Rogers buys stake in web video company

Rogers Communications Inc. has purchased a minority stake in Vuguru, an American new media firm owned by former chairman of Walt Disney Co. Michael Eisner.

According to a report from The New York Times, Vuguru is currently held as part of Eisner’s media investment company Tornante. The deal that involves Rogers has Vuguru becoming its own company, with Rogers as a stakeholder.

CBC News reports that  Vuguru currently produces a handful of video series, but is expected to increase production.

The CBC report states:

“Unlike conventional network television series, which have higher production values and are generally at least 30 minutes in length with commercials, web-only series consist of much shorter but more frequent ‘webisodes.’ They draw a much narrower but highly specific audience.

“The Vuguru investment is part of the Rogers strategy of differentiating itself with content across multiple platforms, the company said.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.