CBS Interactive Advanced Media, Learfield’s Sidearm Sports Partner in College Sports

CBS Interactive Advanced Media and Learfield’s SIDEARM Sports announced a new partnership to jointly produce and operate more than 1,100 college and high school athletic websites and stream more than 14,000 live events each year. 

The partnership will offer unrivaled value to the combined group of clients, including 85% of Power Five schools, by bringing SIDEARM Sports’ industry-leading content management and delivery systems, innovative mobile platform and creative design solutions together with CBS Interactive Advanced Media’s cutting-edge video streaming capabilities and video distribution expertise for live events. Expanded live video reach for clients will include CBS Sports Digital’s subscription streaming service, SportsLive, which gives fans unlimited access to thousands of live events and on-demand videos across schools and sports. In addition, the collaboration will open up exciting new monetization opportunities for clients and advertisers across platforms. 

SIDEARM Sports, the leading provider of collegiate athletic web solutions, will manage the website and mobile platforms while providing the hosting and infrastructure for all of the schools. The SIDEARM platform delivers engaging fan experiences focused on driving revenue opportunities, promoting brand awareness and efficiently delivering timely athletic department digital content. SIDEARM will now provide the digital platform for nearly 800 NCAA colleges, universities and conferences. 

CBS Interactive Advanced Media will manage video infrastructure and distribution as well as end-to-end advertising operations for all of the schools. A division of CBS Sports Digital, CBS Interactive Advanced Media is the category leader in the delivery of integrated multimedia and digital solutions for clients primarily focused on sports and entertainment. The division streams thousands of live events each year. 

“SIDEARM’s leading platform development and hosting services complement our strengths in video and advertising, and this partnership allows us to better serve the digital needs of an expanded roster of schools,” says Jeff Gerttula, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Sports Digital.  

“Together, we offer unparalleled expertise in collegiate digital operations, and we look forward to joining forces to provide the highest quality solutions for each of these athletic programs.” 

“We’re really excited about this, our respective companies coming together in what we view as a true partnership in every sense of the word,” says SIDEARM Sports’ President and CEO Jeff Rubin.  

“Our schools without question will get the best of both worlds as our services and solutions in these areas will perfectly complement one another. We’re honored to pair with such a highly respected company as CBS Interactive and their many entities and look forward to this partnership kicking off in the coming months.”