Disney just bought Maker which is a multichannel network on Youtube.  The deal is reported at $500 million.

Some highlights from articles linked below:

“The purchase will give Disney ownership of 55,000 channels — including Epic Rap Battles of History and makeup expert Amy Pham’s The Fashion Statement. Combined, Maker has 380 million subscribers and generates 5.5 billion views per month.”

“They have the biggest audience on YouTube. It’s very hard to replicate,” Kevin Mayer, Disney’s executive vice president of corporate strategy.

Why is this important?  It demonstrates the size and power of Youtube’s audience and the people that create content for Youtube.

References:

http://www.cynopsis.com/032514-disney-buys-maker-for-500-million/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/24/us-disney-maker-idUSBREA2N1PV20140324

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/disney-buy-youtube-video-producer-maker-studios-23047351