Sky Invests £4.3 Million In YouTube To Attract Millennials

The international, multi-media company BSkyB recently invested £4.3 million in a sports network on YouTube – Whistle Sports, Marketing Magazine reports. The American network is focused on millennials and will work with BSkyB in a bid to create and market sport content targeted at youths.

Whistle Sports focuses on a number of nontraditional sports, such as ultimate Frisbee and skateboarding, and also boasts partnerships with other sports organisations such as the NFL and PGA Tour. It is hoped that this collaboration will enhance the network’s access to the top leagues and athletes in Europe.

The network creates various forms of content for millennials to share online, often featuring online stars and celebrities recognised by the demographic. It aims to make sports content more accessible to younger people, the article notes.

It is noted that this is the latest deal BSkyB has signed with a start-up, having previously signed contracts with Pluto.TV and Sharethrough, a video aggregator and native adtech company respectively. The investment made in Whistle Sports is similar to the other deals that have been previously brokered.

The managing director for Sky Sports, Barney Francis, stated that the company had noticed that “Whistle Sports […] very quickly established itself in the US as a major new sports network”; with Sky Sports actively looking to “harness” its “content and relationships with major sports bodies and brands.”

Francis noted that BSkyB – and more specifically Sky Sports – “look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate on video content that helps broaden engagement in sport, especially for younger audiences.”