Liberty grows Bigballs

US cable giant Liberty Global and venture capital firm e.ventures have paid £7m (US$10.8m) for a minority stake in UK-based digital production company Bigballs Media.

The investment will see Liberty and e.ventures share a reported 14% stake of the multiplatform producer, which operates the YouTube soccer-themed channel Copa90.

Claiming to be the world’s biggest online football-fan network, the channel focuses on the millions of people around the world who watch the sport rather than showing highlights of matches.

London-based Bigballs was founded in 2006 and is a coproducer on the recent Sky1/NBC dramatic comedy You, Me and the Apocalypse, which stars Rob Lowe.

CEO Tom Thirlwall confirmed the deal, which includes an option for Liberty Global to invest again in six months, on Twitter yesterday,