16 New York investors capitalizing video and audio streaming startups in 2026

New York invested $4.8B in media and entertainment technology in 2025, with streaming platforms capturing $1.9B across 95+ rounds. The city hosts every major media company's headquarters, giving streaming founders direct pipeline to content partners and distribution deals. You'll meet with Paramount, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros Discovery executives in the same week. But NYC streaming investors have seen Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ eat the market. They won't fund another generic SVOD platform without massive content differentiation or novel monetization.

Quick list

Why New York for streaming fundraising

NYC has 45+ active funds investing in streaming and media technology. Average seed round is $4M, Series A hits $15M. Those numbers are 30-40% higher than LA or Austin because New York investors understand content licensing, rights management, and media company politics better than anyone.

The advantage is content partnerships. You can pitch every major studio, network, and publisher from Midtown offices. Most NYC streaming companies sign distribution or licensing deals before Series A. Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, and NBC Universal all have venture arms here. They'll invest and become your first enterprise customer simultaneously.

The downside is fierce competition and media company bureaucracy. You're fundraising against 60+ other streaming platforms, all promising to be "the next Netflix." NYC investors are exhausted by pitch decks with hockey stick projections and no path to profitability. Content costs terrify them after seeing countless streaming platforms burn $50M+ trying to compete with Disney+ and HBO Max. Show them profitable unit economics or don't bother taking meetings.

Picking the right New York streaming investor

Local presence means media company relationships. Investors with offices in Midtown or Hudson Yards can intro you to Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, ViacomCBS, and NBCUniversal within days. Strategic arms like Comcast Ventures and Time Warner Investments write $10-25M checks and give you distribution deals simultaneously. West Coast funds don't understand the New York media ecosystem's complexity.

Portfolio companies reveal specialization. Check if they've backed video infrastructure (Vimeo, Brightcove), creator platforms (Patreon, Cameo), or pure content plays (BuzzFeed, Vice). Greycroft's creator economy portfolio means they understand monetization. RRE's infrastructure investments mean they get streaming CDN costs. Don't pitch a subscription platform to a fund that only backs creator tools.

Check sizes in NYC streaming range from $1M pre-seed to $50M+ growth rounds. Seed rounds land between $3-6M. Series A is $12-20M. Growth rounds hit $30-75M. New York streaming investors write larger checks than most markets because content acquisition costs demand it. But they also expect revenue traction earlier. Most seed-stage streaming companies here have 50K+ paying subscribers or $500K+ MRR from B2B customers.

Local network matters more in streaming than any other vertical. Ask if they can intro you to Hulu, Peacock, or Paramount+ executives. The best NYC streaming investors have relationships with CAA, UTA, and WME for talent deals. Share your deck through Ellty with trackable links. NYC investors will spend 60% of their time on your content strategy and unit economics. They'll skip your technology slides unless you're building infrastructure.

Follow-on capacity is essential for streaming. Content costs scale fast and you'll need multiple growth rounds. FirstMark, Greycroft, and Raine Group all have $200M+ follow-on funds. Strategic investors like Comcast Ventures can deploy $100M+ across multiple rounds. If your seed investor can't participate in Series B-C, you'll waste 6 months re-educating new investors about streaming economics. Adding access limits helps keep shared files from drifting beyond their intended audience.

How to find and approach New York streaming investors

Research local deals by following The Information's media section and Axios Media Trends. Business Insider covers every NYC streaming deal within 24 hours. Most raises here get announced because investors want portfolio companies visible to content partners. Check PitchBook for Greycroft, Lerer Hippeau, and RRE's recent streaming investments.

Leverage local ecosystem through VideoWeek conferences, Streaming Media East, and NAB Show New York. VidCon brings creators and platforms together twice yearly. The Podcast Movement conference rotates through NYC and attracts every audio streaming investor. NewFronts in May is where streaming ad sales happens - investors attend to scout deal flow.

Build relationships first by understanding that New York media investors move deliberately. Expect 4-6 meetings before term sheets. That's slower than SF ad tech but faster than media company corporate dev. Most want to see content traction, talk to your distribution partners, and verify your rights clearances. Don't cold email during pilot season (September-November) when investors are distracted by portfolio company launches.

