Puma Football and Bleacher Report Football partnered to help commit the "impoverished childhood" of ManU forward Romelu Lukaku to music "in a collaboration between Antwerp musician TheColorGrey and the footballer," according to John McCarthy of THE DRUM. The content shows how the Turner-owned media brand is working with brands on "sought out" branded content at the intersection points of culture -- "rather than just delivering views for partners." The publisher pitched to Puma that Belgian striker and Puma athlete Lukaku "should drop a track" after he signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports. Lukaku requested that fellow Belgian TheColorGrey "was the man to tell the story." Puma and the pair released New Levels, a single that will be available on Spotify and Apple Music. Music's place in football was "once relegated to the stands and the odd memorable World Cup anthem." Now, "more than ever, it sits closer to the sport." Bleacher Report Managing Editor Lee Walker said, "It is branded content, a paid partnership, but it is good content. Puma put it in place but it taps into the very essence of what we do and has editorial merits." Bleacher Report claims to reach 250 million people across all platforms. According to Comscore data, it is the favored sports app for 19 to 34 year-olds. Walker admitted that it "does not have enough scale for some media buyers but points instead to its engagement levels and the quality of its output." He said, "We can talk about Facebook accounts that have had financial trouble despite having 35 million followers. It doesn't mean anything if no one is engaging with the content. It is like saying, 'I play at Old Trafford,' when there are only 12 people inside the stadium" (THE DRUM, 11/19).
