Exclusive: Yahoo Sports partners with Boardroom to boost content strategy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Yahoo Sports on Tuesday announced a new deal with Boardroom, a media company co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman, to co-produce a new video series hosted by Kleiman and to launch a content hub.
Why it matters: The partnership is the latest in a slew of content deals Yahoo has inked since hiring former ESPN executive Ryan Spoon in 2023.
How it works: In brokering content partnerships with reputable third-parties, Yahoo Sports has been able to expand its editorial offerings outside of its typical syndication model.
- "All of the partnerships that we have done have been very selectively specific around emerging, important verticals where there are great lead partners who are experts in access, opinion, analysis, reach and work together there," Spoon told Axios.
Zoom in: The new video series, "Network with Rich Kleiman," will feature conversations with athletes and other sports figures about the workings of their business ventures.
- The episodes will be available on the new Boardroom hub on Yahoo Sports' website, along with other Boardroom content. Episodes will also be on Boardroom's site and YouTube.
- "With Yahoo, we get great infrastructure and great expertise," Kleiman told Axios. "For us, the ultimate goal is to continue to grow this brand and to scale it in as many different places as we can."
- Both companies will sell sponsorships and share the revenue.
Zoom out: Over the past two years, Yahoo Sports has inked several content partnerships to enhance its coverage of specific beats.
- Last year, it partnered with The Athletic to create a women's sports hub that both outlets can monetize.
- Yahoo also launched partnerships with OneFootball for soccer coverage, The Hockey News for hockey coverage, Ariel Helwani and Uncrowned for combat sports and Motorsport Network for racing.
- The company expanded its coverage of sports collectibles by partnering with cllct, Sports Card Investor and Mantel. It partnered with BetMGM for Yahoo Sportsbook.
The big picture: The deal with Boardroom, announced ahead of Yahoo's annual NewFront presentation to advertisers Tuesday, underscores the evolution of Yahoo Sports under its new owner, Apollo Global Management.
- At the NewFront presentation, Spoon will share that Yahoo Sports' audio and video consumption has more than doubled in the last year and that "Network with Rich Kleiman" is its 12th new original show since 2024.
- Under Apollo, Yahoo has invested more in elevating its marquee brands, such as Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Mail and Yahoo News, which could help it sell them as standalone properties or increase the value of them as a collective.
