Bleacher Report plans to "pursue more third-party licensing revenue this year," after Chief Content Officer Sam Toles in November decided to "create a pilot program so that ideas for video series could be sourced from content and pitches" across the brand, according to Kayleigh Barber of DIGIDAY. Toles said that it is "realistic for him to anticipate that half of the pilots his company make this year will turn into series." Barber noted Bleacher Report also has "created a new centralized B/R Studio division" within the editorial department to "allow for a freer exchange of ideas." Though the company declined to provide an "exact head count for B/R Studio, Bleacher Report's editorial department as a whole" has a total of 250 staffers. Five new creative execs have been "tasked with turning pitches into pilots, documentaries, podcasts and other forms of media." Toles also said that he "intends to hire two more creative executives this year." Barber noted B/R Studio, by "testing a pilot on Bleacher Report's audience on its website and app," can provide "predictive statistics on how well a new series might perform." Bleacher Report has "built a track record in creating popular original content," with three different "animated series about sports." But most of the "revenue that those shows have earned has come from advertising" (DIGIDAY.com, 1/14).
