Movie42 potential29 Jun 2026 11:50
Here's an interesting article. Note Google's recent $75m investment in Studio24.
From models to studios: how AI video investment is evolving
By Leah Hodgson
PitchBook, Deputy Editor, European Private Markets
PitchBook News
Billions of dollars are flowing into AI video generation, and the market is just getting started.
In the past five years, investment in startups developing AI video and media tech has more than tripled, according to PitchBook data. Funding this year is already at its highest level yet, with $5.6 billion invested, up over 43% from 2025’s annual total.
Startups building video-generation models have captured most VC dollars, converging around a clutch of well-funded companies, including Runway and Luma AI. That race has not ended, and neither has the funding, but new parts of the market are beginning to draw more attention.
This week’s $75 million investment in indie film studio A24 by Google DeepMind is a clear example, with the two companies partnering to develop AI tools for filmmakers. Google gaining access to A24’s creatives and research signals that the market is opening up beyond just funding the best video-generation tool.
“If you compare the state-of-the-art technology of today to that of three years ago, the difference is honestly mind-blowing,” Ziv Reichert, partner at London-based VC firm LocalGlobe, said. “But we’re still in the infancy, and there’s so much more value to capture.”
According to Reichert, competition among companies building video-generation tech is heating up, not just in Western markets. New models emerging from China are rivaling products in the US and Europe, and incumbents are also investing in developing their own AI capabilities. The technology is becoming easier to build, and the more options there are, the harder it is to be the go-to for creators.
This market reality is prompting a bigger question: now that generating video is no longer the hard part, where does the value go?
For an asset class historically closely tied to software, studios are not an obvious choice for VC investment, but they are gaining traction.