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Traditional media companies have been on the
hunt to invest in YouTube networks, also known as multi-channel
networks, or MCNs, which draw in younger viewers to watch
inexpensively produced videos.
Walt Disney spent $500 million on Maker Studios last April while
AT&T and the Chernin Group bought a Maker Studio's competitor,
Fullscreen, in September.
Emil Capital Partners, a U.S. investing arm of Germany's
Tengelmann, led the round, which included Liberty Global and Sky
Broadcasting. Mannin, along with former New York Yankees
shortstop Derek Jeter, are previous investors and also
contributed to the round.
The company's valuation was not known.
It previously raised $8 million in a 2012 funding round.
Europe's Sky Broadcasting had previously disclosed that it
invested $7 million in the company as part of this funding
round.
Simon Freer, chief commercial officer at Liberty Global, said he
was attracted to Whistle's growth potential, fast-growing
revenue and subscribers base. Liberty could also strike content
partnerships with Whistle Sports.
"There's some value we may be able to add around our other
investments through All3Media and Little Dot, which is
All3Media's MCN," Freer said in an interview.
Liberty partnered with Discovery Communications to buy
London-based production company All3Media last March.
Founded by John West, a former competitive rower and
entrepreneur, Whistle has 35,000 videos related to sports,
ranging from professional sport leagues such as the NFL, the PGA
Tour, NASCAR to Olympic sports and frisbee. It launched last
January and now has 12 million subscribers and 225 channel
partners who make videos, the company said.
(Reporting by Liana B. Baker; Editing by Ken Wills)
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