 2018, AwesomenessTV was sold to Viacom for $50 million—significantly less than Verizon’s $650 million valuation. This venture had heavily depended on Verizon’s content contributions for approximately 40% of its revenue and experienced internal conflicts after majority stakeholder DreamWorks Animation was acquired by Comcast, a competitor of Verizon. Comcast considered AwesomenessTV incompatible with its digital media portfolio including BuzzFeed and Vox Media. In June 2021, BuzzFeed announced intentions to purchase Complex Media from Verizon Hearst Media Partners as part of its initial public offering.