Bleacher Report Generates Content for Young Football Fans With B/R Gridiron

This September, as football provides the daily sports diet for millions of sports fans across the country, Bleacher Report will launch a football-primed programming and content lineup tailor-made for millennial and Gen Z audiences under the newly developed B/R Gridiron brand. The approach, which is B/R’s most comprehensive effort to tackle the sport, will get under the helmet and unmask some of today’s greatest players and legends of the field, connecting them directly to an audience of more than 200 million hyperconnected sports fans.

The new programming will roll out during ‘B/R Gridiron Kickoff Week’ launching Monday, Sept. 2, with the premiere of two all-new original series, B/R’s first live Sunday gameday show and interactive fantasy show from the B/R Studio in Caesars Palace, long-form stories from B/R’s leading NFL and NCAA writers, and a slate of content across B/R’s owned and operated channels and top social platforms.

Currently, the NFL holds four of the top five streams on the B/R app and B/R is the #1 digital sports publisher on NFL Sundays against all competition. B/R Gridiron will tap into this highly-engaged fanbase, to provide fans a community around football and extend the conversation beyond the traditional one-to-many broadcasting format. It will utilize the distinct B/R voice and its authority in sports and sports culture to reach fans through the industry’s top distribution channels including the newly launched B/R Gridiron Instagram handle. B/R Gridiron will also feature in-depth, long-form journalism and breaking news stories devoted to the sport from some of the nation’s best writers and reporters: Tyler Dunne, Mike Freeman, and Mike Tanier.

“There is absolutely no denying that the B/R user is likely a passionate football fan. Until now, we never had a formalized program in place to give these fans a one-stop destination for all their needs,” said Howard Mittman, Bleacher Report CEO. “B/R Gridiron is our solution to serve our community and put muscle behind a premium content plan that will entertain and educate a younger audience who is looking for something different in the way the sport is covered.”

B/R Gridiron will be supported by a comprehensive marketing program that begins with a major crossover event – B/R Vegas Football Week – that combines the B/R Betting and B/R Gridiron brands live from the B/R Studio at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas the week of August 19. Throughout the calendar year, B/R Gridiron will also tap into specific NFL and NCAA tent poles and cultural moments including the trade deadline, Thanksgiving, NFL Cleat Week, tailgating and more.

The B/R Gridiron lineup will include:

• Ditch the Playbook with Lefkoe – This bi-weekly video series will be hosted by B/R’s Adam Lefkoe as he visits with NFL players on location for a fresh take on the standard interview format. The show will tap into the elite traits of today’s biggest stars. Whether it’s speed, strength, mental capacity, or something more specialized, Ditch the Playbook with Lefkoe will feature these world-class athletes doing what they do best, but in a way that the public has rarely seen.
• Untold Stories – Award-winning B/R writer Master Tesfatsion will meet former NFL players to share a story that fans may think they know, but have never heard from the athlete’s perspective. Each story will be brought to life with illustrations to help drive either the humor or drama of the situation. The series will air bi-weekly on Wednesdays, alternating with Ditch the Playbook with Lefkoe.
• NFL Betting Show – The B/R Betting Show will air live on Sunday gamedays, leveraging the energy of the Caesars Palace Sportsbook to create a one-of-a-kind betting experience for fans with live interaction for those inside the Sportsbook. The show will deliver betting information in through fast-paced segments, mini-games, character segments, and giveaways.
• Your Fantasy Fire Drill – Bleacher Report’s new interactive fantasy football show will go live at 11:30 am EST every NFL Sunday from the Caesars Palace Sportsbook to help young audiences looking to frantically set their fantasy rosters before kickoff. The fast-paced weekly advice show will use expert fantasy football analysis, giving up-to-date lineup and injury news while answering questions from viewers in real-time.
• Gridiron Heights – The critically-acclaimed and wildly popular (more than 30 Million viewers) weekly minute-long animated series chronicling the exploits of NFL players, coaches and executives within a fictional city known as Gridiron Heights, will return for its third season. Producing episodes in real-time during the NFL calendar year, the series will tap into the hottest storylines throughout the season.
• Stick To Football – The go-to college football and NFL podcast hosted by Matt Miller, with co-hosts Connor Rogers and Mello, will get a lift from a live events schedule that will bring the show into the nation’s top college markets. These fan-facing events will bring the show straight to fans, in a new compelling way.