Major YouTube Channel Network Shutting Down
The channel boasts millions of subscribers.
Rooster Teeth, a subsidiary under the Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment umbrella, has announced they are ceasing operations after 21 years. The memo was announced at an all-hands meeting and shared via email in an internal memo by the general manager Jordan Levin, Deadline reports.
"It's with a heavy heart I announce that Rooster Teeth is shutting down due to challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage," Levin said in the email. At the time of the announcement, the channel had over 9 million subscribers on YouTube. The company was founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman. The company has undergone ownership changes, eventually becoming part of WBD following the acquisition of TimeWarner from AT&T.
The Roost Podcast Network will remain in operation. There is some Rooster Teeth-branded content that will remain, including a movie that will be released soon by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
To boost revenue by moving consumers to a sponsorship model, Rooster Teeth relocated its content from YouTube to its own website. A sale of the company was explored, but amid major changes in the digital entertainment space, buyers backed out. "Monetization shifts, platform algorithms, advertising challenges, and the ebb and flow of patronage—all these converging factors have led to many closures in the industry," Levin added in his memo.
Levin took the time to reflect on Rooster Teeth's success and impact. "We set a standard for what a digital-first brand could be," he said. "We boldly took our content beyond screens and into community-driven experiences."
Red vs. Blue, the company's first production launched in 2003, is also ending due to this decision. "Though not intentional, It's only appropriate that our last season of Red vs. Blue coincides with us navigating this closure together," Levin said.
0comments