The Roost, the podcast network owned by the young-adult focused Rooster Teeth, is being shopped as Warner Bros. Discovery has announced it will close its video operation that has targeted Gen Z and Millennials with show categories including gaming, true crime, fandom, comedy, and food. Rooster Teeth expanded into podcasting in 2020, launching The Roost to distribute and sell ads for its owned shows and outside partners. The company said in December that The Roost has had more than 370 million views and downloads since its launch.
“It’s with a heavy heart I announce that Rooster Teeth is shutting down due to challenges facing digital media resulting from fundamental shifts in consumer behavior and monetization across platforms, advertising, and patronage,” General Manager Jordan Levine said in a memo to staff Wednesday. “Please note, the Roost team is not currently impacted by this action as the Roost Podcast Network will continue operating and fulfilling its obligations while Warner Bros. Discovery evaluates outside interest in acquiring this growing asset.”
The Roost announced in October that it had inked a deal with Chip and Joanna Gaines’s Blind Nil Media to build their own podcast portfolio called Blind Nil Audio. And last month, the comedy group The Try Guys, made up of Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang, announced they would take their hit show The Try Pod to The Roost.
But change has also been in the air. In December, The Roost announced a new leadership structure for the podcast network with VP AJ Feliciano taking on an expanded role, overseeing all sales and partnerships for the podcast division. And it promoted eight-year company veteran Nadia Elias to Executive Director of Sales Operations & Strategy and seven-year company veteran Farid Haji to Head of Partnerships. Since it launched in 2020, The Roost has had more than 370 million views and downloads to date. The Roost also says it has worked with more than 750 advertisers, including HelloFresh, Honey, Better Help, and DoorDash, among others.
‘Reflects Broader Business Dynamics’
Austin-based Rooster Teeth was launched in 2003 by Otter Media, a WarnerMedia company, and it has 1.2 million unique monthly visitors across its apps, and more than four million registered community members. It reportedly had about 60,000 subscribers, down from its high point of 225,000 a decade ago. Its closure will result in about 150 employees losing their job as the division shuts down during the next several months. The company has also worked extensively with outside contractors. Rooster Teeth earlier announced that its money-losing annual RTX fan convention would be canceled this year.
Levine says that Warner Bros. Discovery continued to invest in the company and its content since it acquired TimeWarner, but the “rapidly changing state of media and entertainment” led to the decision to close the division. “Rooster Teeth’s closure isn’t merely an end; it reflects broader business dynamics. Monetization shifts, platform algorithms, advertising challenges, and the ebb and flow of patronage—all these converging factors have led to many closures in the industry,” he said.
Warner Bros. Discovery is looking for buyers for parts of the Rooster Teeth catalog, which includes animated series like “RWBY” and the sci-fi satire “Red vs. Blue.”
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