Sky invests in US sports OTT service fuboTV

Sky has invested US$6 million in US-based sports streaming service fuboTV, in its latest move to back “innovative start-up companies”.

Launched in January 2015, fuboTV offers a premium, over-the-top bundle of sports TV channels and claims to be the second-largest aggregator of linear OTT sports content in the US.

The company has US distribution deals with Univision Networks, beIN SPORTS, GolTV and Benfica TV, which hold sports rights including live football matches from a number of international leagues and tournaments such as Italy’s Serie A.

FuboTV offers content in English, Spanish and Portuguese via online platforms, including Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, iOS and Android devices and web browsers.

“We’re excited to be investing in fuboTV, at a time when our customers are looking to consume more and more content, whenever and wherever they are,” said Sky’s director of corporate development and strategic investments, Emma Lloyd.

“This investment will provide Sky with real insight, and we look forward to working with the fuboTV team as they continue to explore new opportunities for growth.”

David Gandler, co-founder and CEO of fuboTV, said that Sky’s investment “strongly positions fuboTV to meet the demands of the ever evolving sports rights ecosystem” and demonstrates the service’s potential to “become leaders among linear OTT services”.

The US$6 million backing is part of fuboTV’s Series B round and follows Sky’s recent investments in sports marketing company InCrowd Sports, programmatic advertising company DataXu and OTT video company TV4 Entertainment.

Sky has previously invested in a number of other pioneering U.S. technology companies, including the leading online sports network Whistle Sports, IP streaming service provider Roku and cinematic virtual reality company Jaunt.

In October 2014, Sky also invested US$7 million (€5.5 million) in Whistle Sports, a US-based startup that runs sports-themed YouTube networks.

Sky yesterday revealed it was backing Asian Netflix rival Iflix financially, too.