NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Whistle Sports Network, the first sports-focused cross platform network and community for today’s generation, announced its acquisition of The Lacrosse Network (TLN), the premier YouTube destination for one of the nation’s fastest growing sports.
“Our first acquisition is also the first place millions of lacrosse fans and athletes have turned to learn about and enjoy their favorite sport. TLN has built a great team, captured a growing and passionate audience and delivered interesting content on a regular basis,” said Whistle co-founder Jeff Urban. “We look forward to making them an important part of our team and an important part of our own growth.”
The acquisition gives The Whistle access to TLN’s live broadcasts of lacrosse games, documentaries, sports stories, highlight reels, and its rich library of original programming. Additionally, the deal will provide The Whistle Network access to TLN’s 2.3 million video views a month and 210,000 network subscribers on YouTube.
"The momentum we're seeing from sports channels on YouTube like The Whistle and The Lacrosse Network is as thrilling to see as the sports themselves. With so much opportunity in sports video, we look forward to seeing what these channels do next," said Claude Ruibal, YouTube, Global Head of Sports Partnerships.
Under the terms of the acquisition, TLN’s founders and employees, including co-founders Samir Chaudry and Julien Berndt and creative director Colin Rosenblum, will become part of The Whistle Network team. TLN’s studio in Los Angeles will add to The Whistle’s production facilities in New York and Dallas and President Samir Chaudry will remain in the role as President.
“We love what we’ve built and are building and would not have done a deal like this if we were not convinced that it will be a great way to grow rapidly,” said TLN co-founder Samir Chaudry. “The Whistle is building an entirely new kind of cross platform digital network and, with the support of pro leagues, is moving quick to scale across multiple sports. We look forward to integrating our team, our programming and our expertise into their multi-million subscriber network.”
Per the partnership, The Whistle Network will work with TLN’s team to develop and promote content on their YouTube channels, including behind the scenes and cross-channel programming on their digital platforms. These platforms include their website, mobile apps and on YouTube.
About The Whistle Network
Launched on New Year’s Eve with the support of multiple pro league partners and YouTube content creators like Dude Perfect, the Whistle Network has scaled rapidly. The network is one of the top two sports destinations on YouTube in North America with 4.3 million subscribers, 101 channel partners and a library of over 11,800 videos that have been seen over 604 million times featuring creators, athletes, brands and leagues.
Additionally, The Whistle provides content partners experienced advice, audience insights, studio space and production facilities, access to The Whistle’s pro league partners and sports-specific community tools to help expand their digital presence.
The Whistle Network’s professional league content and equity partners include Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media, the NFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR, Major League Lacrosse, Major League Ultimate and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
The Whistle's 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 Urban, a former SVP of Sports Marketing at Gatorade; Head of Digital Content Julie 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.
