Turner invests in Bigballs

Turner International has invested in digital media sports company Bigballs Media (BBM), owner of the soccer-themed YouTube channel Copa90.

Tom Thirlwall intends BBM to be ‘the world’s most influential football media business’

The equity investment, financial details of which were not disclosed, was made via Turner’s digital ventures and innovation group, which was launched last November and began operating in January.

Turner is the largest provider of funding for BBM’s Series B investment round and the main strategic investor.

The funding will boost BBM’s potential to grow internationally and establishes Copa90 as the “definitive football youth media brand,” Turner said.

It follows US cable giant Liberty Global taking a minority stake in the UK-based firm in 2015.

Turner and BBM have also signed a commercial agreement that will result in BBM content being created for Turner’s channels, which include CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Turner Sports.

The move also expands on an existing commercial relationship between BBM and Turner-owned digital sports brand Bleacher Report.

Aksel van der Wal, head of digital ventures and innovation at Turner, will take a seat on BBM’s board of directors, and Alex Vargas, chief operating officer of Bleacher Report, becomes a board observer.

“Partnering with relevant brands is a core part of our strategy to compete and lead in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape,” said van der Wal.

Tom Thirlwall, CEO of BBM, said: “Our ambition is to be the world’s most influential football media business by the time the 2018 Fifa World Cup kicks off and this investment and partnership with Turner is a decisive step towards making that a reality.”

Last month BBM agreed a deal with US-based digital operator ZoneTV for the latter to carry sports programming from Copa90 and another BBM-operated digital soccer network, KICK, on its pay TV channel.