Underdog, a quickly increasing drive in sports activities gaming and media, has announced a multi-year contract renewal with all the solid of Gil’s Arena, reinforcing its dedication to the present’s continued success. This strategic transfer solidifies the partnership between the community and its lineup of sports activities personalities, making certain this system stays a dominant presence in digital sports activities media.
Since its inception, Gil’s Arena has grow to be a number one digital basketball present within the United States, attracting a considerable viewers throughout numerous platforms. Hosted by three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, the present encompasses a star-studded lineup, together with govt producer and host Josiah Johnson, NCAA Champion Rashad McCants, NBA Champion Nick Young, NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin, Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, Mr. Basketball USA Brandon Jennings, and WNBA Champion Lexie Brown. The program is presently the fifth-largest every day sports activities present nationwide, boasting over 500 million views on YouTube, hundreds of thousands of audio downloads, and billions of impressions on social media.
“Underdog built us a platform and more importantly created a real partnership to share our unfiltered takes with fans. We’re building a one-of-a-kind basketball network here, and this is just the beginning – we have big plans for the future,” mentioned Arenas.
Arenas and Tim Livingston, Underdog’s VP of Content, have been pioneers in athlete-driven media, having launched the No Chill podcast in 2018—one of many first exhibits of its variety. Their continued collaboration has pushed Gil’s Arena to new heights, and this newest contract extension indicators Underdog’s long-term imaginative and prescient for sports activities content material improvement.
Gil’s Arena Sets Sights on First Take’s Viewership
Averaging 275,000 viewers per episode, Gil’s Arena is on an upward trajectory, with a transparent purpose of surpassing ESPN’s First Take, which averages 496,000 viewers per episode on linear TV. With its robust digital presence, Underdog is positioning Gil’s Arena as a aggressive various to conventional sports activities discuss exhibits.
“This partnership is at the center of our media network expansion and proof of concept for our belief in bringing fans unvarnished and incredibly deep sports content. Working with Gil and his team has been incredible, and we are going to continue to elevate our sports content and build the best sports entertainment experience for our customers,” mentioned Liz Marro, Chief Marketing Officer at Underdog.
Underdog’s dedication to increasing its media community is obvious in its current achievements. The firm, based in 2020, has shortly established itself as a number one identify within the sports activities media panorama. Alongside Gil’s Arena, the community provides an array of packages that includes sports activities figures equivalent to Steve Smith (89), Jay Gruden and Colt McCoy (Clean Pocket), and Jared Carrabis (Baseball is Dead).
Expanding Influence in Sports Media
Underdog continues to construct its repute as a premier sports activities media firm, just lately surpassing 1.3 million YouTube subscribers. The firm can be integrating Gil’s Arena expertise into its fantasy sports and gaming platform, with Arenas’ picks—and shortly these of his co-hosts—being featured on Underdog’s web site and app.
“We teamed up with Gil to build a wholly authentic show for the basketball community,” Livingston added. “The success is a testament to the hard work of Gilbert, Josiah, and the entire cast and crew. We’re grateful for the last two years and excited for the next ten.”
