Exclusive: Ex-Warner Bros bosses join $10m round of SG content marketplace

Singapore-based Vuulr, a B2B marketplace for film and TV content rights, is looking to raise US$10 million in an ongoing funding round, the company’s co-founder Ian McKee told Tech in Asia.

Vuulr co-founder Ian McKee / Photo credit: Vuulr

So far, the company has raised US$3.7 million from investors including Jeffrey Schlesinger, former president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution, who now heads media advisory firm Former Bros Media. Ex-Warner Bros CEOs Edward Romano and Barry Meyer have also joined the round.

Additionally, Vuulr has raised US$4 million through the issue of convertible notes, bringing the total funds raised in the new round to US$7.7 million.

Launched in 2020 by McKee, Chris Drumgoole, and Ben Heyhoe Flint, Vuulr offers 220,000 hours of film and TV content from the likes of BBC Studios, Sony, and Legendary Television. The platform also connects buyers from companies like Disney and Paramount Global with licensers of intellectual property.

While sellers on the marketplace include Gaumont, Televisa, Viacom 18, CNN, Caracol, registered buyers include Turner International Asia Pacific, BBC, Super RTL, Public Media Co Vietnam, Astro, MX Player, UKTV, and SBS, among others.

Companies on Vuulr/ Photo credit: Vuulr

“Entertainment is now an internet-delivered product and therefore the industry needs to learn to live by the internet’s rules. Many of the old rulebooks the studios used,” McKee told Tech in Asia. “This represents complete transformation of the industry.”

The company plans to use the fresh funds to develop its platform and add new features. It will also boost vertical integration in its value chain, which includes localization, packaging, and delivery.

Vuulr caters to 15,000 registered buyers and sellers on its platform, completing over US$12 million in licensing deals to date. The company is aiming to hit US$10 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) by the end of this year, based on its Q1 run rate.

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Over the next five years, Vuulr aims to increase its GMV to over US$1.5 billion, with gross margins of more than 60%.

Recently, the company signed a deal with BBC Studios to list over 3,000 hours of the latter’s premium British content on its marketplace. BBC Studios has also commissioned a branded content sales platform from Vuulr, allowing interested buyers to search the catalog, watch trailers and screeners on-demand, check rights availability, and place licensing offers.