What Brut does

Brut is a French digital media company founded in 2016 that operates a multi-edition short-form video news platform serving consumers across France, the United States, India, and Africa. Its core product is a free, ad-supported video platform covering eight editorial categories (News, International, Nature, Science & Technology, Culture & Lifestyle, Health, Economy, and Sports), delivered via a website and native iOS/Android applications. The technology stack centers on digital video distribution and live streaming, using Phenix Real Time Solutions for broadcast-grade video delivery, with Apple and Google providing identity (Sign-in) and payment (Apple Pay, Google Play Billing) integration. Supporting products include BrutX, a subscription-based streaming platform for documentaries and premium long-form content, and a creator-content system that allows validated creators to publish and interact with users via live video sessions.

Brut monetizes through three revenue streams: (1) digital advertising across its owned platform and applications, (2) recurring BrutX subscriptions billed monthly or annually via mobile payment platforms, and (3) corporate content services delivered through its Brands Platform (brands.brut.media). The primary customer segment is digital-first Millennial and Gen Z consumers seeking factual, short-form news and entertainment, while a secondary segment is corporate brands seeking reach into Brut's young, multi-market audience. Distribution is product-led and organic-social-led, with coordinated branded accounts across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, supplemented by high-visibility event partnerships such as the official Cannes Film Festival collaboration.

The company is privately held and incorporated in France as a société par actions simplifiée, headquartered at 17 rue de l'Arrivée, Paris. Brut has raised approximately $140 million across four funding rounds (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023), with notable investors including James Murdoch, Orange Ventures, CMA CGM, MoonPay, Blisce, and Red River West. The company is GDPR-compliant and uses Apple/Google payment rails for monetization. Management includes Guillaume Lacroix as CEO/Publication Director, Laurent Lucas as Co-founder and Editorial Director, Elisabeth Peyraube as Deputy CEO of Finance and Strategy, and Olivier Hory as VP of Engineering.

Name

Brut

Legal name

BRUT

Website

https://brut.media

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Brut is a French digital media company operating a multi-edition short-form video news platform serving Millennial and Gen Z consumers in France, the US, India, and Africa, monetized through advertising, BrutX subscriptions, and corporate content services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Revenue generated through advertising across the digital platform, including video ads and display advertising on the website and application
2. Subscription (BrutX): Monthly, annual, and one-time support subscriptions providing access to unlimited content and premium features. Payment via secure platform with Apple/Android account integration for mobile payments
3. Corporate Content Services: Expansion into services for corporate content as part of international growth strategy

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Brut is a global digital media company that produces and distributes short-form video news and lifestyle content across its website, iOS/Android apps, and BrutX premium streaming platform. It operates four localized editions (France, US, India, Africa) and supplements consumer content with corporate content production services through its Brands platform.

Product overview

Brut is a digital media publisher operating a multi-edition video news platform (brut.media) available in France, US, India, and Africa editions. The core product offers short-form video content across eight categories: News, International, The Earth, Science & Technology, Culture & Lifestyle, Health, Economy, and Sports. Supporting products include BrutX, a streaming platform for extended video content; a mobile application for iOS and Android offering content feeds, live streaming, and creator interactions with free and paid subscription tiers; and a Brands Platform for corporate content services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BrutX: Streaming platform developed by Brut for video content distribution.

Products and services

• Brut Digital Media Platform Brut's core video news platform (website at brut.media plus iOS/Android mobile apps) delivering short-form video content in eight categories — News, International, The Earth, Science & Technology, Culture & Lifestyle, Health, Economy, and Sports — across four localized editions (France, US, India, Africa) for general digital consumers.
• BrutX Premium streaming platform developed by Brut to extend its video content with documentaries and exclusive video content, accessed via monthly, annual, or one-time support subscriptions, supporting international expansion into Africa, Latin America, and other markets.
• Brands Platform Corporate content production and distribution service via the Brands.brut.media portal, enabling brands and advertisers to create and distribute branded content through Brut's media network to reach younger digital audiences across multiple geographic markets.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cannes Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2023Official Cannes Festival partner. Brut organizes and manages influencer presence at the festival, facilitating content creation and brand visibility for the event. Brut India organizes digital creators for Cannes coverage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Dailymotion: Paris-based video hosting and streaming platform with French origin. Comparable as a fellow French-headquartered digital video player, though Dailymotion operates more as a hosting/streaming infrastructure layer than an editorial publisher.

Broad incumbents

• BuzzFeed: Large US digital media publisher with substantial short-form video and social-first news content. Competes with Brut for advertiser attention and audience share on the same platforms, though with broader entertainment and lifestyle coverage.
• France 24: French state-backed international news broadcaster operating in multiple languages with a substantial digital and social video footprint. Shares Brut's French origin, multilingual ambition, and global news positioning, but with broader linear-TV reach.
• Insider: US business-and-lifestyle digital publisher with growing short-form video output. Comparable as a digital-first, video-heavy news brand, but with a broader business/finance remit than Brut.
• Vox Media: US digital media incumbent owning Vox, SB Nation, and The Verge with significant video and explainer output targeting younger readers. Comparable as a digital-first news and video brand with broader editorial scope than Brut's news-and-current-affairs focus.
• Vice Media: Global digital media incumbent with millennial-skewed video news and documentary content across multiple international editions. Competitor for the same Gen Z/Millennial audience but with a significantly broader and more entertainment-heavy portfolio.

Direct peers

• NowThis: US-based digital-first publisher producing short-form vertical video news for younger audiences across social platforms. Brut and NowThis compete directly for the same eyeballs and ad dollars on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Euronews: European-headquartered multi-language digital news network operating across multiple country editions with substantial video output. Same multi-edition, multi-language, pan-European origination as Brut.
• AJ+: Al Jazeera's digital-native mobile video unit producing short-form, social-first explainers targeted at young international audiences. Closely mirrors Brut's mobile-first, multi-platform distribution playbook and global news remit.

Emerging players

• TYT Network: US-based progressive digital video news network producing short-form and long-form commentary targeted at younger audiences. Overlaps with Brut in digital-first, younger-skewing political and social coverage, though primarily US-focused with a less international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brutofficiel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/brutofficiel
• Facebookfacebook.com/brutofficiel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brut.
• Instagraminstagram.com/brutofficiel
• TikToktiktok.com/@brutofficiel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brut