FaceBank

FaceBank Group, Inc. was a virtual entertainment and digital human technology company founded by John Textor. The company specialized in developing hyper-realistic digital likenesses of celebrities and consumers for applications in entertainment, artificial intelligence, social networking, and virtual reality. Its business model centered on treating human likeness as a monetizable intellectual property asset. The company was also known as Pulse Evolution, responsible for creating holographic performances for artists like Tupac Shakur and Michael Jackson.

The company's history is marked by several name changes and strategic acquisitions. Originally incorporated as York Entertainment, Inc. in 2009, it changed its name to FaceBank Group, Inc. on September 30, 2019. A pivotal moment occurred on April 2, 2020, when FaceBank Group completed a reverse merger with fuboTV, a live TV streaming platform. Following the merger, FaceBank became the parent company, and the combined entity was renamed fuboTV, Inc., with fuboTV's CEO David Gandler leading the new organization. The merger was intended to create a digital entertainment powerhouse by combining fuboTV's streaming service with FaceBank's virtual entertainment IP. By August 2020, the FaceBank Group name was formally changed to fuboTV Inc., and its stock ticker changed from FBNK to FUBO. John Textor, FaceBank's founder, served as Executive Chairman of the merged company before resigning in the spring of 2020.

Prior to the merger, FaceBank's strategy involved acquiring technology companies, including Pulse Evolution Corporation and Nexway AG, a global e-commerce and payment platform, to build a dominant position in the digital human industry. After merging with fuboTV, the original FaceBank Group effectively ceased to operate under that name and brand, becoming part of the publicly traded fuboTV (NYSE: FUBO). Tracxn lists Facebank Group as a deadpooled company as of June 2025.

Keywords: digital likeness, human animation, intellectual property, virtual entertainment, hyper-realistic digital humans, celebrity avatars, holographic performances, reverse merger, fuboTV, John Textor, Pulse Evolution, avatar technology, virtual reality, augmented reality, AI applications, digital IP, character-based entertainment, virtual performance, digital asset management