Received this press release and I’m glad to post it. It’s off the beaten path from the usual network fair, but as you know, I sometimes post releases from National Geographic Channel so this is not unusual. Received this in regards to a new sports entertainment website that will be geared towards children. It’ll be called “The Whistle” and some heavy hitters in sports have invested in the site including Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and former soccer star Mia Hamm. The whole idea is to get kids involved in sports at an early age and to give them original content through health and fitness videos, sports news and highlights and games.
We have the press release on this new venture.
The First Sports Media Destination for Kids – THE WHISTLE – Announces its October Launch
Platform slogan to be: “The Whistle – Building the next generation of sports fans”
Officials today formally announced the upcoming launch of The Whistle, the first cross-platform content provider focused exclusively on developing sports programming tailored to kids. The new venture, which is based in New York, is led by an experienced team of sports and entertainment industry veterans.
At the helm of the venture are Founder and Chairman John West, a serial entrepreneur; Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Urban, the former SVP of sports marketing for Gatorade; and Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Kit Laybourne, a former executive producer for Nickelodeon, MTV and Oxygen. The investor team includes Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Mia Hamm, Bob DuPuy, Geraldine Laybourne, Bob Pittman, and Mark Adams.
“Our mission is to provide kids with entertaining and instructional sports content integrated across both traditional and emerging distribution platforms,” says West. “We are creating a revolutionary media experience to assist kids in developing a lifelong bond with sports and fitness.”
“With the many challenges facing today’s youth, pro leagues and advertisers are seeking to align with companies that encourage kids to lead active lifestyles,” says Urban. “We’ve been pleased with the interest from the pro leagues and several leading advertisers, and we will be announcing these partnerships over the next several months.”
The Whistle’s website launches in October, 2011. The new online video destination, along with a suite of mobile applications to debut at a later date, is powered by NeuLion (TSX: NLN), the true end-to-end technology service provider for delivering live and on-demand content to any Internet-enabled device. NeuLion has a dominant foothold in the digital sports market with premier sports services for the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Soccer (MLS). Over the coming months, The Whistle will announce distribution agreements with cable, satellite, online video, web portal, mobile and gaming console partners.
“We are creating the next generation of sports content for kids by combining new interactive digital technologies with successful TV programming approaches,” says Kit Laybourne. “Production is underway on a range of programming, including sports news and highlights, health and fitness series, dramas, history and bios, game shows and more.”
About The Whistle
The Whistle is a cross-platform content provider representing the next generation of interactive sports content specifically designed for kids. Conceptualized by sports and entertainment industry veterans, The Whistle offers entertaining and inspiring sports content across TV, internet, mobile and gaming platforms, where this generation of “digital natives” lives. The Whistle is where kids go for sports and sports go for kids.
That will do it.
