Football fan platform 90min closes $15m funding round

The platform was formerly known as FTBpro.com

90min, the leading contributor-driven football media platform, has announced the closing of a $15m investment round, bringing its total funding since inception to $39m.

The proceeds will serve to further boost 90min’s global expansion, introduce new sports brands, and enrich its technology-enabled platform with focus on mobile and multimedia content.

The round was led by German media group ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, joined by 90min’s existing backers Battery Ventures, Dawn Capital and Gemini Ventures.

Following the round, 90min and ProSiebenSat.1 will launch a strategic co-branded joint venture targeting the German football market with a combined digital offering.

Founded in late 2011, 90min is headquartered in London with offices in Tel Aviv and Manila.

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Through its worldwide contributor network and authentic fan-generated content, 90min delivers 400-500 daily pieces of original, socially-driven content to over 30 million unique users a month in 10 languages across Europe, Latin America and South East Asia.

The company will also launch a new American Sports brand, targeting the US consumer arena with an additional office based in New York.

90min’s content includes a wide variety of multimedia formats such as video, text, listicles, slideshows, social round-ups and interactive polls.

The company’s open technology platform allows other publishers to feature or embed its rich content.

Outlets utilising 90min content include the Mail Online, The Independent, Huffington Post, USA Today and German sports site Ran.de, as well as a number of official Premier League club sites such as Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham.

90min monetizes through a combination of native, video and social advertising and produces customized content marketing campaigns for global advertising partners such as Paramount, Nike, Kia and Heineken.

Asaf Peled, 90min Founder and CEO, praised ProSiebenSat.1 as a “top tier media group”.

“While 90min has been growing as a consumer brand, teaming up with ProSiebenSat.1 reflects the company’s enhanced focus on strategic media partnerships driven by our open technology platform,” he said.

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Praseeda Nair

Kellen Rempel

Praseeda was Editor for GrowthBusiness.co.uk from 2016 to 2018.

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Venture capital funding