PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Whistle, the first sports-focused multichannel network, added Major League Ultimate (MLU), North America’s premier professional ultimate Frisbee league, to its catalog of pro league partners this week.
Per the partnership, The Whistle will work with MLU to develop and promote content on its YouTube channels such as behind the scenes and cross-channel programming on its digital platforms, including its website, mobile apps and YouTube through its multi-channel sports network (The Whistle Network).
Additionally, The Whistle will provide MLU experienced advice, audience insights, studio space and production facilities in New York and Dallas, access to The Whistle’s other pro league partners and sports-specific community tools to help expand their digital presence.
“Combining one of the fastest growing sports in the world with one of the fastest growing platforms for sports entertainment makes perfect sense,” said Dev Sethi, the Whistle’s Head of Content Partnerships. “Digital audiences move quickly and so does the sport of ultimate. Our subscribers are eager to see more and the league’s teams and athletes are eager to share more tips, tricks and compelling content.”
“Connecting with new fans and athletes is a core value of Major League Ultimate, and The Whistle’s focus on programming tailored to a digital generation fits perfectly with the goals of our organization,” said Jeff Snader, MLU Commissioner. “We can’t wait to see what we can do together to produce quality content on all of the platforms where those fans are looking for sports.”
Launched on New Year’s Eve with the support of pro league partners and content creators like Dude Perfect, the Whistle Network has scaled rapidly. The network is one of the top five sports destinations on YouTube in North America with 3.46 million subscribers, 48 channel partners and a library of over 2,900 videos that have been seen over 425 million times featuring creators, athletes, brands and leagues.
In addition to MLU, The Whistle’s professional league content and equity partners include Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media, the NFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR, Major League Lacrosse, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
“Having a partner with the kind of digital expertise The Whistle offers is beyond exciting,” said Nic Darling, MLU Executive Vice President. “Major League Ultimate had over 2.5 million views on our YouTube channel in our inaugural year. We hope to grow that number exponentially in our second year and believe the innovative thinking The Whistle Network provides can help us reach that goal.”
MLU, who enjoyed its first season last year, plans to live stream 24 games in 2014, including its two conference championships and the MLU championship game on its YouTube channel.
The Whistle Network’s leadership team includes The Whistle’s founder and CEO John West, a successful entrepreneur who has started, grown and sold multiple companies; co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Urban, a former SVP of Sports Marketing at Gatorade; Whistle network head Kikla, a founding member of the YouTube Sports team; and Head of Partner Operations Dev Sethi, a founding member of YouTube’s on-line acquisition team.
ABOUT THE WHISTLE:
The Whistle is the first sports entertainment network built across multiple platforms to engage and activate the new generation of fans and athletes. Its owners and investors include sports heroes such as Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, and Tim Wakefield, media pioneers including the former heads of Nickelodeon and MTV, and league equity and content partners like the NFL, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), PGA Tour, NASCAR, Major League Lacrosse, US Ski and Snowboard Association, US Soccer, the Harlem Globetrotters and Alli Sports, who each deliver Whistle fans inside access to professional sports. The Whistle Network (TWN) is the company’s YouTube-based Multi-Channel Network (MCN), which launched with over two million subscribers and provides sports content creators tools, services and expertise to grow while connecting with The Whistle’s audience on multiple platforms. For more information, visit www.thewhistle.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
ABOUT MLU:
Major League Ultimate (MLU), the premier professional Ultimate league, seeks to bring Ultimate to a worldwide audience by making it accessible and exciting for our fans, rewarding for our players, profitable for our investors and productive for our partners. The league is a leading member in the Ultimate community in establishing a space for the sport to grow and flourish at the professional, collegiate and youth levels. The league, entering its second season, has quickly established a major national following with live, online broadcasts of its games, an array of multimedia available on its websites, and a strong presence on social media. The league is comprised of eight teams: Boston Whitecaps, D.C. Current, New York Rumble, Philadelphia Spinners, Portland Stags, San Francisco Dogfish, Seattle Rainmakers and Vancouver Nighthawks. The league was founded by Jeff Snader and Nic Darling in 2012 and is headquartered in Philadelphia. For more information, visit us at www.mlultimate.com, or on Twitter or Facebook. http://mlultimate.com
