When Maker Studios was sold to Disney for a record $900 million (if the final payout holds), the gauntlet finally was thrown down on how much investors and media giants would be willing to spend on multichannel networks, some of the newest disruptors in the online video space. There was only one catch: MCNs are part of YouTube’s website, and not offered anywhere else. While this doesn’t necessarily limit media companies from promoting and creating popular content, some are reportedly balking at the idea of paying big dollars when YouTube gets the majority of views–and a big chunk of the advertising revenue.
