B/R Entertainment, the department that oversees Bleacher Report's digital series, is "no longer a standalone, separate division," but a company-wide group "focused on higher-quality video productions," according to Sahil Patel of DIGIDAY. The group, which consists of 20 people, has been "unofficially rebranded into a premium content team that supports programming made for Bleacher Report and its sub-brands." This "includes shows such as animated series 'Game of Zones' and 'The Champions,' as well as the House of Highlights." Last year, Bleacher Report "built four physical content studios to support much of the work this group does, which also includes branded content work Bleacher Report makes on behalf of advertisers." This does "not include the fifth studio" in L.A., where Bleacher Report and Turner Sports "work together for studio programming tied to Turner’s broadcasts of the UEFA Champions League." When Bleacher Report talks about a premium content team for its long-form programming, the publisher "means anything from animated shows that run three to four minutes per episode -- but require a ton of production effort -- to hour-long live shows on Twitter." It is an area that the publisher "plans to increase investments" in '20. Bleacher Report Exec Dir of Content & Production Courtney Vincent "didn’t rule out the idea of Bleacher Report developing and selling more shows for external parties." The premium content group is "expected to grow this year to support a growing slate of programming" (DIGIDAY.com, 2/5).
