Digital soccer media company Bigballs Media, known for its Copa90 network, has appointed two new advisers in leadership roles as the company begins to prepare for its Series B investment and further global growth.
Niall Curran, formerly the president of international telecommunications and television company Liberty Global’s media investment group, will be chairman of Bigballs Media. Jeff Mallett, the co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps and principal partner of the San Francisco Giants, will become a board adviser. Both will also invest an undisclosed amount in the company.
Copa90, launched in 2012 as a YouTube channel, creates fan-focused soccer content about the action that happens outside of the field. Its content ranges from the top Premier League goals of the month in animated form to fan-focused features on rivalries to an EA Sports’ FIFA-focused interview series with players and celebrities.
The network has more than 11 million subscribers and more than 1 billion video views for its soccer content, despite not holding rights for any properties. Subscriptions are free.
The company drives its revenue from avenues including selling sponsorships for its digital and social content, creating branded content specifically for an advertiser, and licensing and commissioning content to broadcasters.
Partners include Adidas, Hyundai and Nissan, and it recently partnered with ESPN for a digital series called “10,000 miles to Paris,” which followed the journey of a fan from New York to Paris for the Euro final.
The appointments and investment comes at a pivotal time for Bigballs Media and the Copa90 network, said Tom Thirlwall, chief executive at Bigballs Media. It raised more than $10 million last year in a Series A round, receiving investment from Liberty Global and venture capital firm e.ventures that valued the company at more than $76 million. Major League Soccer also holds an undisclosed stake in the company after a transaction in which the league sold YouTube channel KickTV to Bigballs Media, retaining equity in the network.
“We’re at an important moment for us as a business as not only are our revenue streams that were once nascent becoming established, but we also are gaining interest from over-the-top and big broadcasters to license our content, and potentially invest in us as well,” Thirlwall said. “To be able to bring two veterans of the digital media space to help guide us through a time where we see lots of different areas of growth is very important.”
Evolution Media Capital is advising Bigballs Media on the funding round.
Thirlwall said the company expects to have $10 million to $12 million in revenue by the end of the year, and has doubled its business in each of the last two years. As the result of its Series A round and preparation for both the Copa America Centenario and Euro 2016, employee headcount has grown by about 40 percent, he said.
The company already is preparing for the 2018 World Cup, which Thirlwall said could cement Bigballs Media as a top soccer digital platform.
