Tubular, a data analytics and audience development service for YouTube creators, has raised $2.5 million in new funding, bringing its total funding to $3.15 million.
The company has also launched a private beta, opening its toolbox up to prominent YouTube partners like Machinima, AwesomenessTV and Big Frame.
The service offers those YouTube creators detailed analysis of their most active viewers, those commenting and liking their videos. It monitors details like what other videos they watch. That data enables creators to better target likely viewers and interact with famous fans.
The funding will be used to add more staff and improve Tubular's software. It aims to become the go-to third party platform for YouTube’s biggest video creators.
“YouTube tells you what videos have been watched, but it doesn’t tell you where videos are ranking in YouTube search or who has a similar audience,” Founder and CEO Rob Gabel (above) told TheWrap. “Who are the most engaged fans? What collaborations were successful?"
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After an initial round raising money from assorted executives like Allen DeBevoise, CEO of Machinima, Tubular has drawn financial support from tech investors like High Line Venture Partners, SVAngel, Lerer Ventures, and Bedrocket Media Ventures. The fundraising was led by FirstMark Capital.
Gabel founded Tubular after working at Machinima and Netflix. At Machinima, he watched the online video industry continue to explode as YouTube’s global audience reached into the hundreds of millions.
While the amount of time people spend watching YouTube videos still pales in comparison to the time spent watching Netflix or traditional television, YouTube will continue to grow, Gabel says.
“You want to learn about your audience – what they are subscribing to, what videos they are watching, who is influential – and this platform helps you do that and take action,” Gabel said.
“I purposely didn’t name my company Tubular Metrics because I don’t want to just report the news but want people to act on it,” he added. “Our users can say ‘What do I need to do today to help my channel and find an audience.’ This software does a lot for them.”
While more than 300 people applied to the private beta, the company accepted only a few dozen of them. It will open up to the public in the spring, offering a subscription service.