Tagboard Momentum Builds as Emmy-Nominated Cloud Graphics Platform Draws Partnership with ESPN and $4 Million Investment from NBA Equity, Dallas Cowboys, and Others
SEATTLE - June 13, 2023 - One year after Tagboard, a next-generation cloud graphics platform, announced Its Series A funding, the fast-rising technology company is announcing an additional $4 million in funding from strategic investors to help fuel growth and innovation in cloud production.
The investment is driven by a powerful collection of innovative sports brands including NBA Equity, Blue Star Innovation, Ryan Sports Ventures, Greg Norman Group, and Singularity Capital.
The news comes on the heels of the company launching its next-generation cloud graphics product in April, while introducing a first-of-its-kind integration with Adobe and real-time data providers creating no-code, drag-and-drop workflows that can save up to 90 percent on graphics build time for the most recognizable broadcasts in the U.S. media market. This drew the attention of the NBA, which selected Tagboard for NBA Launchpad – the league’s initiative to source, evaluate, and pilot emerging technologies that advance the NBA’s top basketball and business initiatives.
Tagboard’s platform, results, and reputation caught the eye of ESPN, where the company recently entered into an agreement to provide its technology to producers across the largest global brand in sports broadcasting. Tagboard graphics have been seen on ESPN for the last few years through their relationship with UFC, Top Rank Boxing, and more, however, this relationship will have the opportunity to span all of ESPN’s portfolio over time.
And while the product serves many of the largest brands in media, including long-term relationships with FOX Sports, Turner Sports, UFC and more, emerging brands like XFL and LIV Golf are also pushing the boundaries as they aim to gain fast traction in a highly competitive market. The product has been nominated for 15 awards in the last six months alone including two Emmys, a Digiday Award for Best Video Streaming Product, and is a finalist in the upcoming Hashtag Sports Awards for Best Use of Technology.
“To be working with the likes of the NBA and ESPN is a dream come true as I grew up a fan of these iconic sports brands. Now, we have the chance to help them change the game. The traditional way of producing enterprise media comes with a lot of overhead, inefficiencies, and stale tactics only available to a few highly trained operators,” said Tagboard CEO Nathan Peterson. “We continue to center our platform around a powerful cloud-based backend, with a front-end user experience that looks less like the cockpit of an airplane, and more like the ease at which Instagram stories are created; this unlocks a wider user base of people capable of producing really compelling content, and it has applicability from the top enterprise production teams, down to the creator with an idea for a data-rich show. The momentum we have is real, and the long-standing industry giants are taking notice as we challenge the status quo.”
As for the future, Tagboard, its investors, and key partners are keen to challenge the inefficiencies created by a historically hardware-dominated market, with the power of cloud-based solutions, with a strict focus on user experience to widen the market opportunity and simplify the ability to use complex data sets to tell compelling stories.
