AOL's ultimate goal is to become a "central part of the daily sports discussion, without trying to be ESPN or Fox Sports," and it is "working with an assortment of partners to develop that content, including Relativity Media and Derek Jeter's The Players' Tribune," according to Michelle Castillo of ADWEEK. The move to sports "seems out of step, perhaps even ill-advised," as AOL.com "doesn't even rank in the top 20 destinations for sports content online, and sister publication HuffPost Sports only comes in at No. 18." AOL "doesn't have the capital to pay for the rights to livestream" pro sports content. But it "can offer the broad reach of its AOL On network," which currently averages more than 1 billion views per month. AOL is "cementing deals to run exclusive and nonexclusive content on AOL On from publishers." It is also "investing in original content, co-producing series with partners that will show behind-the-scenes looks at athletes' lives and sporting events, rather than broadcast the games themselves." Fox Sports Digital VP/Business Development Ben Maggin said that AOL's "broad reach and the option to let Fox keep sales rights around its inventory are the major reasons it wanted to work with the company." Two series AOL "will unveil ... come from The Players' Tribune." The first is "How It Happened," an animated series "focusing on sports stars' retellings of incidents, set to be released in Q3." The other is "Thursday Sports Show," a "cheeky look at the world of professional athletes from the eyes of 'professional fan' and host Ben Lyons," scheduled to launch in late May. Original sports content "is also making its way over to Makers, AOL's female-focused documentary video portal." AOL has "already attracted brands including Merrill Edge, Bank of America, GMC, Olay and Extra spearmint gum" (ADWEEK.com, 4/26).
POST-PINSTRIPE PLAYER: Jeter in a cover-story Q&A with ADWEEK's Castillo said of selecting partners such as AOL, "We want to work with companies who get what we're trying to do, and also want to work with us to try and create something special. Throughout my career, it was important to work with brands that are authentic to me." Below are additional excerpts from the interview:
Q: Do athletes actually write the stories for The Players' Tribune?
Jeter: Some athletes write the stories, and some athletes work with our producers who then ghostwrite the stories for them. In that case, our producers create a transcript from their conversations, and from there a story is written. Usually it goes back and forth a few times between the producers and the athletes, and nothing goes up without final athlete approval.
Q: Why is video so important to The Players' Tribune?
Jeter: We want to give athletes every opportunity to share their stories and perspectives. We're excited about the impact and direct connection that video can provide, and we're working hard to make sure we're making the type of video that elevates and amplifies their ideas. We're focused on formats that fans will like, and we're in development for numerous regular video series.
Q: Are you interested in doing more in front of the camera, or do you prefer to be behind the scenes?
Jeter: I'm staying behind the scenes for the most part. There's plenty to do when you're running a company. When it makes sense for me to step in front, then that's where I'll be (ADWEEK, 4/27 issue).