Share your pitch deck through Ellty with unique tracking links for each fund. You'll see exactly who reads your content acquisition strategy versus who skips to financials. NYC streaming investors spend 50% more time on licensing slides than West Coast investors. They want to understand your content moat before evaluating technology. Monitor which pages get attention and adjust your narrative.

Attend local events like Streaming Media Connect NYC, VideoWeek, NAB Show New York, NewFronts, and Podcast Movement. The Information's Creator Economy Summit brings investors and platforms together quarterly. VidCon showcases creator trends that predict platform opportunities. Skip generic tech networking events - streaming investors only attend media-specific conferences.

Connect with portfolio founders at companies like Vimeo, Cameo, Patreon, and Tubular Labs. They'll tell you which funds actually understand content costs versus which panic when you show 40% gross margins. NYC streaming founders are direct about investor expectations around profitability timelines. Use LinkedIn to find founders who raised in the last 12 months and closed their rounds without massive dilution.

Organize due diligence with an Ellty data room before initial meetings. NYC streaming investors will request your content licenses, talent contracts, and rights agreements by meeting two. Have everything accessible with view tracking so you know what they're scrutinizing. Most funds here run extensive IP diligence because content liability terrifies them.

Understand local pace - New York streaming deals take 12-16 weeks from first meeting to close. That's 40% longer than SaaS deals because of content diligence complexity. Rights verification, talent clearances, and distribution agreement reviews slow everything down. Budget for 3-4 months of fundraising and don't let your runway drop below 6 months when you start. Restricting how files are forwarded helps preserve context and confidentiality.

New York streaming considerations

NYC streaming investors demand profitability paths by Series B. The "grow subscribers at any cost" model died with Quibi and CNN+. Most successful streaming raises in New York show positive unit economics at scale or B2B revenue that subsidizes content costs. Don't pitch pure advertising models unless you have 10M+ MAUs. Don't pitch pure subscription unless your churn is under 5% monthly. Even small oversights in document sharing can lead to larger compliance challenges later on.

Content licensing dominates diligence. New York investors will scrutinize every contract, talent agreement, and rights clearance. They've seen too many platforms get sued for IP violations or lose distribution rights mid-growth. Expect 40+ hours of legal review before term sheets. Media company bureaucracy affects timelines. If you need content partnerships to close before funding, add 3-6 months to your fundraising timeline. Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount decisions move slowly despite having venture arms.

16 top streaming investors in New York

1. Greycroft

Bicoastal fund with the strongest creator economy and streaming portfolio in NYC.

• Recent Deals: Patreon $90M Series E (2025), The Athletic acquisition by NYT (2024), Cameo $100M Series C (2021)
• LinkedIn: Dana Settle
• Sector Focus: Creator platforms, subscription streaming, sports streaming, podcast monetization, video infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Seed through Series D
• Office Location: 126 East 56th Street, Midtown
• Website: greycroft.com

2. Lerer Hippeau

Early-stage fund with deep creator economy and media company connections.

• Recent Deals: Cameo $100M Series C, Supergreat $5M seed (2025), Genius Media growth rounds
• LinkedIn: Ben Lerer
• Sector Focus: Creator tools, video messaging, influencer platforms, social streaming, short-form video
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 568 Broadway, SoHo
• Website: lererhippeau.com

3. RRE Ventures

Enterprise-focused fund that backed Vimeo and understands B2B streaming infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Vimeo Series B (historical), Brightcove early rounds, JW Player growth investment
• LinkedIn: Stuart Ellman
• Sector Focus: Video infrastructure, B2B streaming SaaS, CDN technology, video analytics, live streaming tools
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 130 East 59th Street, Midtown
• Website: rre.com

4. Primary Venture Partners

Consumer fund backing creator economy and financial tools for streaming platforms.

• Recent Deals: Stir $5M Series A (2025), Superphone $6M Series A (2024), Pietra $3M seed (2024)
• LinkedIn: Ben Sun
• Sector Focus: Creator banking, monetization tools, podcast platforms, membership streaming, community video
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 12 East 49th Street, Midtown
• Website: primary.vc

5. Time Warner Investments

Strategic venture arm of Warner Bros Discovery with content distribution advantages.

