Bleacher Report in May "topped more than 1 billion video views for the third consecutive month across its social media channels," and the company now is "testing new live video formats in its app," according to Seb Joseph of DIGIDAY. The first test came last month when Bleacher Report "produced 12 hours of live coverage for the NFL Draft over three days." The live streams "generated 12 million video plays in the app." While there were "always plans to live-stream more content into the app, Bleacher Report hadn’t planned to do it so soon." There are "two separate strands of content Bleacher Report wants to build its live-stream strategy around: the first is content around tentpole events in sports like the NFL Draft," while the second is "original content that riffs on more lifestyle and entertainment cornerstones of sports and athletes." The latest test "ran over the weekend" ahead of "The Match: Champions For Charity," which was produced Turner, which owns Bleacher Report. The tests come as Bleacher Report "plans to fold its over-the-top B/R Live platform, which live-streamed sports matches, into its main app" (DIGIDAY.com, 5/26).
