Video-Sharing

Israeli Video sharing startup, MetaCafe, has completed a second financing round, securing $15M led by new investor Accel Partners, with significant participation from initial backer Benchmark Capital. Metacafe will use the new funds to open its U.S. headquarters in San Francisco and invest in marketing, contributor remuneration and new distribution technologies.

Metacafe aggregates and distributes video content online. Its unique video rating system employs the most advanced content filters on the web and differentiates it from many of its competitors. Metacafe’s worldwide viewers and contributors stream and download more than 400 million video files each month, making Metacafe one of the fastest growing video sites on the net.

“Online video has forever changed the way media is consumed in our culture. Until now, movies and television have been the primary sources of entertainment,” says Arik Czerniak, CEO of Metacafe. “Now, short films, no more than two minutes in length, can be viewed online from anywhere in the world. A new generation of entertainment consumption has arisen, initially on the internet, and in future, on mobile devices - Metacafe will supply the content.”

Internet video entertainment company YouTube has received $8 million in second funding round from Sequoia Capital. The Company completed an initial $3.5 million in first funding round from Sequoia in November 2005.

"This is the birth of a new clip culture where the audience is now in control more than ever," said Chad Hurley, CEO and co-founder of YouTube. Founded in February 2005, YouTube currently delivers more than 40 million video views every day with 35,000 new videos uploaded daily.

"YouTube is at the forefront of a cultural shift in digital media entertainment and media distribution and we are delighted to continue our support," said Roelof Botha, Sequoia Capital partner and board member. "With more than 100 million page views per day and 6 million unique users daily, YouTube has an opportunity to expand its business while allowing its users to continue to share in the entertainment experience they have created."