YouTube net Barcroft, Rightster to ‘supercharge’ partnership

Barcroft TV, the high-performing UK-based YouTube channel, has signed an extended strategic partnership with multichannel network Rightster.

Barcroft, which is owned by London-based factual and lifestyle indie producer Barcroft Media, has been part of the Rightster MCN since April last year, at which point it had 45,000 net subscribers.

The channel is now the MCN’s top-performing channel, with 480,000 subs as of last month. In December, Barcroft TV overtook the One Direction and X Factor YouTube channels to become the most-watched net on the Google-owned platform.

The new agreement between Barcroft and Rightster will see the latter support the creation of new Barcroft digital channels, and the production and curation of short- and long-form video.

Rightster’s distribution service helps YouTube channel creators to place content into specific genres so it can be marketed and monetised more effectively.

Rightster founder and CEO Charlie Muirhead said “the Holy Grail for brands is to be able to access the quality and scale of audience and advertisers previously only seen on TV”, but added: “The colossal fragmentation of online audiences means that this is no easy task.

“Our partnership with Barcroft will enable us to offer the best of both worlds – superb content and curation, backed up with the technical, distribution and monetisation resources and skills to allow that content to attract the audience it deserves.”

“Expanding our relationship will supercharge the next stage of Barcroft TV’s significant global growth and take us further down the road in our mission to become the world’s leading provider of factual content, all via our unique take on the amazing side of life,” said Barcroft founder and CEO Sam Barcroft (above).

“Furthermore, our new Barcroft channels will enable brands to connect with specific audiences through their passion for unique and shareable videos.”