While the coronavirus pandemic forced many media companies to slow down production and forced athletics to grind to a halt, Barstool Sports adapted and CEO Erika Nardini says the company was able to capitalize on a slew of non-sports-related content.
Now Barstool Sports' priority is to show buyers at the company's first appearance at the NewFronts marketing conference that it can still be profitable even without the return of North American pro leagues.
"We wanted to show, not only the showcasing of what we're creating -- so, all of the brands we're developing and running -- but also how we're performing for advertisers," she said.
Barstool's success during the shutdowns, Nardini explained, is not only attributable to the team's ability to "create content that's authentic" but also its commitment to creating content that fans want to engage with.
"We're building some of, if not, the very biggest brands on the internet," she said. "I think that during quarantine, most media companies stopped making content. They either had production challenges, they weren't able to gather in studios. We took the opposite approach."
Barstool's growth on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram has also allowed the company's "brands the ability to play ball with those audiences" where they otherwise might not have had access, according to the CEO.
"Every single brand that's created at Barstool is programmed and produced for the internet, which means that we naturally attract what you would call 'young viewers,'" she said.
Even with the success of the non-sports content, Nardini said the company will not abandon its newfound format despite the imminent return of the pros, but will instead marry the new content with Barstool's core programs.
"What we've found is when you have eyes for the internet, and you're making content for the internet, that stuff can last," she noted.
2021 has been the year of many things, and one of them is the NFT or non-fungible token. We've seen NFTs come about for so many different things.
Digital artists have used them to sell their artwork in a more traditional art transaction than the internet had previously allowed. We've seen specific NFT campaigns like the pudgy penguins amass large followings. And now we're seeing them expand into horror films just in time for spooky season.
The iconic horror movie franchise "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has launched its debut NFT line entitled "Leatherfaces." the illustrations are designed by Skinner in partnership with Ultra Rare to reveal a total of over 10,000 Leatherface avatars. The collection gives fans, NFT fiends and blockchain fanatics access to a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre metaverse unlike any that has been seen before.
Richie Hobson, co-founder of Ultra Rare, joins None of the Above to discuss.
As labor unrest continues to sweep the U.S. with strikes still underway in various industries and millions of workers quitting in September, Starbucks workers in Buffalo, N.Y., are close to voting on potentially unionizing their own workplaces. President of Northern Virginia AFL-CIO Virginia Diamond spoke to Cheddar's News Wrap about what the organizing workers are looking for from the coffee chain in terms of benefits and protections.
Ballots have been sent to workers at three different Starbucks locations in Buffalo, NY to decide whether they will unionize for the first time ever. Wilma Liebman, former Chair of the National Labor Relations Board and Michelle Eisen from the Starbucks Workers United Organization, which is behind this vote, joined Cheddar to discuss.
With transportation-based companies generating plenty of buzz recently, Cheddar News spoke with Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields about his company relisting on the Nasdaq, WheelsUp CEO Kenny Dichter about his company's historic Q3 earnings report, and Lime CEO Wayne Ting about his company's plans to go public.
Earlier this week, New York's gaming commission approved nine mobile sports platforms to operate in the market, but each respective sportsbooks' revenue will be taxed at 51%, tied for the steepest rate in the country. Eben Novy-Williams, sports business reporter for Sportico, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he breaks down the challenge sportsbooks face to be profitable in the region.
Rich Rosenblum, Co-Founder and President of crypto trading firm GSR, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why investors are rushing to Ethereum and breaks down the advantages it holds over other digital assets.
Earnings season continues in the week of November 15-19, with results on tap from Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, and more. New economic data on Tuesday will provide a deeper look at the retail space when the Commerce Department releases October retail sales numbers, following this week's hot inflation data. Plus, President Biden is set to visit GM's electric vehicle factory in Michigan, where he is expected to formally introduce the plant's grand opening.
On this episode of 'Your Future Home', Chip Wade, Emmy Award-winning HGTV Host, breaks down all the ways you can avoid breaking the bank on energy costs this holiday season, especially when it comes to outfitting your home with smart tech; Dr. Wendy Osefo, Entrepreneur, Professor & Cast Member of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Potomac', discusses her popular new Onyi Home Essentials line and how ideas of family and legacy helped shape it; Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know about how to determine your non-negotiables when purchasing a house.
