As its share value increased 16.6% by market close on December 7, Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC -1.87%), the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) planning to merge with Trump Media & Technology Group, continued its roller coaster of gains and losses.
Gains were driven by recent information about former American President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform, which was centred on a distribution agreement with video hosting service Rumble.
Rumble itself was aiming to list on the stock market by merging with CF Acquisition Corp VI (CFVI -0.40 percent). Together, the two media companies might be able to capitalise on one another’s advantages and experience more rapid growth.
In today’s fast-paced digital age, the thirst for engaging video content has never been higher. From viral dance challenges to deep investigative reports, video platforms serve as a primary source of information and entertainment.
Two major players in this realm are YouTube and Rumble. While YouTube is a household name, Rumble has recently been making waves, especially in certain circles that feel marginalized by mainstream platforms.
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This article will explore the ins and outs of Rumble, comparing it to YouTube, and answering some of the burning questions you might have.
Specifics of the Trump Rumble Agreement
Truth Social, a new social media platform from Trump Media, will be introduced as a free-speech substitute for Twitter and Facebook from Meta Platforms. The action follows Twitter’s suspension of numerous other accounts and the closure of Trump’s account in January 2021.
According to Howard Lutnick, CEO of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, in an alliance announced on December 7, Trump Media intends to “use Rumble’s infrastructure, their technology, and their cloud distribution capability” for its operations.
Rumble, a free-speech video hosting service, will “be a service provider, a tech provider to the president’s Truth Social,” according to Lutnick, who was speaking on a Newsmax programme.
Rumble is sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald, and Lutnick is the CEO of SPAC CF Acquisition Corp VI, giving him firsthand knowledge of the upcoming transaction. Rumble has its own growth story, which probably makes it a very valuable partner for Trump Media, which appears to have a weak distribution network.
Rumble reports that its average monthly active users exploded from 1.6 million in the third quarter of 2020 to 36 million in the third quarter of 2021, a scorching 2,150 percent increase. The company is attempting to compete with platforms like Alphabet’s YouTube.
According to Rumble, which declares that it is “on a mission to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again,” “viewer engagement” peaked at 8 billion minutes of video watched each month as of Q3 2021, an increase of about 4,400% from Q2 2020.
Users of Truth Social are also likely to connect with the company’s mission and overall tone.
Two SPAC in One Story
Instead of using traditional IPOs, Trump Media and Rumble are both going public through SPAC mergers. SPACs frequently raise a lot of money from investors in the beginning, especially for high-profile launches.
However, maintaining value frequently appears challenging given that share prices in many, though not all, SPAC deals decline after initial excitement. On December 1, Rumble revealed its agreement with CF Acquisition Corp VI in an announcement about its own SPAC merger.
According to a press release, it will enter the market with an initial enterprise value of $2.1 billion. Additionally, the company will receive about $400 million in cash proceeds from the launch. Chris Pavlovski, the CEO, “will retain voting control to facilitate execution of Rumble’s neutral mission on behalf of all stakeholders,” the release adds.
The share price of Digital World Acquisition Corp. has experienced much larger fluctuations. Following the Trump Media news, the stock initially increased by almost 600 percent, but it later declined again due to various sources of uncertainty.
It lost about 39.4% of its value in November before a flurry of news stories in the first few days of December caused it to seesaw once more between positive and negative sentiment.
There Still Risk and Volatility to Come
Trump Media is expected to have 81 million “monetizable” customers, which would represent enormous potential profit, but DWAC’s valuation changes continue to be jarring and intense. On December 1, institutional investors made a $1 billion private investment in public equity (PIPE) to show their interest in the platform.
A company uses a PIPE to sell shares to private investors directly, avoiding the stock market and allowing them to “buy in” below market value. According to The Street, this specific PIPE values DWAC shares at 20% less than a 10-day volume-weighted average price.
Following the announcement, the SPAC’s shares surged by an astounding 30% in same-day post-market trading. When the Financial Regulatory Authority and Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) announced they were looking into DWAC just five days later, on Monday, December 6, the stock fell.
The company’s shares lost almost 7.9 percent of their value within an hour of the market opening, despite the fact that DWAC is cooperating with the investigation and that the filing stated that “the investigation does not mean that the SEC has concluded that anyone violated the law or that the SEC has a negative opinion of DWAC or any person, event, or security.”
As a result of the Rumble alliance news, share value increased by almost 17% the following day. Rumble, a business that runs a video hosting platform with quick, steady growth, seems more reliable than the other two.
Trump Media, a wild card with extravagant peaks and valleys, still benefits from being associated with a public figure who has a very sizable, fervent fan base.
The two partners could probably complement each other’s strengths and minimise each other’s weaknesses. Rumble provides the pact with operational distribution infrastructure and its corresponding stability.
Tens of millions of new users and a lot of publicity could be brought to Rumble’s platforms by Trump Media. Risks are still very high, so exercise caution. To make them profitable investments among social media stocks, the partnership appears bullish for Rumble and positive for Trump Media as well.
Rumble: The Underdog Rising?
Rumble, often dubbed as the “conspiracy video platform,” has been recruiting a unique mix of content creators, some of whom claim to provide alternative perspectives that are less represented on mainstream platforms.
This has resulted in Rumble building a diverse, or as some might say, “motley” group of contributors.
Rumble vs. YouTube: Key Differences
- Content Moderation: While YouTube has stringent content moderation policies, Rumble is often perceived as being more lenient, giving room for a wider variety of content, including some that might be deemed controversial.
- Monetization: Both platforms offer monetization options for creators. However, the requirements and payment structures differ, which we’ll delve into shortly.
- User Interface: YouTube’s interface is arguably more polished and user-friendly, thanks to Google’s massive resources. Rumble, though growing, still has some catching up to do in terms of UX design.
Diving Deep into Rumble
- Cost: Rumble is free for viewers. However, like YouTube, it offers premium services for creators who want advanced features.
- Viewing on TV: Watching Rumble on TV is possible using streaming devices or smart TVs that have internet browsing capabilities.
- Monetization: Rumble provides monetization opportunities for its creators. The requirements may include a certain number of views or followers, but it’s essential to check their official guidelines for the most accurate information.
- Ownership: Rumble, founded in 2013 by Chris Pavlovski, operates independently, differentiating it from YouTube, which is owned by tech giant Google.
- Presence on Amazon Prime: As of the last update, Rumble doesn’t have a dedicated app on Amazon Prime. However, this might change as the platform grows.
- Earnings: Rumble’s payment structure for creators varies based on views, ads, and partnerships. The exact amount can differ from one creator to another.
- Is Rumble the New TikTok?: While Rumble is making strides in the video-sharing space, it isn’t precisely like TikTok. Rumble focuses more on content freedom, while TikTok is geared towards short, engaging videos often centered on trends and challenges.
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Conclusion
While YouTube remains a dominant force in the video-sharing domain, platforms like Rumble are emerging as alternatives, especially for those seeking more freedom in content creation and representation.
Both platforms have their strengths, and the best fit will depend on individual preferences, content type, and audience demographics. As the digital landscape evolves, it will be interesting to watch how these platforms adapt and which new players emerge in this ever-competitive space.