Bleacher Report has launched a new brand, B/R Gridiron, that will focus on creating content revolving around football, the company announced Thursday morning.
Under the brand, the company will premiere a slate of content that’s tailored to millennial and Gen Z football fans. The programming will include interactive content and long-form news stories from Bleacher Report’s arsenal of writers and reporters including Tyler Dunne, Mike Freeman and Mike Tanier.
The new shows will rollout during ‘B/R Gridiron Kickoff Week’ launching Sept. 2, with the premiere of two all-new original series, “Ditch the Playbook with Lefkoe” and “Untold Stories.” The company is also launching its first live Sunday game-day series, “NFL Betting Show.”
Football has always been a strong interest among Bleacher Report users, with the NFL currently holding four of the top five streams on the Bleacher Report app, according to the company.
“There is absolutely no denying that the Bleacher Report 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.”
Mittman says B/R Gridiron will be supported by a comprehensive marketing program that begins with a major crossover event – B/R Vegas Football Week – which combines the B/R Betting and B/R Gridiron brands live in Las Vegas the week of Aug. 19. Throughout the calendar year, B/R Gridiron will also tap into NFL and NCAA tent poles, including the trade deadline, Thanksgiving, and NFL Cleat Week.
The upcoming B/R Gridiron lineup will include:
- “Ditch the Playbook with Lefkoe” – a bi-weekly video series hosted by Bleacher Report’s Adam Lefkoe as he interviews some of the most popular players in the NFL. The show will tap into the elite traits of today’s biggest stars to see how they stack up against the competition.
- “Untold Stories” – which follows Bleacher Report writer Master Tesfatsion as he meets with 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 accompanied by illustrations to help paint a vivid image of situation. The series will air bi-weekly on Wednesdays, alternating with “Ditch the Playbook with Lefkoe.”
- “NFL Betting Show”- the series, which will air live on Sunday game-days, is filmed in the Caesars Palace Sportsbook, a gambling venue. The show will deliver betting information through fast-paced segments, mini-games, giveaways, and will tap into Bleacher Report’s social reach with IG polls that will help decide wagers. The series will also crowdsource questions from Twitter and Instagram.
- “Your Fantasy Fire Drill” – Bleacher Report’s new interactive fantasy football show will go live at 8:30 am PT every NFL Sunday to help fans set their fantasy rosters before kickoff. The series will use expert fantasy football analysis, giving up-to-date lineup and injury news while answering questions from viewers in real-time.
- “Gridiron Heights” – back for its third season, is a weekly minute-long animated series chronicling the exploits of NFL players, coaches and executives within a fictional city known as Gridiron Heights.
- “Stick To Football” – is a football-focused podcast hosted by Matt Miller, with co-hosts Connor Rogers and Mello that unpacks the news of the day, such as the NFL draft and the happenings in college football.