Warner Bros. invests in Machinima, in a round worth $18 million

YouTube entertainment channel Machinima has netted $18 million in a funding round led by major media company Warner Bros., the company announced today. Why? "There are myriad opportunities to connect Warner Bros.' content to our audience across YouTube and our highly successful apps, and similarly to maximize the value of our content by utilizing Warner Bros.' expertise in global distribution beyond YouTube," said CEO and chairman Allen DeBevoise in a statement. The funding round also included MK Capital, Redpoint Ventures, and Google Capital -- all existing investors. The company last announced funding of $35 million in May of 2012. Warner Bros. chief digital officer and EVP of strategy and business development Thomas Gewecke called the company a "pioneer and category leader" in the YouTube space in the statement, saying that Warner has been "impressed with Machinima as a distribution partner" so far. Machinima produces a variety of shows that it posts directly to YouTube; it also posts publisher and developer-provided trailers for upcoming games. According to Machinima, its videos are viewed over 2 billion times a month.