Merzigo to target US growth as part of $200m content investment in 2027

Video monetisation platform Merzigo plans to invest US$200m in content in 2027 as it expands its licensing and financing activities, with a particular focus on the US market.

Yigit Dogan Celik

The company, which has offices in London, Los Angeles and Istanbul, revealed on Tuesday it is organising under four main business units: Merzigo Studios (content investments, licensing, production), Merzigo Platforms (tech and product), Merzigo Ad Alliance (advertising) and Merzigo Academy (talent and knowledge development). Each will sit under the main Merzigo banner.

The new structure and capital injection “mark the next phase of Merzigo’s growth,” said the company, “expanding the business around its established global monetisation engine into content investment and production, technology, advertising and talent.”

This latest capital injection comes after Merzigo invested around US$150m last year. According to the company, it used the cash for a mixture of investments in content, licensing, production and growth across YouTube.

Over the past 12 months, it has struck partnerships with the likes of Banijay, NBCUniversal, All3Media, Steve Harvey and David Letterman.

Merzigo said the US$200m earmarked for the coming year will focus on three areas: strategic pacts with studios, broadcasters and producers; licensing content and rights to new territories and platforms; and direct investment in YouTube-first unscripted and scripted projects via Merzigo Studios.

The company, which is led by chairman and CEO Yigit Dogan Celik, said the US is “at the centre” of its growth plans for 2027 as it looks to forge closer ties with American studios, networks, production companies and talent.

“The US$200m commitment will support increased volumes of US premium content and rights entering the Merzigo ecosystem, expanded licensing activity, US-based content investment and production, and landmark YouTube-first projects with international potential,” said the company.

Merzigo manages more than 6,000 digital channels globally. Those channels have two billion subscribers and generate upwards of 17 billion monthly views, according to the company.

“We successfully deployed the US$150m we committed to content investment in 2026, and that investment has enabled us to expand our partner base, invest in thousands of hours of content and deepen our relationships across the global media industry,” said Merzigo chief operating officer Ceyda Sıla Çetinkaya.

“We are now increasing that commitment to US$200m for 2027, with the US at the heart of our next phase of growth. We see significant opportunity to deepen our relationships with the world’s leading content owners, producers and talent and to bring more premium content into our global ecosystem.”