Equity investment will help establish Copa90 as a definitive football youth media brand.

Turner International’s Digital Ventures and Innovation Group has signed an equity investment deal with digital media sports company Bigballs Media.

Bigballs Media is the parent company of one of the fastest-growing digital video platforms for football content, Copa90.

The funding will be used to fuel the company’s international expansion, content production and distribution as well as enhance its data capabilities. The investment will also help fully establish Copa90 as a definitive football youth media brand.

“Our ambition is to be the world’s most influential football media business by the time the 2018 World Cup kicks off and this investment and partnership with Turner is a decisive step toward marking that a reality,” says Tom Thirlwall, chief executive officer, Bigballs Media. “We had significant interest in our round but Turner was by far the most compelling because of their team, vision and the strategic opportunities for both our businesses. The investment will enable us to accelerate our growth in our core markets, build our data and distribution capabilities and expand our commercial teams in Europe and the U.S., and of course continue to make the best fan culture football content.”

Additionally, both companies have signed a commercial agreement that highlights multiple opportunities for both companies to leverage their respective distribution and content production expertise and expands on an existing commercial relationship with the digital sports brand Bleacher Report, a division of Turner.

The cross-platform agreement includes strategic co-branded content products, the development of third-party branded content and sponsorship opportunities, and content creation for Turner’s own channels. It also enables Bigballs Media’s close collaboration across Turner’s portfolio, including Esporte Interativo, Turner Sports and CNN.

“Partnering with relevant brands is a core part of our strategy to compete and lead in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape,” says Aksel van der Wal, executive vice president, digital ventures and innovation, Turner International. “We see really exciting opportunities to work with BBM in developing creative ways to engage new audiences, in particular expanding our growing touchpoints with millennials while also offering innovative new platforms for advertisers. It is exactly the kind of forward-looking partnership we hope to establish more of.”