Launch of B/R Live Streaming Service Broadens Turner Sports' Ad Arsenal

The streaming service will also provide scrolling feeds of realtime sporting events and search tools for users to locate and connect to the contests inside and outside of its holdingsBR Live will launch on the Bleacher Report website and on mobile at first with apps for connected TV devices expected to be in place prior to the kickoff of Champions League Europe39s top club futbol competition and presumably the service39s most attractive property which kicks off in midAugustAs Turner Sports delves deeper into digital and taps new subscription revenue streams BR Live also broadens its advertising portfolio considerably Managing inventory and sponsorship opportunities for the service Turner Sports39 ad sales team will pitch properties on its own and in conjunction with the different leagues and their sponsor basesquotWe are certainly open to bringing league sponsors to the platform and we39re going to introduce them to other advertisers through the power of the relationships Bleacher Report and Turner Sports have around the countryquot said Executive Vice President of Turner Sports Jon DiamentDiament said BR Live will be incorporated with Turner Sports39 Upfront offerings alongside March Madness and NBA basketball and its other lineardigital holdings The company will also look to write business ahead of the start of the attendant seasons and in the scatter market Traditional ads within games sponsorships and midroll positions are among the formats available to advertisers as means to reach fansquotThe game breaks are the breaksquot so they will house traditional 30second spots according to Diament who at the same time is also eyeing format innovation quotIt may make more sense for a cool sponsorship on mobile devicesquot he said noting users may only be engaged for short durations on their smartphonesFirst up on April 7 The Spring League a pro football scouting and event showcase in which Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback flameout Johnny Manziel perhaps takes his first step toward returning to Roger Goodell39s circuit The Spring League will feature sponsorships and traditional ad formats Diament said and deals are in place and will be announced ahead of the streaming of Johnny Football39s debutAs BR Live gets off the ground Diament said there will be opportunities for advertisers as Turner promotes the new platform via spotsmentions on its linear telecastsThe platform39s twoway connectivity is integral to its plans quotThe future of advertising is more targeted messagingquot Diament said noting the company intends to use data around fans of players teams and league to not only send them appropriate content but relevant messagingHypothetically a Barcelona FC fan living in Florida could be served soccer news pertinent to the club home to Argentinian legend Lionel Messi and messages around a convertible rather than a SUV available in the team39s maroon color quotWe39re going to customize the look based on the data we havequot Diament saidHe acknowledged the time zone differential Champions League and Europa League matches mostly air during weekday afternoons on the east coast could be an impedimentquotWe39re happy about those who are going to watch live But many aren39t going to be able to access the matches during workquot he said and instead will turn to encore presentations or catch up via highlights and other content around the contestsThe executive noted futbol fans are passionate quotThey are thirsty for content 247 We plan on being very aggressive in looking to nontraditional vehicles to reach soccer enthusiastsquot said Diament noting Turner Sports will look to build relationships tied to players teams and leagues relative to analysis highlights culture lifestyle and other branded content piecesAs to the matches themselves under its rights deal with UEFA the governing body of European futbol Turner39s game plan calls for the presentation of 340 matches during each of three seasons on BRLive TNT TBS and truTV will air sans spots during soccer39s run of play Turner Sports also will work within the club competitions39 guidelines relative to logo association with the onair clockamp160 Diament said will look to maximize relationships with Champions League and Europa League sponsorsBleacher Report reaches some 250 million users monthly 75 of whom are millennials or members of Generation Z quotThey are the futurequot said DiamentHe pointed to remarks made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver who appeared with Turner Broadcasting System President David Levy at Bleacher Report39s Manhattan office on March 27 when the curtain on the streaming service which also will allow fans to purchase inprogress NBA League Pass games at reduced rates was raisedamp160Echoing Silver Diament noted that younger people are not consuming games and content like their forbearsquotThis is the dawn of a new era streaming is not going away These are educated consumers many leaning toward connected devicesquot he said quotPartner with us early come along for the ride as we innovate learn and extend the fan basequotamp160Click the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Launch of B/R Live Streaming Service Broadens Turner Sports' Ad Arsenal

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

J.P. Fields

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

More Videos:

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Launch of B/R Live Streaming Service Broadens Turner Sports' Ad Arsenal

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

J.P. Fields

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

Cookies