Playbuzz scores $15 million in funding for sponsored social content

Playbuzz said it has raised $15 million in funding from Saban Ventures and Disney for its business of providing sponsored content. Playbuzz helps publishers and content creators distribute their content in ways that boost engagement and social distribution.

For instance, New York-based Playbuzz helps promote sponsored content by distributing it through slide shows, flip cards, galleries, quizzes, lists, and video snaps. Playbuzz says such content generates average item completion rates of up to 94 percent and social share rates as high as 15 percent.

Existing investors 83North, Carmel Ventures, and First Time Ventures also participated in the round. Playbuzz will use the money to further enhance its proprietary content-engagement platform and expand its sponsored content business, which already works with many of the world’s leading brands to create and distribute native advertising campaigns.

“Playbuzz enables publishers and brands to create content that matches today’s content-consumption habits, while generating meaningful engagement and new monetization opportunities,” said Shaul Olmert, cofounder and CEO of Playbuzz, in a statement. “The support of global leaders in media, such as Saban and Disney, will enable us to expand both our editorial reach and sponsored content business.”

The Playbuzz platform is used by tens of thousands of publishers, brands, and content creators to generate and distribute content in formats that optimize audience engagement and social distribution. The popularity of content created using Playbuzz is skyrocketing as engagement metrics for things like galleries outpace those of traditional digital formats, such as articles and long-form video.

“Engaging content is the key to media consumption, and Playbuzz has positioned itself as the leading platform for media companies and brands to create and distribute such content across all devices,” said Barak Pridor, managing partner at Saban Ventures, in a statement. “Playbuzz’s unique network and distributed sponsored content offering make it the ideal platform for editorial and commercial growth of its partners.”

Pridor joins Playbuzz’s board of directors following this financing round.

Founded in 2012 by Shaul Olmert and Tom Pachys, Playbuzz has 100 employees in its offices in New York, London, Tel Aviv, Hamburg, and Nashville. Rivals include Apester and Qzzr/Boombox. To date, Playbuzz has raised $34.8 million.

Above: Playbuzz publishers

Image Credit: Playbuzz