Aser, a global investment company founded by leading entrepreneur, Andrea Radrizzani, has made an equity investment in the digital media network, Whistle Sports.

Aser will lead the ongoing Series D funding round for Whistle Sports. The round, which is currently worth in excess of $28 million, includes investments from new and existing investors, including Liberty Media, Emil Capital, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo and others.

Andrea Radrizzani has also joined the Whistle Sports Board of Directors.

Aser and its subsidiaries, including Eleven Sports – the global sports platform founded by Aser in 2015 – will leverage Whistle Sports’ strong track record in disrupting traditional sports consumption through innovative social and digital content. In particular, the partnership will focus on exploring insights and ideas for new offerings and services beyond live for audiences in key markets.

Whistle Sports, the entertainment media brand that creates, curates and distributes content for young audiences, will benefit from the partnership by leveraging Aser’s unrivalled local content expertise and global distribution network in support of its international expansion plans.

The announcement further strengthens Aser’s position as a leading global investment company with expertise in content creation, aggregation and distribution, which in a short space of time has built a strong portfolio and far-reaching network across its media and sport sectors.

Aser focuses on investment in media across a variety of platforms and adopts an innovative approach to content distribution to reach engaged and sought-after audiences globally. This is evidenced in the rapid rise of Eleven Sports, which has capitalised on changes in the production, distribution and consumption of sports content. In just three years, Eleven is present in ten markets following recent moves in to the UK, Ireland and Portugal.

Utilising its digital capabilities and the social influence of its 500-strong network of content creators, Whistle Sports will also assist Aser and its portfolio companies to deliver a new form of storytelling that lives at the intersection of sports, humor, entertainment and pop culture.

Andrea Radrizzani, Founder and Chairman, Aser, said: “Whistle Sports and their highly influential content creation partners have a proven track record of connecting brands, including some of the biggest names in sport such as NFL, MLB and NASCAR, with hard-to-reach younger audiences. This is more than just an investment. It is an innovative collaboration with a leader in social content creation and distribution that will help Aser’s portfolio to engage these young audiences by creating fun, relatable content that today’s fans love to watch and share.”

John West, Founder and CEO, Whistle Sports, said: “We are thrilled to receive investment from – and partner with – a young, dynamic and like-minded company such as Aser. We are looking forward to leveraging their invaluable global network and the key relationships they possess in important markets around the world as we look to develop and expand the Whistle Sports footprint.”

At the end of May, Aser struck a deal with Polsat that saw the leading Polish commercial broadcaster take a significant stake in the multi-award winning ELEVEN SPORTS Poland.

Aser also entered a strategic partnership with 49ers Enterprises – an investment entity affiliated with the San Francisco 49ers – that will see the two organisations work together to identify new and innovative companies that could benefit from the broader network of the two entities.

The execution of these partnerships and this investment have been led by Aser Capital, Aser’s merchant banking arm.

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