Google acquires FameBit in branded content push for YouTube

Google has acquired FameBit, a technology platform that helps content creators work with brands through sponsorship and paid promotion.

Google’s investment is designed to capitalise on the trend of brands partnership with content creators for branded content opportunities such as product placement, promos and sponsorship.

The move is part of Google’s drive to deliver more revenue from YouTube as well as to enable individual content creators to make money from their work.

FameBit was set up as a marketplace for content creators and brands to find each other, backed by Los Angeles startup incubator Science Inc. the company has seen brands and creators use its platform to create over 25,000 branded videos so far, generating over two billion minutes of content, according to FameBit.

“Google’s relationship with brands and YouTube’s partnerships with creators, combined with FameBit’s technology and expertise, will help increase the number of branded content opportunities available, bringing even more revenue into the online video community,” said Ariel Bardin, vice-president, product management at Google in a blog posting.

“Creators will always have the choice in how they work with brands, and there are many great companies who provide this service today. This acquisition doesn’t change that. Our hope is that FameBit’s democratised marketplace will allow creators of all sizes to directly connect with brands, as well as provide a great technology solution for companies like MCNs and agencies to find matches for their creators and brand partners.”

FaceBit founders David Kierzkowski and Agnes Kozera said in a posting on the service’s website: “FameBit will continue to work just like it has and will remain a standalone operation for now. We’re excited to continue helping brands and creators succeed in an even bigger way. With Google’s relationship with brands large and small, and YouTube’s partnership with creators around the globe, we hope to connect even more brands to creators, engage more audiences, and make brand marketing more creative and authentic than ever.”