World Championship Sports Network Closes Series B Finance Round

World Championship Sports Network Closes Series B Finance Round

Polaris Venture Partners, Pisces Fund and New Board Members Sign Up for WCSN Duties

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), the first network devoted exclusively to showcasing the world's best athletes in major international sports competitions from around the world, today announced the closing of its Series B round of financing, led by venture capital firm Polaris Venture Partners, and joined by the Pisces Fund, a San Francisco-based private equity fund. This financing followed a prior strategic investment by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), announced in December 2005. As part of the financing, WCSN will gain a new board member, Michael Hirshland, a general partner from Polaris.

"We are excited to be backing the first major sports network conceived in the broadband era and envisioned from the outset to deliver premium content to broadband, cable and satellite viewers. I'll be writing about this exciting new network on my personal blog at www.vcmike.wordpress.com," said Hirshland.

The financing will enable WSCN to build on its remarkably successful online launch to become a cross-platform broadband and linear cable sports network. With this new investment, together with its strategic partnership with Major League Baseball, the company is now poised to establish the most exciting new multiple-platform sports network since ESPN debuted more than 25 years ago.

"This round of funding confirms that investors believe in our business and the WCSN objective to deliver ongoing, seasonal offerings of the major international sports to U.S.A. viewers across multiple platforms," said Claude Ruibal, CEO and co-founder of WCSN. "WCSN will deliver the most exciting sports stories from around the world, showcasing the pinnacle of athletic competitions."

In the four months since its launch, WCSN's online venture www.wcsn.com has already delivered over 300 hours of live and delayed event programming and attracted thousands of paying subscribers across its network of over five million unique visitors and over 100 million page views. The programming has featured major championship coverage including:

* Track and Field World Championships, Helsinki, Finland (26 USA medals,
14 USA gold)

* Rowing World Championships, Gifu, Japan (10 USA medals, 3 USA gold)

* Wrestling World Championships, Budapest, Hungary (6 USA Medals, 1 gold)

* Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, Baku, Azerbaijan

* Fencing World Championships, Leipzig, Germany (1 USA gold medal)

* Canoe/Kayak Slalom World Championships, Sydney, Australia

* Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Melbourne, Australia (9 USA
medals, 4 gold)

* Skiing and Snowboarding World Cups

* Table Tennis Pro Tour

* Cycling World Cup and World Championship

For a comprehensive list of events and schedules, please visit www.wcsn.com.

Source: World Championship Sports Network

CONTACT: Scott Samson of Bob Gold & Associates, +1-310-784-1040,
scott@bobgoldpr.com, for World Championship Sports Network

Web site: http://www.vcmike.wordpress.com/

Web site: http://www.wcsn.com/

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