Blip.tv was once a leading platform for independent web series, offering creators tools to distribute, monetize, and build audiences. Launched on May 5, 2005, by Mike Hudack, Dina Kaplan, Justin Day, Jared Klett, and Charles Hope, the New York-based company set out to provide a professional alternative to YouTube focusing on serialized web content. Over the next decade, Blip became a major player in the web video space, securing $30.3 million in funding, partnering with top advertisers, and curating a library of independent productions.
Despite its efforts, Blip struggled to compete with YouTube’s dominance and was acquired by Maker Studios in 2013, eventually leading to its shutdown on August 20, 2015. Today, Blip is remembered as a trailblazer in the evolution of online video content.
A Unique Model for Web Video
Unlike YouTube, which allowed users to upload a wide range of videos, Blip positioned itself as a curated destination for high-quality, independent web series. It provided a platform for content creators to publish their series while offering a 50/50 revenue split on advertising.
Blip was home to over 50,000 web series, with an editorial team handpicking the best 1,800 shows for front-page promotion. Creators on Blip included Channel Awesome, Rooster Teeth, My Damn Channel, and filmmaker Michael Moore, who partnered with the platform in 2008 to distribute his documentary Slacker Uprising—a pioneering moment for online film distribution.
By 2010, Blip had amassed over three billion total video views and was receiving nearly a billion views per quarter. The site also introduced an innovative homepage design that allowed users to preview episodes simply by hovering over thumbnails—a feature that enhanced discovery and engagement.
Rebranding and Expansion
In 2011, Blip decided to rebrand, shifting from a distribution-focused platform to a video destination that put its most popular web series front and center. As part of this shift, the company dropped the “.tv” from its name, officially rebranding as Blip in 2012.
The decision to remove “.tv” stemmed from research indicating that audiences did not associate web series with traditional television. COO Steve Brookstein explained that the change aligned with Blip’s evolving focus on high-quality episodic content rather than viral or random user-generated videos. Unlike YouTube and Vimeo, Blip’s content strategy deliberately excluded amateur uploads, instead catering to a more refined selection of premium web shows such as Red vs. Blue, Red Letter Media, CBR TV, and Annoying Orange.
Blip also prioritized multi-platform distribution, making its content available on Google TV, LG, TiVo, Boxee, YouTube, Roku, Vizio, and iTunes. By 2012, the platform was averaging 13 million unique domestic visitors per month and 30 million global visitors, generating 330 million monthly video views, with 70 million of those being monetized. While these numbers were still behind YouTube, Blip offered a better ad revenue split for content creators, making it a more attractive platform for web series producers.
Funding and Growth Efforts
Blip was initially self-funded, but as the platform expanded, it secured major investments. 2007 it received backing from Ambient Sound Investments, followed by a $5.2 million round in 2008. 2010 the company raised $10.1 million in a Series C round.
In 2012, Blip secured an additional $12 million in funding from Bain Capital, Canaan Partners, and Silicon Valley Bank, bringing its total funding to $30.3 million. The new capital was used to enhance Blip’s analytics dashboard, improve content distribution, and refine its advertising platform to attract high-profile advertisers.
With this growth, Blip launched Blip Studios, a production division to develop higher-quality original web series in collaboration with brands and independent creators. The studio produced The Gauntlet, a gaming competition series with Rooster Teeth, and struck a Yahoo content deal, where Yahoo promoted 13 Blip series while Blip distributed 16 Yahoo originals.
Acquisition by Maker Studios
In August 2013, Blip was acquired by Maker Studios, a multi-channel network (MCN) known for working with top YouTube creators. Maker initially presented the acquisition as part of its strategy to compete with YouTube, leveraging Blip’s platform and technology.
However, the transition was not smooth. Soon after the acquisition, Blip removed thousands of creators from the platform, claiming they did not meet new content guidelines. The company restricted uploads, phased out smaller video producers, and focused entirely on YouTube-based content.
By mid-2014, many Blip creators received account termination notices stating that their channels would be deleted, even without policy violations. The shift was widely seen as an economic decision rather than a quality control measure.
The Shutdown
In July 2015, Blip announced it would shut down on August 20, 2015. Users were advised to export their videos, and creators were encouraged to move to Maker Gen, Maker Studios’ YouTube monetization network. The website was taken offline, marking the end of Blip’s decade-long run as a home for independent web series.
Shortly after, Maker Studios was absorbed into Disney Digital Network, erasing Blip from the online video landscape altogether.
Blip’s legacy and Impact
Blip played a pivotal role in the early days of web series, proving that online content could be both professional and profitable. It offered a space for independent creators to thrive before YouTube fully dominated the industry.
The impact of Blip can still be seen in modern platforms like Twitch, which supports niche content and direct creator monetization; Patreon, which enables independent video creators to earn revenue from fans; and TikTok, which prioritizes curated content and professional creators over amateur uploads.
Despite its shutdown, Blip demonstrated that web series could be engaging, commercially viable, and legitimate entertainment. It paved the way for today’s booming digital content industry, leaving behind a legacy as one of the first platforms to take independent online video seriously.
