BAM! MLB Advanced Media Goes To College

The streaming business continues to get more and more interesting, as BAMTECH, the newly launched investment arm of Major League Baseball Advanced media, announced an investment in Silver Chalice Ventures (SCV), keyed by the company’s college sports games and experiences.

BAMTech will provide its technology infrastructure and have access to distribute the ACC Digital Network and Campus Insiders with its more than 3,000 live collegiate events in new consumer products and services. Campus Insiders and the ACC Digital Network will transition to BAMTech’s streaming platform and pursue expansion of its portfolio of collegiate sports rights. BAMTech also acquired an equity position in SCV, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, marking the first outside investment SCV has taken since launching the ACC Digital Network, Campus Insiders and 120 Sports.

“Silver Chalice has focused on building partnerships with rights holders, producing compelling content and delivering it to college sports fans where they want it, when they want it. Our networks are built to sit at the intersection of great content and powerful technology, providing our rights holders, partners, sponsors and viewers access to the best possible experiences,” said Brooks Boyer, Chief Executive Officer of Silver Chalice Ventures in a statement. “BAMTech has established itself as a global leader in distributing live and video on demand content across every platform. Having BAMTech as both an equity and technology partner creates innumerable new opportunities to explore and leverage rights in the ever-changing media landscape.”

Given the crossover investments with Silver Chalice from the NHL and the PGA Tour already, it makes great sense that the ever-growing college space would be a fit, and Silver Chalice’s Campus Insiders Network has pushed hard to be a distributor of content from a growing number of conferences that are looking more digital first. Where this goes next will be interesting, but the word is out BAM is in the college sports streaming business, and that’s big news for those in sports on campus.