What Play Now Media does

Play Now Media (PlayNowMedia) is a privately held video technology and OTT publishing company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Miami Beach, Florida. The company operates a portfolio of dozens of AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) and SVOD (subscription video on demand) channels, spanning both general-audience and niche vertical content such as horror (POV Horror). The platform distributes this content across all major OTT platforms as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop devices, advertising brand-safe, unskippable, 100% viewable inventory to attract advertisers.

The underlying technology is an OTT publishing platform that aggregates content into a 35,000+ video library and packages it into themed channels distributed through multiple device surfaces. The company also offers complementary services: an advertising platform (marketed via 'Advertise With Us'), content monetization tools for creators, and streaming app distribution. Scale signals disclosed on the company site include 1,200,000+ monthly ad requests, 3,000+ app downloads per day, and a self-reported 10-15% monthly growth rate for both ads and app downloads, with 10 new channels launching each quarter.

The business model is primarily advertising-driven on the AVOD side, with SVOD channels representing a secondary recurring-revenue stream. The go-to-market is sales-led and B2B on the advertiser side, complemented by organic consumer acquisition through app store distribution. No pricing details, revenue figures, funding rounds, named enterprise customers, patents, partnerships, or senior team beyond CEO Michael Steinberg and President Michael McQuown are disclosed in the source material, which constrains due diligence depth.

Name

Play Now Media

Legal name

PlayNowMedia

Website

https://PlayNowMedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Play Now Media is a privately held OTT publishing platform that operates dozens of AVOD and SVOD channels across all major OTT, mobile, tablet, and desktop devices, monetizing through advertising and subscriptions while offering content creators distribution and monetization tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

OTT Video Streaming and Publishing

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise/Creator Video Hosting & OTT SaaS Platforms (MPACAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ad Tech for OTT (SSAI/CSAI, Ad Decisioning, Measurement) (MPAHAJAG), Live Streaming & Low-Latency OTT Orchestration (LL-HLS, DASH, WebRTC) (MPAHAJAK)

Keywords

• OTT publishing platform
• AVOD channels
• SVOD channels
• Video streaming distribution
• Content monetization

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. AVOD and SVOD Channel Operations: The company operates both AVOD (Ad-based Video on Demand) and SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) channels. AVOD content is described as brand-safe, unskippable, and 100% viewable, generating advertising revenue. SVOD channels likely generate subscription-based recurring revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Core offering

Play Now Media owns and operates a premium OTT (Over-the-Top) publishing platform consisting of dozens of AVOD (Ad-based Video on Demand) and SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) channels distributed across all major OTT platforms, mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. The platform enables advertisers to reach engaged TV audiences via brand-safe, unskippable, 100% viewable ad inventory and provides content creators with distribution and monetization services across a library of 35,000+ videos.

Product overview

PlayNowMedia is a premium OTT publishing platform that operates a portfolio of AVOD and SVOD channels. The platform consists of multiple AVOD channels (offering brand-safe, unskippable, 100% viewable content) and SVOD subscription channels, distributed across general wide audience and niche categories. The company also provides complementary services including an advertising platform, content monetization tools, and streaming app distribution. Specific channel brands include POV Horror (a niche horror channel), while the broader portfolio spans dozens of channels across diverse content categories with 10 new channels launching quarterly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POV Horror: A horror channel/brand under PlayNowMedia's distribution portfolio, featured as part of their POV horror content offering.

Products and services

• AVOD Channels Advertising-based video on demand channels offering brand-safe, unskippable, and 100% viewable content distributed across all major OTT platforms, mobile, tablet, and desktop. Designed to give advertisers access to engaged TV audiences.
• SVOD Channels Subscription-based video on demand channels offering premium content to subscribers, distributed alongside the company's AVOD portfolio across OTT, mobile, tablet, and desktop.
• POV Horror A niche horror channel within the PlayNowMedia distribution network, targeting horror enthusiasts with POV-style horror content.
• Advertising Platform Platform service enabling advertisers to reach engaged TV audiences through brand-safe AVOD content distributed across all major OTT platforms.
• Content Monetization Service Service for content creators and rights holders to monetize their media by distributing it through Play Now Media's AVOD and SVOD channel network across multiple platforms.
• Streaming Apps Distribution Distribution and management of streaming applications across multiple platforms including OTT, mobile, tablet, and desktop, with 3,000+ app downloads per day.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000+ videos in library providing extensive content inventory for advertisers
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pluto TV: Pluto TV operates a large-scale free ad-supported streaming television (FAST/AVOD) platform with hundreds of channels across all major CTV devices — the closest direct peer to Play Now Media's owned-and-operated AVOD/SVOD channel model. Both compete for advertiser attention and viewer time on the same smart TV app ecosystems.
• Tubi: Tubi is a major free AVOD streaming service offering thousands of movies and TV episodes across all major OTT platforms. It directly overlaps with Play Now Media's AVOD channel strategy, advertising-supported monetization, and multi-platform distribution.
• The Roku Channel: Roku's owned-and-operated streaming channel is a flagship free AVOD/FAST offering within the Roku ecosystem, monetized through advertising. It shares Play Now Media's advertiser-targeting model and reliance on CTV distribution, and is one of the most heavily funded competitors in the space.
• Crackle (Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment): Crackle is a free AVOD streaming service offering movies and TV across all major OTT platforms. It mirrors Play Now Media's channel-based, advertiser-funded approach and operates in a similar mid-sized niche of the FAST market.
• Xumo Play: Xumo Play is a free AVOD/FAST streaming service offering 300+ channels across smart TVs, mobile, and web. It directly parallels Play Now Media's model of operating multiple ad-funded channels distributed across all major OTT platforms.
• DistroTV: DistroTV is a free AVOD streaming platform that operates 150+ channels covering general and niche content verticals, distributed across all major CTV platforms. It is one of the most comparable independent-scale peers to Play Now Media in both portfolio breadth and advertiser-targeting focus.

Broad incumbents

• Amazon Freevee: Amazon Freevee was an ad-supported free streaming service from Amazon offering movies, TV, and originals across smart TVs and Fire devices. It competes in the same AVOD category as Play Now Media but with significantly greater content budgets and platform integration.
• Samsung TV Plus: Samsung TV Plus is a pre-installed FAST channel service on Samsung smart TVs, offering free ad-supported linear channels. It is a comparable free, ad-funded streaming product bundled on connected devices, but with a massive distribution advantage via Samsung's installed base.
• Vizio WatchFree+: Vizio WatchFree+ is a free streaming service built into Vizio smart TVs offering hundreds of ad-supported FAST channels. It is comparable as an OEM-bundled FAST channel service competing for the same advertiser dollars, though it has a structural distribution advantage.
• LG Channels: LG Channels is a pre-installed free ad-supported streaming service on LG smart TVs offering hundreds of FAST channels. It shares Play Now Media's advertiser-funded channel model but benefits from default placement on LG's installed base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Play Now Media