Report: Disney looking to buy major YouTube content provider

Media and entertainment giant Disney is in talks to buy Maker Studios, one of the largest content providers for online video sharing website YouTube, a report said Tuesday.

Specialist website Re/code cited "people familiar with the negotiations" and said the transaction would value Maker Studios at $500 million or more.

"If it goes through, it would be by far the biggest bet by a traditional media company in a company built on top of YouTube," the report said.

Maker Studios says its videos are viewed a total of 5.5 billion times per month, most of them on YouTube.

Last week Disney said it had made a deal with satellite operator Dish Network to allow its channels to be watched over the Internet -- streamed to smartphones, tablets, computers, or a traditional TV.

Disney channels include ABC, Disney Channel and ESPN.

[Image via Agence France-Presse]