Sport Social Network Secures Funding
fanatix, a new social network dedicated to sport, has secured an additional $1m in funding after its daily active user base increased from 500 to 35,000 over the past few months.
The last year has seen fanatix fans using the free iOS app 5.5 times per day, with the figure further increasing for the average registered user, who access the site over 10 times per day – according to figures released in an official press release.
As downloads pass the 250,000 mark, a selection of UK-based Angel investors have taken the total raised by the business to $2m.
According to fanatix founder and CEO Will Muirhead, the service’s offering is appealing particularly to 13-24 year old males.
The service provides a personalised stream of sports content – news updates, tweets, video clips, live scores and statistics – and enables easy sharing of that content in huddles (group chat for sports fans).
Will Muirhead said: ‘Re-imagining the back-page is the opportunity created by the collision of social and mobile for the sports industry, and we think that we’re starting to see that come to life with the fanatix suite of products.’
Launched in October 2011, the service has been selected by Manchester City, ESPN, Paddy Power, William Hill, Eurosport and a range of other sports media entities to help them engage second screen sports audiences, especially during live broadcasts.
More recently, fanatix was selected by Facebook as an emerging social sports app to watch.
Muirhead added: ‘The Great British summer of sport has been a real catalyst for growth. As we moved from Chelsea’s victory in the UEFA Champions League through to Euro 2012 and the Olympics, our audience rocketed. Fans want to stay connected to their teams and friends that share their passion 24/7 – whether they’re at the bus stop, at work or watching the game from the comfort of their sofas.’
