US multichannel network (MCN) Whistle Sports has embraced the changing way in which millennial sports fans consume online video. The 24/7 sports network, which launched in January this year, has brought together leading sports governing bodies, Silicon Valley firms, sports personalities and a largely young audience. It is now expanding internationally, including winning $7m (£4.3m) financial backing from BSkyB.
Sky claims that Whistle Sports is the world’s largest sport-focused cross-platform network. Boasting more than 192 channels, it now has a library of 29,000 videos covering niche activities that have had 1.2bn views.
It has secured partnerships with sports leagues and franchises such as the NFL, PGA Tour, Nascar and Major League Baseball Advanced Media.
With offices already in New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, Whistle opened a London outpost in early September, led by the former YouTube head of football Jeff Nathenson. Not only does it mean that its US sports stars will have access to a larger audience, but it also means the online network can have easier access to Europe’s top sports leagues and athletes – and Sky’s backing will certainly help.
“The exciting thing is that the sports industry is universal,” said Brian Selander, Whistle Sports executive vice-president, who explained the appeal of the online network. “With sports content, you have small videos which capture the excitement, uplift and the enthusiasm – and this truly engages people. It’s about people being great at something.”
It aims to be a fresh network providing unique videos, some of which focus on talented young sports stars, such as NBA player Jeremy Lin and Brodie Smith, a leading talent in the US Ultimate Disc frisbee championship, who have hundreds of thousands of YouTube subscribers.
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Targeting millennials
Selander says his sport-focused cross-platform operation, which already has 8.3 million subscribers, is adding 150,000 a week. The target audience is under 24 – Whistle Sports has a social media reach of 20m accounts.
Innovations have included the creation of a native app for the Xbox console that features exclusive content from their network of partners. It also helps that it had managed to attract top guns from Google and YouTube “who know how to make things more discoverable, according to Selander.
The inspiration for Whistle came about when entrepreneur John West was watching sports coverage with his children. He recognised that traditional TV coverage wasn’t the way his kids consumed sports video.
It wasn’t connecting with the younger audience: millennials turn to Twitter to discuss a big game and interact with sports stars; watch replays of their favourite moment of the match on Vine; and browse YouTube to discover new talent. Traditional broadcasters weren’t providing an immersive experience. The Whistle founders tapped into this gap and created a cross-platform MCN.
The intense interest in Vice Media highlights how traditional media are looking to a new generation of digital companies to help them chase the younger, social media-savvy and YouTube-friendly audience.
For Sky, the Whistle investment forms part of a recent investment strategy that involves placing small bets with an eye to the future of digital video – it recently put $500,000 into LA-based online video aggregator Pluto.TV. to “drive innovation”. The company insists that the investment isn’t a Pac-Man style strategy of swallowing up a small company, but is based on partnership. Barney Francis, the managing director of Sky Sports, said in a statement:
“Whistle Sports has very quickly established itself in the US as a major new sports network. We see lots of potential to harness Sky Sports’ content and relationships with major sports bodies and brands to work alongside Whistle Sports’ talent network. We look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate on video content that helps broaden engagement in sport, especially for younger audiences.”
By taking account of the changing way young people watch sports, Whistle Sports has stolen a march on its old media rivals – it’s catch-up time for the traditional channels.
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