Blue Ant Media acquired MagellanTV for USD $12 million

Blue Ant Media Corporation has acquired MagellanTV, a digital streaming company that delivers premium factual content to consumers worldwide, for $12 million USD. The transaction expands Blue Ant Media’s Global Channels and Streaming business, enhances monetization opportunities, and strengthens its position as a leading provider of premium factual content worldwide. Founded in 2018 by Greg Diefenbach and Thomas Lucas, veterans of National Geographic, PBS, and Discovery, MagellanTV operates a SVOD service and a growing portfolio of AVOD and FAST channels across key genres including history, nature, science, space, and true crime. With distribution partnerships spanning Roku, Amazon, Apple, Samsung, LG, Comcast, Vizio, Pluto TV, and Google, MagellanTV reaches audiences in 13 countries across more than 20 platforms.

“This acquisition of MagellanTV increases Blue Ant’s scale and adds audiences and distribution capabilities that are highly complementary to our business,” said Michael MacMillan, CEO, Blue Ant. “MagellanTV’s business model is primed for optimization within our global infrastructure, and we’re thrilled to welcome the talented team to Blue Ant.”

MagellanTV co-founder Greg Diefenbach will join Blue Ant as Executive Vice President, Streaming, overseeing the company’s direct-to-consumer and subscription video businesses. He will report to Carlyn Staudt, President, Global Channels and Streaming. Co-founder Thomas Lucas will remain involved for several months to support the transition and ensure continuity for partners and audiences. "Joining Blue Ant creates new opportunities to scale MagellanTV’s platform, while contributing to Blue Ant’s expansion as a leading factual content provider," said Greg Diefenbach and Thomas Lucas, co-founders of MagellanTV. "We look forward to working closely with the Blue Ant team to expand our offerings, unlock synergies, and connect with audiences around the globe."

This transaction marks Blue Ant Media’s first strategic acquisition following its recent RTO, highlighting the Company’s commitment to driving growth through disciplined M&A. Blue Ant acquired MagellanTV for total consideration of $12 million USD, consisting of a $6 million USD upfront cash payment, with the remaining $6 million USD payable over two years. A portion of the remaining $6 million USD will be paid in cash, with the balance payable, at the discretion of Blue Ant’s management, in either additional cash or subordinate voting shares of Blue Ant. The addition of MagellanTV provides:

Scale: Adds a premium SVOD platform with an established subscriber base while expanding monetization across SVOD, AVOD, and FAST.

Synergies: Unlocks immediate opportunities to increase margins by adding 1,500+ hours of Blue Ant-owned library, while reducing reliance on licensed or revenue-shared content. Additional synergies include operational efficiencies from consolidating infrastructure and resources, as well as cross-promotion across brands.

Strategic Fit: Extends Blue Ant’s leadership in factual content and enhances the opportunity to create a broader, more compelling offering for distributors and consumers.

Intellectual Property: Provides additional commissioning capacity to greenlight and monetize new content in key genres, driving growth across both production and distribution.