AdRev Acquired by Zealot Networks

Music rights management startup AdRev has been acquired by Zealot Networks, a company that monetizes and distributes digital content. Terms of the deal announced Friday between AdRev, in Sherman Oaks, and Zealot, in Venice, were not disclosed. Zealot already owned a majority stake in AudioMicro, the parent company of AdRev, which developed proprietary software to detect music in videos streamed online at YouTube and monetize it by inserting advertising into the videos. Zealot was founded in 2014 by Danny Zappin, former chief executive of Maker Studios, the multi-channel online network owned by Burbank’s Walt Disney Co. The company has been on a buying spree having acquired about 15 other companies prior to the AdRev deal. Last year, for example, it bought online content creator ViralNova, in New York, for a reported $100 million and video syndication platform Allscreen for a reported $85 million. AdRev Chief Executive Ryan Born is no longer with the company but is continuing to act as an advisor to Zealot, according to Socaltech.com, an online technology industry blog.