21st Century Fox Invests $100 Million in Social Streaming Platform

21st Century Fox has invested a combined $100 million into the social broadcast platform Caffeine and a newly formed venture called Caffeine Studios.

Jointly owned by FOX Sports and Caffeine, the new studio will create exclusive eSports, video game, sports and live entertainment content for Caffeine’s next-generation social broadcasting platform. In addition, Lachlan Murdoch, 21CF’s executive chairman, will join Caffeine’s board.

21CF’s stakes in Caffeine and Caffeine Studios will be part of the so-called new Fox, the company that will be formed upon completion of the proposed transaction between 21CF and The Walt Disney Company.

Caffeine also received additional investment from Andreessen Horowitz and Greylock Partners, as well as from other partners.

“We want to bring the world together around friends and live broadcasts,” said Ben Keighran, CEO of Caffeine. “It’s an ambitious goal, but one we believe is attainable with the support of our amazing new partners, our awesome and ever-growing community, and the content that together, we can bring onto the platform.”

“The combination of the Caffeine platform with a content studio that benefits from Fox Sports’ expertise in live events and programming will help position Caffeine to deliver compelling experiences in esports, video gaming and entertainment,” said Murdoch. “We are excited to partner with Caffeine and build something special for fans in the growing live social streaming esports and gaming space.”