FloSports is an over-the-top subscription sports broadcaster and streaming service.
The company is based in Austin, Texas, United States, and was founded in 2006.
FloSports streams live sporting events to audiences around the world.
History
Launch
FloSports was founded in 2006 by Martin Floreani, Mark Floreani (collegiate athletes) and Madhu Venkatesan based in Austin, Texas.
Martin designed the website’s prototype with the aim of covering collegiate sports with the same detail that ESPN gives to the NFL and NBA.
The brothers raised U.S. $10,000 in seed money from friends and family and started covering wrestling and track events.
Co-founder Mark captured the service’s first original broadcast, Ryan Hall’s U.S half-marathon record, from the back of a pickup truck using a handheld camera.
Lo-fi footage, engine noise digital interference and fog impacted the quality of the broadcast.
However, having the only footage of Hall’s record-breaking run caused a surge in the website’s popularity.
By 2017 the company had 256 employees and 25 Web video channels.
They changed their business model to a subscription-based service in 2012 and doubled their revenue over the following two years.
Fundraising
The company raised $8 million in Series A and a further $21 million in Series B financing in 2016  led by DCM Ventures and Bertlesmann Digital Media Investments.
By 2019, the company had grown to 250 employees and raised a further $47 million in series C. Acquisitions
The company acquired DirtonDirt.com, a grassroots racing streaming and content platform, in September 2019.
In June 2020, FloSports purchased Speed Shift TV and acquired 400 races, with a focus on grassroots racing.
FloSports acquired TrackWrestling in early 2021, a deal that increased the number of wrestling events that will be streamed on its FloWrestling service and brought wrestling analytics to the platform.
In October 2021, it was announced that FloSports had acquired HockeyTech, an ice hockey streaming platform and sports data provider.
Streaming partnerships
FloSports announced a partnership with WWNLive in 2016 to run a streaming service dedicated to wrestling.
In December 2018, FloRacing signed a broadcast agreement with the United States Auto Club for its midget and sprint car series.
In May 2019, the Colonial Athletic Association selected FloSports as its lead media partner becoming the first college conference to pick a streaming OTT, direct-to-consumer company as their primary distribution platform.
FloSports became the local broadcaster for two Major League Soccer teams for the 2019 season: D.C. United and FC Cincinnati, an expansion team.
The company faced technical issues during early broadcasts due to inaccurate geofencing restrictions.
The organization pledged a full refund, and offered the club's season ticket holders a discount on its annual subscription fees.
FloSports promised additional soccer broadcasts and shoulder programming to justify its subscription fee that largely never materialized.
D.C. United and Flosports ended their four-year contract prematurely in October 2019.
D.C. United opted to stream its final regular season match on its website for free.
FC Cincinnati announced its matches would no longer be available through FloSports in June 2020.
In January 2020, NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and motorsports legend, Tony Stewart, awarded streaming rights to the Eldora Speedway and All Star Circuit of Champions to FloSports.
In the Spring 2020, FloSports launched FloBaseball.
Later in 2020, the company signed a multi-year partnership with ECHL to broadcast professional hockey starting with the 2021 season.
FloSports expanded its wrestling offering through a partnership with United World Wrestling, the global governing body for the sport, in late 2020.
In 2021, USA Cycling signed a 3 year broadcast partnership with FloSports.
FloSports will also be the NGB's (national governing body's) official sponsor.
The Unbound Gravel race, a cycling race covering various distances, has never been broadcast before due to remote locations and rough terrain.
FloSports became the first to broadcast the race in June 2021 and will stream the race again in 2022.
FloSports signed a multi-year streaming deal with USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for gymnastics, in 2021.
In late 2021, NASCAR announced a partnership to stream its grassroots racing series on FloRacing starting in 2022.
Series that will be broadcast on FloRacing includes the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series West, ARCA Menards Series East, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and NASCAR Pinty's Series and NASCAR Weekly Series.
Several tracks on the Modified and Weekly Series had been broadcasting on the service prior to the announcement (Eldora, Oswego, Stafford).
Over 280 NASCAR grassroots events were anticipated to be broadcast in 2022 (out of a total of approximately 2000 total events broadcast on the service).
Technology
In 2019, the company introduced apps for Android and smart TV apps.
In October 2019, FloSports rebranded, and expanded its distribution with the release of an Android app.
In 2020, FloSports began working on a Watch Party feature for their apps that would allow fans to watch events together, virtually.
Programming
FloSports streams live and on-demand events for over 25 different sports categories.
Sports
Baseball
Big Ten
Colonial Athletic Association
Future Star Series Nationals 17s
Future Star Series Nationals 16s
Future Star Series Nationals 15s
NB Future Stars Series
College Baseball Classic
Basketball
Basketball Bundesliga
Big Ten
Colonial Athletic Association
EuroLeague
EuroCup
FIBA 3x3 World Tour
Bowling
PBA
PBA50
PBA Senior
USBC
World Bowling Tour
Combat
Competitive Fitness
Granite Games
Wodapalooza Miami
Cycling
Cycling Canada
Giro d'Italia
Tour de France (Canada Only)
Union Europeenne De Cyclisme
Union Cyclste Internationale
Football
Colonial Athletic Association
FCS Bowl
National Bowl
All American Classic
Dream Bowl
Tropical Bowl
HBCU Spirit of America Bowl
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Rodeo
Canadian Finals Rodeo
PBR
RidePass
Rugby
Pro14
Top14
Rugby Sevens
Premiership Rugby
Trans Tasman Rugby NZ AU
USA Rugby
England Rugby
Grappling
ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
Fight To Win
IBJJF
Gymnastics
Hockey
Big Ten
WCHA
Atlantic Hockey
ECHL
Lacrosse
Big Ten
Snowbird Baseball
Frisco Classic
Future Star Series
Marching
Drum Corps International
Bands of America
Winter Guard International
Motorsports
All Star Circuit of Champions
Eldora Speedway (Outside of World of Outlaws and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Events)
FIA World Rallycross Championship
IRA Outlaw Sprints
Pennsylvania Speed Week
Super DIRTcar Series
USAC including Sprint, Silver Crown, and Midget events such as Indiana Midget Week, Indiana Sprint Week, Pennsylvania Midget Week, Oval Nationals, and Turkey Night Grand Prix.
Softball
Big Ten
PGF
Judi Carman Classic
Soccer
CONCACAF (select matches)
Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia (Canada only)
NCAA
CNL League A
CNL League B
CNL League C
Swimming
Big Ten
Big 12
ISCA
LEN European Aquatics
USA Water Polo
Track
Big Ten
Big 12
NCAA
AAU
MileSplit
Under Armor Sunset Tour
Amsterdam Marathon
London Marathon
Marathon De Paris
Stumptown Twilight
Great Manchester Run
Great North Run
Volleyball
Big Ten
Big 12
Colonial Athletic Association
FIV3
Panamerican Cup
Nike Tournament of Championship
NCAA
Wrestling
Big Ten
NCAA
Fight To Win
Actec Warrior Championship
References
External links
