The Canadian Football League (CFL) has partnered with New York-based multi-channel network (MCN) Whistle Sports on a new sales and content partnership. The partnership was announced during the NewFronts in New York.
Whistle Sports debuted in January 2014 with the objective of presenting sports coverage for millennial audiences. Executive vice-president Brian Selander told The Hollywood Reporter this week that existing sports media was created for millennials’ parents, and that “guys in suits arguing on a field in front of a TV set” is no longer authentic to younger audiences.
The company currently works with approximately 200 sports-focused content creators, including Frisbee expert Brodie Smith (1.01 million subscribers) and the comedy/sports creator Dude Perfect (5.2 million subscribers). It has also established partnerships with professional sports organizations including the NFL, Major League Baseball and NASCAR.
The CFL and Whistle Stop also plan to offer multi-platform content integration opportunities for brands wishing to engage with millennials and the CFL brand.
They will also work together to create content, exemplified by a video of Hamilton Tiger Cats wide receiver Andy Fantuz setting the world record (50) for most one-handed catches. The balls were thrown by two of the CFL’s star quarterbacks – the Calgary Stampeders’ Bo Levi Mitchell and the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Darian Durant.
New CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge called the partnership a “bold and transformative” move for the 57-year-old league as it attempts to expand its reach to new audiences across major platforms.
This week, Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates released a study saying MCN’s are key to reaching younger online video viewers. The report, Webisodes to Multichannel Networks: Future Content Opportunities, said there will be more than 200 million online video viewers in North America by 2016, with people 18-24 leading the way.
The study said this group watches 5.5 hours of internet video per week on a smartphone and six hours per week on a tablet, favouring short-form YouTube content.
The past year has seen traditional companies including AMC Networks, Hearst Corporation, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. make significant investment in MCNs.
In Canada, Corus Entertainment announced this week that two of its W Network stars, Hockey Wives’ Maripier Morin and Game of Homes’ Cheryl Torrenueva, have partnered with its MCN Kin Canada to strategize the launch of their own YouTube channels, called Pardon My French and Simply Cher Cher.
