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Revision3 has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Revision3.
Revision3 was founded in 2005 by Kevin Rose (Co-Founder) and Jay Adelson (Chairman, Founder, CEO).
Revision3 has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Revision3 operated as a San Francisco-based multi-channel network, specializing in the creation and distribution of streaming television shows across niche topics. The company pioneered internet broadcasting, leveraging digital platforms to deliver targeted content directly to online audiences through original programming. Its approach focused on building a network for diverse web-based video content, distinct from traditional media.
Co-founded in 2005 by Jay Adelson, David Prager, and Kevin Rose, Revision3 emerged from a vision for online media. Adelson and Rose brought experience from Digg.com; Prager contributed his TechTV background. Their insight identified an unmet demand for specialized online video, prompting the establishment of an independent internet broadcasting entity dedicated to serving early digital communities.
Revision3 targeted viewers interested in genres like technology, gaming, and entertainment, cultivating dedicated online communities around its shows. Its vision centered on becoming a premier destination for original web video, fostering content creators and a direct relationship with a digitally native audience. The company aimed to continually evolve online video consumption by pioneering new distribution models.
Revision3 has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Series A in August 2006.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2006 | $1M Series A | — | — | Announced |
Revision3 was founded in 2005 by Kevin Rose (Co-Founder) and Jay Adelson (Chairman, Founder, CEO).
Revision3 has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Key people at Revision3.
Revision3 was a pioneering San Francisco-based multi-channel Internet television network that created, produced, and distributed web shows on niche topics, primarily technology and gaming content.[1][2] Founded in 2005, it built a TV network for the web with original broadcasts, raised $9M in funding, and was acquired by Discovery Digital Networks (part of Discovery Channel) in May 2012 for approximately $30 million, after which it operated as a subsidiary.[1][2]
The company served online audiences seeking on-demand, specialized programming like tech reviews hosted by Patrick Norton and gaming shows by Adam Sessler, alongside comedic, political, DIY, and movie content. It solved the problem of fragmented early internet video by converging TV and internet for loyal, niche viewers via broadband, iPods, TiVo, and mobile, moving beyond cable's general-interest model and PC video's lack of business viability.[1]
Revision3 was founded in April 2005 in Los Angeles, California, by Jay Adelson, Kevin Rose, and David Prager, with early involvement from Dan Huard, Keith Harrison, and Ron Gorodetzky—most previously at TechTV.[1] The idea emerged from show development starting in July 2003 with "thebroken," a podcast videozine on computer hacking featuring Rose and Huard, amid TechTV's merger with G4, which cut much original tech content.[1]
The founders envisioned "Revision3" as the third evolution of video: after cable TV (revision 1) and unstructured PC internet video (revision 2), it merged TV and internet for on-demand niche shows. Pivotal early traction came from tech-savvy audiences shifting to broadband-enabled content, leading to relocation to San Francisco and growth until the 2012 Discovery acquisition.[1][2]
Revision3 rode the mid-2000s broadband explosion and shift to user-generated, on-demand video, timing perfectly with YouTube's rise (2005) and iPod/mobile video adoption.[1] It influenced the ecosystem by proving niche web TV's viability—original, hosted content with business models—paving the way for multi-channel networks (MCNs) like Next New Networks and modern platforms (e.g., YouTube Premium, Twitch).[2]
Market forces like TechTV's decline created talent/opportunity gaps Revision3 filled, while its $30M acquisition validated web video's scale, accelerating investor interest in digital media startups amid cord-cutting trends.[1][2]
Post-2012 acquisition, Revision3 integrated into Discovery Digital Networks, likely evolving its shows into broader streaming portfolios amid consolidation (e.g., Discovery's Warner Bros. merger).[1][2] Trends like short-form video (TikTok), live streaming, and AI content tools could reshape its legacy, but as a subsidiary, its influence persists in niche digital programming.
Looking ahead, Revision3 exemplifies early web TV's triumph, tying back to its core mission: redefining video for loyal, tech-forward audiences in an era where on-demand niche content dominates global streaming.