• Recent Deals: Crunchyroll strategic investment (pre-Sony), Mashable growth rounds, Vice Media investments
• LinkedIn: Maria Seidman
• Sector Focus: Anime streaming, news streaming, entertainment content platforms, international OTT
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 230 Park Avenue South, Midtown (Warner Bros Discovery campus)
• Website: Warner Bros Discovery corporate site

6. Comcast Ventures

Cable giant's venture arm with NBCUniversal and Sky distribution access.

• Recent Deals: FuboTV $150M Series C (2019), Vizio $30M growth (2014), Pluto TV early rounds (pre-acquisition)
• LinkedIn: Michael Yang
• Sector Focus: Sports streaming, live TV platforms, OTT infrastructure, streaming ad tech, CTV operating systems
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Midtown (Comcast building)
• Website: comcastventures.com

7. NBCUniversal

Direct strategic investment from media conglomerate with Peacock integration opportunities.

• Recent Deals: BuzzFeed $400M investment (2016), Vox Media $200M (2015), Snap Inc. content deals
• LinkedIn: NBCUniversal Corporate Development team
• Sector Focus: News streaming, entertainment content, sports OTT, social video, vertical video formats
• Stage Focus: Series C, Growth, Strategic partnerships
• Office Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Midtown
• Website: NBCUniversal corporate site

8. Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments

Global media investor with European podcast and audio streaming portfolio.

• Recent Deals: Podimo growth rounds (2024), Acast investments, Audiobooks.com acquisition
• LinkedIn: Parul Singh
• Sector Focus: Podcast platforms, audiobook streaming, European OTT, audio monetization, music streaming
• Stage Focus: Series B through IPO
• Office Location: 1745 Broadway, Midtown (New York office)
• Website: bdmi.de

9. Raine Group

Merchant bank and investment firm specializing in media and entertainment technology.

• Recent Deals: Caffeine $100M raise (2019), Overtime $80M Series C (2021), Wave $40M Series B (2019)
• LinkedIn: Michael Schiffman
• Sector Focus: Live streaming, gaming video platforms, sports streaming, creator platforms, esports broadcasting
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 1700 Broadway, Midtown
• Website: rainegrp.com

10. 14W

Early-stage fund focused on media analytics and streaming intelligence tools.

• Recent Deals: Tubular Labs $15M Series B (2019), theSkimm $12M Series B (2016), Giphy early investor
• LinkedIn: Roelof Botha
• Sector Focus: Streaming analytics, audience measurement, content performance tracking, creator intelligence
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 850 Third Avenue, Midtown
• Website: 14w.com

11. M13

LA-based fund with strong New York presence backing creator platforms.

• Recent Deals: Cameo $100M Series C, Daily Harvest growth rounds, GRIN $110M Series B (2024)
• LinkedIn: Courtney Reum
• Sector Focus: Celebrity video platforms, creator monetization, influencer streaming, brand partnerships
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 902 Broadway, Flatiron (New York office)
• Website: m13.co

12. FirstMark Capital

Growth fund with early Spotify and Pinterest investments, understands streaming infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Spotify Series A (2011), Pinterest Series B, Airbnb Series B
• LinkedIn: Amish Jani
• Sector Focus: Music streaming infrastructure, social video platforms, marketplace video content
• Stage Focus: Series A through growth
• Office Location: 100 Fifth Avenue, Flatiron
• Website: firstmarkcap.com

13. Stellation Capital

Media-focused growth equity firm backing streaming SaaS and monetization tools.

• Recent Deals: LiveControl growth investment, Simplecast (podcast hosting), Megaphone by Spotify
• LinkedIn: Dan Gilmartin
• Sector Focus: Podcast hosting, streaming monetization SaaS, creator tools, audio advertising tech
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 599 Lexington Avenue, Midtown
• Website: stellation.com

14. Torch Capital

Early-stage fund that backed Fireside and other audio streaming platforms.

