Barstool Sports will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2023. But what started as a voice-driven sports blog is a gamble that it can complete the transformation into a powerful digital media player with live events, reality shows, podcasts and other entertainment. .
On Wednesday night, Barstool executives and talent were scheduled to present to advertisers at New York’s Webster Hall, outlining a content roadmap of ambitious scope.
One of the pillars of Barstools’ new content push is the expansion of live sporting events. While Barstool is unwilling to pay $1 billion for the rights to the NFL, the company has made strategic deals for college sports and now broadcasts the annual FDNY-NYPD charity hockey game.
“What you’re seeing is that sports can be covered differently, broadcasting can be perceived differently and the experience around it can happen differently,” says Erica Nardini, CEO of Barstool. the hollywood reporter. “I hope this takes us into a new stratosphere, not just in terms of what this company can do, but in terms of how brands can work with us.”
For starters, in November, Barstool Sports will host its own men’s college basketball tournament, the Barstool Sports Invitational, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Akron, Mississippi State, Toledo and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are expected to participate.
“We are going to implement it, put all the sponsorship around it, cover it and create it in a way that blends comedy, entertainment and live sports in a way that I think will be really different and resonate with a younger audience. ”“ says Nardini.
Then, on December 30, Barstool will broadcast the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, using its talent, including founder Dave Portnoy, to cover the game.
And in April 2023, the company will broadcast the annual FDNY-NYPD hockey game.
“Live sport is the best thing about television, you don’t know what’s going to happen, there’s rivalry, there’s drama, there’s wins and losses and adversity,” says Nardini, adding of the company’s plans: “No, it’s just sport. and material. It’s not just entertainment, it’s not just comedy, it’s kind of a combination of the three.”
And on Wednesday, Barstool will also release a new slate of content, including reality shows like crush or money and the competition series Barstool Elite AthElite.
Also in the works is a podcast by Los Angeles Lakers star Patrick Beverley, a documentary by popular podcast team Pardon My Take, and a gold tournament featuring Barstool talent called the Barstool Writer Cup.
“We take our talents and personalities and weave them into different types of shows,” says Nardini.
And the hype comes as the company seeks to fully acquire casino operator Penn National. Penn acquired a majority stake in Barstool in 2020 and exercised its option to buy the rest of the company last month.
“This gives us the tools, money and steel to work in partnership with the largest regional casino operator in the country,” says Nardini, noting that Barstool’s talent can investigate Penny’s holdings and that Barstool can work more than closely. from theScore. . Penn acquired it last year.
“People would say, ‘Hey, why can’t you have real sports scores and real journalism on Barstool Sports?’” And I would say that’s because we don’t,” says Nardini. “Now we will be able to offer advertisers a Score that is more direct sports journalism.
And the company is launching a name, image and likeness (NIL) platform aimed at connecting brands with college athletes. The platform, called TwoYay, will be free to athletes and is intended to help athletes who don’t have a team of agents to help them get NIL deals, whether they’re a Division 1 basketball player or a Division 1 volleyball player. Division 3.
“The first three quartiles will get deep discounts on sports drinks or clothing, and everyone else will get nothing or, if they’re lucky, a car dealership near their school,” Nardini said of the logic behind the platform. “Create something that doesn’t exist.”
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
