Turner International Invests in Soccer Site Copa90 Owner Bigballs Media
Summary
Time Warners Turner International unit said Wednesday that its recently established Digital Ventures & Innovation Group has made its first investment, buying an equity stake in London-based digital media sports company Bigballs Media, the parent of soccer content site Copa90.The price tag and the size of the stake werent disclosed.In 2015, John Malones Liberty Global acquired a stake worth $10.7 million (\xa37 million at the time) in Bigballs, which is also known as a co-producer, with Working Title TV, in Sky 1 and NBC dramedy You, Me and the Apocalypse with Rob Lowe, Jenna Fischer, Megan Mullally and Mathew Baynton.Turners Digital Ventures & Innovation Group was formed to focus on opportunities for innovation, development and acquisition. The partnership expands on an existing commercial relationship with Turners digital sports brand Bleacher Report. Copa90 offers soccer features and commentary and targets 16- to 24-year-olds.Aksel van der Wal, head of Digital Ventures and Innovation, will take a seat on Bigballs board, and Alex Vargas, COO of Bleacher Report, becomes a board observer.Partnering with relevant brands is a core part of our strategy to compete and lead in todays rapidly evolving digital landscape, said van der Wal, executive vp digital ventures and innovation, for Turner International. We see really exciting opportunities to work with Biggballs in developing creative ways to engage new audiences, in particular expanding our growing touch points with millennials while also offering innovative new platforms for advertisers. It is exactly the kind of forward-looking partnership we hope to establish more of.Said Tom Thirlwall, CEO of Bigballs: Our ambition is to be the worlds most influential football media business by the time the 2018 World Cup kicks off and this investment and partnership with Turner is a decisive step towards making that a reality.The deal is the latest in a series of investments by Turner in the digital space and the first in a company headquartered outside of the U.S.