5 Questions with The Whistle Sports Network’s CEO John West -- My Exclusive Q&A with the Leading Sports-Focused MCN

Today’s “5 Questions With ...” (in my continuing series with leading innovators in the digital media space) features John West, founder & CEO of #1 sports-focused multi-channel network (MCN) The Whistle Sports Network, a company about which I have written several times in the past (and, disclosure, is a Manatt Digital Media client).  I believe in The Whistle and in the market opportunity they are attacking.  John and his extremely talented executive team first impressed me -- a deal guy -- by the fact that they had already inked major strategic partnerships with virtually all major sports leagues (a feat unfathomable to many, me included).  Moreover, the wild world of sports, of course, is a unique animal.  Just about nothing else matches the intensity and passion felt by sports fans -- and it is precisely that kind of passion that fuels deep engagement which, in turn, has the potential to fuel deep-pocketed monetization via multiple revenue streams (ads, branded content, sponsorships, premium content, and commerce).  

That already-massive monetization opportunity is also universal and global.  Virtually everyone on this planet likes a sport -- and follows, or is inspired by, at least one athlete or team.  That’s why today’s Q&A is particularly apt.  Today, the company announces the opening of its new London office.  But wait, there’s more.  YouTube’s former Head of Football, Jeff Nathenson, leads the new London office and will join another key former YouTuber, Julie Kikla (a founding member of the YouTube Sports team) to lead The Whistle Sports Network to inevitable new heights.  With that kind of roster of top talent, it’s no wonder that this vertically-focused MCN has already reached 1.1 billion video views and counts 7.25 million subscribers to its 156 channels.

If you are intrigued, read on.  The Q&A begins.  Here are my 5 questions answered in CEO John West’s own words:

(1) What is the reason your company exists (and what problem(s) are you looking to solve)?

Sports fans are more excited, more engaged, and more loyal to their teams and the love of the game than anyone in any field.  It’s a passion that starts young and lasts a lifetime.  That’s why there are over 50 million young fans and athletes in America alone, and hundreds of millions around the world.

But I noticed with my own family that there was no single sports entertainment destination created specifically to speak to and engage the digital generation.  There was no platform that ignored the steroids and scandals that made up most media and gave them, on any screen they wanted to use, content that was engaging, uplifting and gave them the chance to customize, discover and interact with that content on their own terms.  That’s the “underserved audience” perspective. 

From a content creator perspective, we saw the emerging multi-channel network (MCN) market and noticed that while Machinima was concentrating on gamers and StyleHaul was focused on fashion, nobody had stepped forward to own the sports vertical.

We now own that vertical from a YouTube perspective, are creating a community for those creators, and will help them migrate their content to multiple platforms like our new Xbox app.

(2) How are you different from your competitors?

We are the first sports property to combine the content, support and investment of major pro leagues like the NFL, PGA, NASCAR and Major League Baseball with the excitement, talent, fan base and focus of a new generation of digital celebrities like Dude Perfect and Brodie Smith.

Our multi-channel network launched on January 1 and quickly scaled to over 156 channels, 7.25 million subscribers and 1.1 billion views. The launch of our Xbox app last month is another step in our building a Cross Platform Network that connects with engaged sports fans and creators on every device where they spend their time.

(3) Why will you succeed (and what is your single most important ingredient for success)?

We built an incredible team, which includes founding members of the YouTube Sports and YouTube acquisitions teams, my co-founder Jeff Urban who was the SVP and head of sports marketing at Gatorade, and a sales team with experience at Major League Baseball and Yahoo Sports.  We’ve built an incredible community full of exciting content creators that are actively recruiting other top talent to join.

With the help of pro league partners like Major League Baseball Advanced Media, we’re building out multiple platforms where our under served audience can be entertained, engaged and activated.  Our target audience is at the point in their lives where they are creating lifetime commitments and lifelong patterns with brands that have been eager to join us.

(4) What makes you unique (and what do you enjoy most outside of building your business)?

What I enjoy most is the chance with my wonderful wife to be an engaged parent to our sons and daughter. That also feeds my passion for the business – knowing that we are building something they can learn from, enjoy and be educated and inspired by for years.

The mix of support and engagement from over 10 pro leagues, hundreds of content creators, and millions of fans are unique to The Whistle Sports Network.

(5) What digital media trend is most interesting to you (and what is the least)?

Our advisor and best-selling author of "Grown Up Digital” -- Don Tapscott -- splits the world into “digital immigrants” (who adopted technology as it was created) and “digital natives” (who grew up with the web and mobile as part of their lives).  Digital media began as an exercise by digital immigrants to change existing content into a new form for consumption by digital natives. The biggest change is that digital natives have taken control of the content creation and distribution themselves and are driving change from their own phones and screens. I am most interested in how eager they are to become part of a larger community and reach a larger audience.