Bleacher Report Becomes First Independent Sports Media Site to Offer High Quality Video Content

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bleacher Report, one of the fastest-growing sites on the Internet and the Web's fifth largest sports media destination with more than 20 million monthly unique users, today announced a series of enhancements aimed at improving the overall experience for sports fans across the site with the launch of an innovative video hub featuring original programming and short form video content.  Today's news comes on the heels of last month's announcement of Bleacher Report's partnership with YouTube in which YouTube announced plans to roll out more than one hundred new original channels, created specifically for today's connected viewers.

Through this video investment, Bleacher Report is further establishing itself as the leading source for sports content around the teams and topics that fans are most passionate about, while empowering fans with a voice through its contributor system and giving advertisers a unique platform in reaching a highly influential and engaged audience.

And through its partnership with YouTube, Bleacher Report will be building on its video investment by creating a new, diverse and creative set of original programming that will augment the content ecosystem YoutTube is evolving across various categories including sports.  

"Bleacher Report in such a short period of time has revolutionized the way sports content is created and consumed," said Dave Nemetz, Co-Founder and VP Video Programming and Production.  "With this new investment in video, Bleacher Report is building on its commitment in providing sports fans with the best overall experience with content that is both compelling and entertaining while giving our advertising partners a robust environment in reaching a highly coveted audience with tremendous purchasing power."

First Independent Player to Offer HD and Original Video Content

Behind a site refresh that is designed to better accommodate the growing volume of content offered by Bleacher Report, the site features a state-of-the art video destination for readers looking for the best and curated video programming on the Web.  This is the first time that an independently owned and operated media site has offered HD video production for multiple sports content.  Bleacher Report recently introduced a new original Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) program called The Ultimate Show, a weekly series featuring Kenda Perez (Spike TV's Best of Pride Fighting Championship) as the host.  With Edge shave gel as the title sponsor, the series each week features fight previews and highlights, interviews with some of the top fighters in the sport, and in-depth analysis and panel discussions with Bleacher Report experts and MMA luminaries.

"Partnering with Bleacher Report on the new Mixed Martial Arts video series made perfect sense for Edge, as we are a brand committed to giving guys an Edge in life, inside and outside the octagon," said Jeffrey Wolf, senior brand manager for Edge shave gel at Energizer Personal Care.  "Bleacher Report's ongoing investment in providing readers with the ultimate sports experience through new products like video represents their commitment in building scalable publishing and editorial model for partners like us."

And as part of this investment in video, Bleacher Report plans to roll out a slate of new shows later this year and beginning in 2012.

Deepens Coverage of Team and Topic Coverage Through Video

Complementing original programming, Bleacher Report will also embark on providing users with short form video vignettes that maps to the company's unique approach in content creation around teams and topics that consumers want through a video format.  

Initially, Bleacher Report's short form video coverage will feature team and topic news from a select group of editorial experts and will expand over time as the company scales video production with a focus on enabling many of the company's vast contributor base to help power this form of video content creation and distribution.  

About Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report (B/R) is the Web's leading publisher of original and entertaining sports content and is 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 20 million monthly unique visitors.  The company's distinguished editorial team leads more than 1,000 Featured Columnists and 6,000 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.  B/R's editorial content is also syndicated to a number of national and regional publishing partners including USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Philly.com, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle and Seattle PI.  In addition, more than 1.5 million users have subscribed to B/R's sport-and-team-specific email newsletters, which provide a demand driven mix of content that engages a broad array of sports fans.

To learn more about Bleacher Report, visit http://bleacherreport.com/about

SOURCE Bleacher Report