Member Article

Beringea joins NBC and Sky in $27.5m funding round for Whistle Sports

Investment firm Beringea has contributed $4.6m to a significant Series C funding round in US digital entertainment company Whistle Sports.

The backing for the firm’s $27.5m funding round sees the London and Detroit-based investor join digital media and sports broadcasting luminaries including TEGNA Inc., NBC Sports Ventures, Sky and Emil Capital in their investment in the company.

Launched in 2014, the New York-headquartered media company collates and distributes sports-related content across social, digital and television platforms, and now boasts a 300m-strong subscriber base and receives around 2bn views across all its platforms.

The business already has partnerships lined up with the NFL, MLB along with NBC Sports, Sky Sports, Verizon go90, and Sinclair Broadcast Group, with further content deals lined up for 2017.

Following the investment, Karen McCormick, partner and Chief Investment Officer at Beringea, said: “The way that sport is broadcast and consumed has changed significantly in recent years, becoming more brand-led and interactive.

“Meanwhile, the way in which consumers interact with their favourite brands continues to evolve, with social and video content increasingly important to building and sustaining relationships.

“Whistle Sports’ passionate and dynamic team operates at the intersection of these two trends, and we are excited to help them drive continued user engagement and revenue growth with this investment alongside some heavy hitters in sports and media.”

John West, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Whistle Sports, commented: “2016 was a hugely successful year for us as we connected fans with the sports they love in new and exciting ways and helped athletes, teams, leagues, and brands develop deeper relationships with those fans.

“Backed by this new investment, we are excited about building on this success and continuing to grow in 2017 and beyond. In particular, we look forward to further developing our analytics practice to provide brands with the detailed insights they need to better understand and engage with millennial sports fans.”

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