Bath-based digital sports media company Play Sports Group, which is behind market-leading cycling brands Global Cycling Network and Global Mountain Bike Network, is to create 150 jobs after receiving a major investment from the parent group of TV channel Eurosport.
Discovery Communications – the global media and entertainment group and owner of Eurosport – led an investment round in Play Sports Group, taking a 20% stake in the four-year-old business. 
Play Sports Group said the move would ‘turbo-charge’ its next phase of growth. Most of the new jobs will be created in Bath while it will also open offices overseas.
Play Sports Group was founded by ex-Future chief operating officer Simon Wear. Since its launch it has become an international digital media success, publishing more than 1,100 videos a year.
Its channels are focused on creating compelling, entertaining and educational videos presented with passion by a team of former professional athletes. Cycling fans are taken behind the scenes and get to hear from their heroes, such as world class superstars such as UCI road champion Peter Sagan and UCI downhill champion Danny Hart.
In January alone, Play Sports Group reached more than 20m cycling fans with content posted across its YouTube channel and its Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat profiles.
Play Sports Group said the investment and commercial partnership with Eurosport – financial details of which have not been disclosed – would enable it to rapidly scale its business.
It will launch further channels in cycling and across other sports, hiring up to 150 people for newly created digital and creative roles over the next two years – predominantly based in Bath, as well as a small number based in new international offices.
Simon Wear said: “Passion for cycling is the biggest it’s ever been and, as a lifelong fan, I know it’s one of the most robust and enduring sports that’s ever existed.
“I’m delighted to have Discovery Communications and its leading sports brand Eurosport join our incredible list of investors and advisors. It’s extremely clear how determined and smart they are in the development of their digital business, and we’re really looking forward to working with the team.
“Thanks to our team of investors, we’re able to make our business ambitions possible. Their backing and financial support enables us to really turbo-charge the next phase of growth, bringing around 150 new people to digital and creative roles. There’s an audience of hundreds of millions of cycling fans around the world, and together we’ll get closer to them than ever before.”
Eurosport is the number one sport destination in Europe and new home of the Olympic Games, as well as leading rights holder in cycling.
It screens all three of the Grand Tours, including the Tour de France, and all five Monuments. Last month it confirmed exclusive and extended Giro d’Italia coverage and additional races will form part of its calendar from 2017, meaning more than 200 days of live cycling on Eurosport this year.
Play Sports Group’s funding was also supported by its existing investor group – including chairman Andrew Croker, non-executive director Oli Slipper, John Gleasure and Stef D’Anna of Perform, Tony Ball, ex-Sky and BT, Paul Bolwell, ex Wiggle, and Humphrey Cobbold, Pure Gym and ex-Wiggle. Ralph Rivera, Managing Director, Eurosport Digital and Sameer Pabari, SVP Business Development, Eurosport will join the newly formed Executive Board.
Eurosport Peter Hutton CEO said: “Eurosport’s community of cycling fans is among the most passionate and devoted in sport, so we are excited to deepen our position as ‘home of cycling’ even further.
“Working with a digital media company that is squarely focused on cycling is an excellent proposition for Eurosport to align with, and it’s another example of how we’re nurturing sports communities and making sure viewers have access to their favourite sports content whenever and wherever they choose to access it.”
Play Sports Group was advised by Jonnie Goodwin and Nick Bell of Lepe Partners and Bristol law firm Burges Salmon.
The investment in Play Sports Group is the latest by Discovery Communications. It acquired a minority stake in RugbyPass, a digital content platform that reaches fans in 23 Asian markets, and has invested around $100m in millennials-focused Group Nine Media.
