FanTrust Inks Pearson Deal for Pancake Manor YouTube Hits — Playback

Catherine Warren’s FanTrust has inked a content supply deal with British media group Pearson for Pancake Manor, the YouTube phenomenon.

Pearson Education has licensed Pancake Manor videos for a new electronic app the group is rolling out to the global educational market.

“A break-out hit on YouTube is being licensed by a more traditional media or entertainment player,” Warren, president of FanTrust Entertainment Strategies, said of the deal.

The Pancake Manor property was created in mid-2011 by Billy Reid and Reb Stevenson and is based in Victoria, British Columbia.

To date, the kids videos streamed on YouTube have generated over 17 million views.

The Pancake Manor videos now join a trend where content grown on YouTube makes the leap to other digital platforms where creators look to monetize the property.

The deal is part of a bid by Pearson to push mobile content to young consumers as the media group looks to digital revenue to offset a revenue decline in traditional media, including the Financial Times newspaper.

Pancake Manor videos will be delivered by Pearson either by download or preloaded onto devices.

FanTrust will now look for additional cross-platform deals for Pancake Manor, including a possible TV development deal.

“He (Billy Reid) has retention. He’s found a market niche where there’s repeat viewing and stickiness that broadcasters are looking for, and which is doing well for him,” Warren explained.