Disney doubles up on Vice

US media giant Disney is set to take a 10% stake in youth-skewing multimedia outfit Vice Media by investing a further US$200m in the company.

The Mouse House invested US$200m in Vice last month and is now doubling its stake, according to the Financial Times, in a deal that values the firm at around US$4bn.

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, A+E Networks and the Technology Crossover Venture fund also hold stakes in Vice, which began life as an alternative magazine covering music and lifestyle.

It has since expanded operations around the globe, working with HBO on factual TV series, and is in the midst of prepping a new channel with A+E in the US, which is set to launch early next year.

Viceland (working title) will replace A+E Networks’ channel brand H2 and has filmmaker Spike Jonze on board as creative director. The firm revealed a slew of TV shows in May, prior to confirmation of the move, with programming including Gaycation, hosted by actor Ellen Page, and Huang’s World, featuring chef Eddie Huang.

A+E, which is jointly owned by Disney and the Hearst Corporation, shelled out US$250m for a 10% stake in vice, which valued the company at US$2.5bn at the time.

Vice has also been talking to the likes of Netflix, ITV and Discovery Communications about plans to launch a dozen TV networks across Europe.

C21 later revealed Vice was also in the process of expanding its Eastern European venture with Greece’s Antenna Group into new territories.