Religion of Sports, a media production company founded by Gotham Chopra, Michael Strahan and Tom Brady, has raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Shamrock Capital and accompanied by Elysian Park Ventures and Cerro Capital.
chopra account hollywood reporter That the compensation will be used to “strengthen the company from the manufacturing company model we’ve worked in for a long time, until our fate is truly in control. I’m betting on me, I’m betting on the talent we believe in, I’m betting on the stories we believe in.”
“It is investing in content, creating IP, expanding to other formats and areas”, he adds.
Religion of Sports relied on the founders’ relationship with athletes to highlight sport and sport-related content, but the company says with its new funding it will enter new genres and formats, including non-sports content and music.
“Obviously, we were very sports oriented, some sort of premium content, and everything remains, but it also expands a little beyond that, including some projects that are currently non-sports,” Chopra said.
“Greatness isn’t just in the world of sports, they have great talent that they’ve been exposed to, but they can be found in other verticals as well,” added Andy Howard, partner at Shamrock Capital.
The proliferation of streaming services (and sports streaming is still equated with entertainment) suggests that demand for premium content will continue, and RoS hopes to meet that need.
RoS named it as a documentary note Kobe Bryant’s Muse s man in the sand, who represents Tom Brady. He has also recently expanded into film and television scripts and has signed a content deal including scripts and podcasts with Skydance Sports. Netflix, Apple TV+ and ESPN are among the media companies that RoS has created content for.
“Strong demand for premium non-fiction content from consumers and streaming platforms is a big factor, and the religion of sports is really at the forefront,” said Howard. “Obviously we’ve been watching them and their experiences for a long time, but at the heart of the sports religion is what really sets them apart from the three principles they bring to their story: trust, cooperation, their unique relationships that allow them to create these compelling stories, that are distributed across multiple platforms. ”
RoS’s initial sponsors include Elysian and Advancit Capital, led by Shari Redstone. Meanwhile, Shamrock specializes in entertainment and media assets, with investments in advertising companies such as EDO, advertising week and Fan Duel. It was founded as the Roy E. Disney Family Office in 1978, but has since become an institution-backed investment firm.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
