FilmRise Acquires BuzzFeed Studios Library, Including ‘Hot Ones’ and ‘Unsolved’ Franchise

Other titles in the library include “Worth It”

FilmRise Hot Ones
FilmRise/Getty Images

FilmRise has secured worldwide digital media rights to a collection of content from the portfolio of brands under BuzzFeed Studios, which includes “Hot Ones” and the “Unsolved” franchise, Jonitha Keymoore, VP of Global Content
Acquisitions at FilmRise and Nick Wang, SVP of Business Development and
Partnerships at BuzzFeed Studio, jointly announced on Friday.

The library spans over 1,200 hours of content and includes “Worth It,” “BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime” and “BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural.”

“Hot Ones,” the acclaimed series that earned Emmy Award nominations and Streamy Awards, showcases host Sean Evans engaging in spicy wing interviews with A-list celebrities. The show originally debuted on YouTube in 2015 and quickly skyrocketed to viral fame.

“BuzzFeed and Complex carry a library of content that taps into the zeitgeist of today’s culture by taking an innovative perspective to traditional formats, whether that be the unique way “Hot Ones” approaches the classic talk show format or “BuzzFeed Unsolved” takes on the true crime genre,” Keymoore said in a statement to TheWrap. “These titles already have a strong audience following and now, we are thrilled to bring them to everyone, worldwide.”

Wang added: “This deal with FilmRise marks a milestone for our series and our studio. We’re excited to expand the footprint of our series to audience across digital platforms around the globe.”

In April, BuzzFeed closed down its news division as part of widespread layoffs, following a report of second-quarter revenue at $77.9 million. However, the company incurred a net loss of $27.8 million, resulting in a loss per share of 20 cents, which fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.

Recently, it has been reported that BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti has been actively exploring the sale of the company’s Complex Networks assets, with the goal of securing a sum of $150 million. Notably, BuzzFeed had acquired Complex Networks only two years ago.

The FilmRise deal was brokered by Keymoore and Wang.

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