Triller has acquired Fangage, an all-in-one creator engagement platform founded by famous Dutch DJ, producer and creator, Sam Feldt. The acquisition is part of Triller’s new approach to fixing the creator economy and comes on the heels of acquisition of fast-growing influencer platform Julius.
In March, Triller announced plans to go public this year through a reverse merger with Nasdaq-listed video-tech company Seachange International (SEAC). With this listing, the combined entity is targeting a valuation of $5B and the acquisitions show how it aims to achieve that valuation by encompassing a variety of media businesses.
Triller acquires Fangage to build its creator-centric services model
Since floating its decision to go public this year, Triller has been promoting this idea of becoming a services company aimed at creators. It aims to do that by bringing in different creator-centric services together. This includes its namesake short-video app Triller, a music and boxing events business, a text-marketing service called Cliqz, and a rap-battle platform named Verzuz.
To complement these platforms, Triller acquired Julius first and is now adding Fangage to its ecosystem. Fangage is designed as an all-in-one solution for creators to reach and engage with all of their fans around the globe directly. The service also allows creators to host and sell exclusive content, offer unique membership, and subscription packages.
The acquisition is meant to help Triller build an open garden technology platform for creators. “Consumer interactions enabled by the Triller platform drive 1:1 engagement between creators and consumers, and that engagement puts more money in the pockets of creators,” says Mahi de Silva, Triller’s Chief Executive Officer.
“With the addition of Fangage, we’ve added new superpowers for creators, substantially expanding their monetisation potential by enabling more people to engage with more content powered by the Triller platform, across social media and the open web,” he adds.
Triller has long argued that the current creator economy is broken and that it could be able to address the systemic problems. With Triller Creator Platform, the AI-powered open garden technology platform for creators, it creates an ecosystem where creators and brands can build a global audience with engagement and monetisation tools and an array of content and commerce capabilities.
Fangage’s opportunity to access millions of creators
Fangage was founded in 2016 by Dutch DJ Sam Feldt after he found that traditional social media platforms were not helping him connect with his fans. Fangage is a fan platform for top artists, influencers, and brands to reach new audiences and exceed their goals. The platform is particularly popular for its ability to attract famous names in the EDM sphere.
With Fangage, Triller wants to deliver “a new and expanded menu of service” to creators and brands. Fangage will allow Triller to expand its reach beyond genre or industry and allow its users to connect with fans and monetise their relationships directly.
The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022 and Fangage says it will continue to operate under the same management team. By joining Triller, Fangage will get access to millions of creators, meaningful technology, and a strong network of creator-focussed companies.
“As with our acquisition of Julius, adding Fangage to our platform for creators and brands is a massive step forward. Additionally, with Fangage, Triller is excited to welcome a rapidly growing audience of EDM fans augmenting our broad audience of fans across all forms of music creators and influencers,” adds Mahi de Silva.
Creators are increasingly looking for alternatives for traditional social media platforms to build their own identity, create content and connect with their followers. The likes of Patreon and Substack are examples of creator-centric companies building products that are different from traditional companies in the creator economy.
Triller, on the other hand, wants to be a one stop destination for creators. By bringing an ecosystem of companies, it not only wants to cater to a large audience but also provide them with tools necessary to monetise their following and run commerce. For Triller, the challenge would be in how well it succeeds in integrating all of these platforms together as it shifts away from being a TikTok competitor to enabler of platforms.
