Bleacher Report and Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch are "coming to Facebook’s Watch," and later this month will "debut a 10-episode video series called 'No Script,'" according to Sahil Patel of DIGIDAY. Lynch will interview celebrity guests and try activities "such as riding military tanks and testing virtual reality." Produced for Facebook by Bleacher Report’s B/R Entertainment division and Lynch’s Beast Mode Productions, the show will "air weekly on Facebook’s Watch over 10 weeks this fall." Each episode will run "for 10 minutes or longer." "No Script" is Bleacher Report’s "first live-action video show." Bleacher Report President Rory Brown said between Bleacher Report and Beast Mode Productions, as many as 20 people spent "a lot of time" on the show. It is the "only show that Bleacher Report is producing for Facebook’s Watch." Bleacher Report "retains the content rights" to the show, which means the publisher is "free to distribute episodes on other platforms after a period of exclusivity on Facebook." "No Script" is "made for and funded by Facebook." Brown said that the idea came out of a "desire to work with Lynch, who is one of the more popular pro athletes among Bleacher Report’s younger, mostly male audience." Brown: "One thing we’re not doing is trying to do shows with 50 different athletes. It’s more valuable to have premium content versus throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, which is what a lot of other publishers are doing. We’re definitely doing something with a handful of athletes, but we’re not going to run the Marshawn Lynch playbook with someone else" (DIGIDAY.com, 9/12).
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: FS1’s Cris Carter said Lynch, in the right environment, can "communicate in a way that I think will be hilarious." He said the show "will be authentic and that’s one thing that television is missing." FS1’s Nick Wright: “Everybody gives Marshawn a hard time for not being comfortable around the media. ... This show is going to be great because it’ll show Marshawn in this comfortable environment” (“First Things First,” FS1, 9/13).
