Turner Broadcasting spent nearly $200 million to purchase Bleacher Report last summer. With that kind of investment, you definitely want to get your money’s worth.
Hence today’s announcement, outlining a new initiative. To me, the most interesting part will be the sports presence on CNN.
From Turner:
Turner Sports and CNN will partner to produce Bleacher Report branded sports programming including long-form specials and daily sports updates that will air on CNN and HLN, it was announced today by Lenny Daniels, executive vice president/chief operating officer for Turner Sports, and Ken Jautz, executive vice president, CNN/U.S.
The first of the programming collaborations will be Kickoff in New Orleans: A CNN-Bleacher Report Special, a live one-hour show on CNN to be televised Saturday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m. ET. And, beginning Tuesday, Feb. 5, CNN will air Bleacher Report sports updates daily as cut-in segments throughout morning broadcasts on CNN, as well as throughout the day on HLN. With information on the latest topics affecting sports teams and fans, these 3-4 minute segments will combine CNN newsgathering resources with the unique perspective of Bleacher Report to offer a comprehensive overview of sports news and information.
Originating from New Orleans, the Super Bowl XLVII host city, Kickoff in New Orleans: A CNN-Bleacher Report Special, will include a series of features, interviews and profiles that capture the excitement the marquee event brings to the city. The show will be co-hosted by Ernie Johnson, host of TNT’s Sports Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA, and Rachel Nichols, the newly-hired veteran sports reporter for CNN and Turner Sports.
Show elements include:
Guest appearances by NBC Sports analyst Cris Collinsworth and Fox Sports analyst Howie Long, both contributors to Behind the Mic on Bleacher Report, to preview the game. Interview with Archie Manning, former NFL quarterback with the New Orleans Saints and father of two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, Peyton and Eli. Bleacher Report elements including highlights and notable performances from past Super Bowls, game perspective and more presented by Turner Sports host Jared Greenberg. A fan’s guide to New Orleans presented by former New Orleans Saints standout Deuce McAllister and SI swimsuit model Demaris Lewis. Interview with nine-year-old pee-wee football star and YouTube sensation Sam Gordon, along with a presentation of her video highlights and telestrated analysis of her play. Vignettes featuring New Orleans natives such as Troy Andrews (a.k.a. Trombone Shorty), a renowned trombone and trumpet player.
“Leveraging the strength and expertise of CNN and the unique perspective of Bleacher Report allows us to extend the Turner Sports portfolio through coverage of marquee events such as the Super Bowl and the development of consistent sports programming on CNN/US and HLN,” said Daniels. “This strategic integration of Bleacher Report with the leading brands in our portfolio will continue to drive growth and revenue opportunities for our audiences, advertisers and businesses.”
“Bringing together Bleacher Report and Rachel Nichols in a co-production with Turner Sports is a win-win for CNN viewers,” said Jautz. “We could not ask for better partners as we increase sports coverage on CNN.”
About Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (B/R), a division of Turner Sports, is a leading publisher of original and entertaining sports content and one of the fastest growing sports media Web sites in the U.S. Since launching in 2008, B/R’s Web site has grown to an audience of more than 11 million monthly unique visitors. The company’s distinguished editorial team leads more than 2,000 contributors, and directs Bleacher Report’s unique data-driven approach to creating and programming content. The result is first-rate sports commentary that gives B/R’s audience the stories they want to read in real-time around the teams and topics they are most passionate about. In addition, more than 2.5 million users have installed B/R’s leading Team Stream™ mobile and tablet app, which provide a comprehensive mix of content that engages a broad array of sports fans at the team and topic level.
About Turner Sports Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and multimedia sports content, airing championship-level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular digital sports brands. Turner Sports’ television lineup includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company’s digital portfolio includes Bleacher Report, NCAA.com and March Madness Live, and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.