• Recent Deals: Fireside $25M Series A (2021), Community $40M Series B (2021), Stir seed round
• LinkedIn: Hamet Watt
• Sector Focus: Audio streaming, podcast platforms, creator communication tools, social audio
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 350 Fifth Avenue, Midtown (New York office)
• Website: torchcap.com

15. Pennant Investors

Growth equity focused on streaming monetization and advertising technology.

• Recent Deals: SpotX growth rounds, Innovid growth investment, IRIS.TV Series C
• LinkedIn: Michael Katzenstein
• Sector Focus: Streaming ad tech, OTT monetization, CTV advertising, video SSPs
• Stage Focus: Series C, Growth, Pre-IPO
• Office Location: 11 West 42nd Street, Midtown
• Website: pennantinvestors.com

16. CircleUp

Data-driven growth fund investing in DTC brands building owned media and streaming content.

• Recent Deals: Public Goods $35M Series C (2024), Hum Nutrition growth rounds, brand-owned streaming content
• LinkedIn: Rory Eakin
• Sector Focus: Brand-owned streaming, DTC video content, shoppable video streaming, commerce video
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Growth
• Office Location: 555 Madison Avenue, Midtown (New York office)
• Website: circleup.com

Start tracking your New York streaming investor outreach

These 16 investors closed NYC streaming deals in 2025-2026. Before you reach out to Midtown funds and media company venture arms, set up proper tracking. Streaming pitches fail because founders don't know which investors actually care about their content strategy versus their technology.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly who views your content licensing slides and how long they spend on your subscriber economics. NYC streaming investors typically skip technology architecture but spend 5-6 minutes analyzing content costs, churn rates, and monetization strategy. Monitor the data so you know which funds to chase and which to deprioritize.

When New York streaming investors request content licenses, talent contracts, or distribution agreements, share an Ellty data room. Your rights documentation, partnership contracts, and financial models in one secure location with view analytics. Most NYC media funds will ask for this by meeting three, and having it ready accelerates deals by 3-4 weeks.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in New York to raise from NYC streaming investors?

Not required, but highly advantageous for content partnerships. Most NYC streaming investors prefer companies with New York or LA presence because of media company proximity. Remote teams can raise here but expect questions about how you'll manage content relationships and talent partnerships from Austin or Miami.

How does New York compare to Los Angeles for streaming fundraising?

NYC has more strategic capital from media companies and stronger B2B streaming infrastructure investors. LA has more content production expertise and talent relationships. If you're building creator tools or B2B infrastructure, raise in New York. If you're a content studio or talent-driven platform, LA makes more sense.

What's the average Series A round size for NYC streaming companies?

$15-22M at $60-90M post-money valuations. That's 40-50% higher than other markets because content costs demand larger rounds. NYC investors write bigger checks but expect either 100K+ paying subscribers or $2M+ ARR from B2B customers. Pre-revenue streaming raises in New York are extremely rare.

Should I raise from strategic investors like Comcast Ventures or NBCUniversal?

Yes, if you need distribution partnerships and can handle slower decision-making. Strategic investors write $15-50M checks and open doors to Peacock, Hulu integration. But they take 4-6 months to close and want board seats. Financial investors move faster but won't give you content deals.

Do New York streaming investors expect profitability?

By Series B, absolutely. The "growth at all costs" streaming model died with Quibi. NYC investors want to see paths to 20%+ EBITDA margins by $10M+ ARR. Show them how you'll profit without spending $100M on content or they won't take meetings.

What streaming categories get funded most in NYC?

Creator monetization platforms, B2B video infrastructure, and podcast streaming saw the most activity in 2025. Sports streaming and live video are hot in 2026. Avoid pitching pure SVOD entertainment platforms unless you have exclusive content partnerships with major studios or networks.

How important are content licenses and rights clearances in diligence?

Critical. NYC streaming investors will spend 60+ hours reviewing every content contract, talent agreement, and distribution right. They've seen platforms get sued or lose content mid-growth. Have all licenses reviewed by media lawyers before starting your fundraise or you'll waste 2-3 months in diligence.