User-generated gif-creation platform Gfycat has acquired MovieLala, a social platform for moviegoers.

With the acquisition, Gfycat strengthened its movie marketing capabilities by building on MovieLala’s partnerships with major film studios such as Lionsgate, Universal, Skydance and Paramount. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition enabled MovieLala's network of studio marketers to connect with millions of young moviegoers by promoting gif content across the Gfycat platform. In 2016, MovieLala and Gfycat partnered to help a major film studio reach nearly 21 million consumers through 21,000 user-generated gifs.

In a statement, Movielala said that in addition to helping marketers reach the right people at the right time, "the combination of Gfycat’s technology tools and MovieLala’s vision will bring an even larger audience of movie buffs closer to the films they love."

MovieLala was launched in 2013 by Silicon Valley artist-turned-entrepreneur Dana Loberg and engineer Sahin Boydas. The two brought bring traditional movie marketing methods into the mobile-first era. Since its launch, MovieLala has helped film studios craft viral marketing campaigns by harnessing fan excitement.

“MovieLala was prescient in its adoption of the user-generated gif as a movie marketing tool,” said Gfycat’s chief executive Richard Rabbat. “As Gfycat continues to expand, we’re prioritizing tools that let brands use short-form content to connect with users in organic, engaging ways.”

Loberg of MovieLala added: “Gfycat has one of the largest audiences around gifs, especially with young movie fans. For studios looking for massive audiences and targeting for their trailers and other marketing efforts, Gfycat is a great platform for virality and creating trends around branded content like trailers.”