Whistle Sports Network
Whistle Sports Network is a media company that focuses on providing sports content for millennials from over 300 YouTube channels.[1] The company provides support and resources to these video creators, as well as creates their own content.[2] Whistle Sports is a YouTube certified broadcaster.[3]
Since its launch in 2014, Whistle Sports has raised more than $36 million in funding to date. It raised $8 million in 2014[2] mostly from Sky Broadcasting.[4] and $28 million in a second round in 2015.[5] In the summer of 2014, Whistle Sports launched an Xbox app.[6]
In September, National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jeremy Lin became a content partner with Whistle Sports, adding his YouTube channel with roughly 400,000 subscribers in exchange for an undisclosed equity stake. He was the first athlete from one of the four major sports leagues in the United States to produce content for the platform.[7] By the end of 2014, Whistle Sports subscribers and social media followers were: YouTube (8 million subscribers), Facebook (9.3 million fans), Twitter (1.3 million followers), Instagram (2.5 million followers), and Vine (2.2 million followers).[3][8]
Now, Whistle Sports has 130 million YouTube subscribers as of November 2015. In addition, the company has had partnerships with Nickelodeon with "Top Ten Trick Shots,"[9] Sky Sports, Verizon for Go90[10] and Wilson for their #MyWilson campaign.[11]
References
- ↑ "How Millennials Are Changing the Game of Sports". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- 1 2 "Multi-channel video network Whistle Sports grabs $28M from Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, & others". Venture Beat. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- 1 2 "YouTube Network Whistle Sports Scores $28M To Expand Its Global Focus". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ↑ "British Broadcaster Sky Invests $7 Million In YouTube Video Network Whistle Sports". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ↑ "Whistle Sports Video Network Is Not ESPN, and It Has Raised $28 Million". Walt Mossberg. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ↑ "Xbox One's getting a new sports network aimed at low-attention-span gamers". Venture Beat. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ↑ "Jeremy Lin passed up big Linsanity payday". Los Angeles Times. Bloomberg News. September 26, 2014. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014.
- ↑ "League Partners". Whistle Sports Network. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ↑ "Whistle Sports wins over Nickelodeon with Top Ten Trick Shots". Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ↑ "Digital Media Update: Verizon's Go90 OTT Whistles In "Originals" To Win". Retrieved 2015-11-03.
- ↑ "Wilson : Whistle Sports". whistlesports.com. Retrieved 2015-11-03.