The soccer and football worlds are uniting on YouTube: KICKTV is joining forces with Copa90.
On Thursday, Major League Soccer announced the sale of KICKTV, the global soccer media brand known for such video programming as The Mixer, "#FlipHenry," and a whole host of shows starring former US international and MLS star Jimmy Conrad, to London-based Copa90, a football media platform with nearly one million subscribers on YouTube.
MLS will retain an ownership stake in the newly created company and will work strategically with Copa90. Per MLS policy, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.
KICKTV was launched in March 2012 as one of the first premium channels on YouTube. Quickly, KICKTV established itself as one of the leading voices on YouTube for coverage of the global game through regular programming including The Mixer and The Rumor Mill, as well as content about big events such as the 2012 Euro Championships, the 2014 World Cup, and several AT&T MLS All-Star Games.
“Today is an exciting day for our company,” said Tom Thirlwall, CEO, Copa90. “We are welcoming an industry leader and creating the largest premium football fan network. This acquisition rapidly escalates our plan and gives us an entrance to the North American market with a brilliant team and operation ready to go in New York. We cannot wait to tell more of the amazing football stories that are emerging as a new fan culture develops in the world’s biggest sports market. This is just the beginning of the expansion of Copa90 but this deal with MLS is a landmark.”
“We have built a successful global soccer platform and we’re very proud of that,” said Gary Stevenson, President and Managing Director, MLS Business Ventures. “This is the next step in KICKTV’s evolution. We are delighted to maintain an interest in the company and we will support its growth moving forward. We’re excited about KICKTV and Copa90.”
