Whistle Sports Announces $20 Million In Funding From NBC Sports, Tegna, And More

Whistle Sports today announced $20 million in new funding from NBC Sports and Tegna (the owner of 46 television stations across the U.S.), who have joined previous investors Emil Capital and British telecommunications giant Sky. The Series C brings total funds raised by the sports-centric digital media company to $73 million.

Two-year-old Whistle Sports comprises 400 creators — including DudePerfect, Calfreezy and Brodie Smith — with a social reach of 170 million followers, which it says is growing at a rate of an additional 2 million every week.

“Whistle Sports has successfully captured the imaginations, attention and engagement of millennial sports fans,” said Rick Cordella, the SVP and general manager of digital media for NBC Sports Group, in a statement.

“Our strength in distribution coupled with their innovative content, will create numerous opportunities for both companies to grow across platforms,” added Gracia Martore, president and CEO of Tegna — which was formerly known as Gannett.

Whistle Sports said new funds will accelerate growth in various areas, including launching new series, commercial content integrations, developing social amplification for its pro league partners (including the NFL and NASCAR), and expanding analytics and research into millennial sports fans.