Disney to sink $200MN into Vice


Details

Michelle Clancy

| 06 November 2015





Walt Disney Co plans to invest $200 million in millennial-focused production firm Vice Media, according to sources.


Reuters has reported that the deal is all but done.

It was started in 1994 as a Montreal punk magazine, and has grown into a multimedia news brand with deals with HBO, Verizon, and most recently, A+E.

Earlier in the week, A+E Networks announced its plans transition toH2 to VICELAND, a 24-hour channel, in early 2016.

VICELAND will be distributed in approximately 70 million homes, and will feature programming developed and produced entirely in-house by VICE.

"VICE has a bold voice and a distinctive model in the marketplace," said Nancy Dubuc, president and CEO at A+E Networks. "This channel represents a strategic fit and a new direction for the future of our portfolio of media assets. Shane Smith has led VICE from a fledgling magazine into a global media brand and all of us at A+E are excited to work with him and his passionate and innovative team."