Bleacher Report
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| URL | BleacherReport.com |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2008 |
| Alexa rank |  657;  196 (March 2012[update])[1] |
Bleacher Report, widely known as B/R, is an American digital sports media network serving a global audience of readers and several hundred niche communities of fans.
B/R's 7,000 paid and unpaid contributors publish more than 600 original daily content items.[2][3] The network specializes in reader-friendly coverage of timely news stories, with an emphasis on providing entertaining analysis via innovative content formats and extensive multimedia programming.[4] By integrating its sports-and-social-media experience across a range of mobile applications and devices,[5][6] B/R aims to "revolutionize the way sports fans learn, think, and talk about their favorite teams and topics."[7]
CEO Brian Grey has headed Bleacher Report since July 2010.[8] In addition to its headquarters at 153 Kearny Street in San Francisco,[9] the company also maintains a satellite office in New York City.[10]
Contents |
[edit] History
The website was launched in February 2008[11] by California-based entrepreneurs Dave Finocchio, Zander Freund, Bryan Goldberg, and Dave Nemetz. The purpose of the website was to provide a platform for bloggers and amateur sports writers to publish their work where visitors could find their articles easily.
In October 2008 Bleacher Report received $3.5m funding.[12]
In June 2010, they appointed former Fox Sports executive Brian Grey as Chief Executive Officer.[13]
In August 2011, Bleacher Report received $22m in funding. [14]
[edit] Team Stream Mobile App
In March 2011 Bleacher Report launched Team Stream an iPhone app that allows users to follow sports teams and topics in real-time. The app sources content from B/R contributors, other sports publishers and twitter.
Team Stream is also available for Android and iPad devices.
[edit] Newsletters
The company offers email newsletters, and reports that is has one of the largest sports newsletter subscriber bases in the United States.
[edit] Public Relations
[edit] Criticism
In Bleacher Report's early years, the network was sometimes criticized for its commitment to an open-source publishing model. Most detractors focused on the fact that all registered B/R users were permitted to publish articles on the site, arguing that such a policy…
- Diluted the quality of B/R content, which made it difficult for the network's readers to find insightful coverage of their favorite teams and sports[15]
- Diminished the credibility of the B/R brand, which made it difficult for the network's more talented writers to build loyal audiences[16]
- Undermined the traditional hierarchy of journalism schools and old-media news publications, which compromised the esteem and exclusivity of the sportswriting profession[17]
The general thrust of this criticism was succinctly summarized in a March 2010 post on thejetsblog.com:
"The biggest cause of internal conflict for me with B/R is that there are great writers on B/R…but I worry that good writers there just get lumped in with the bad ones…and it’s hard as a casual reader to really tell the difference."[18]
[edit] Response
Although the network still announces the goal of providing an "empowering opportunity for every contributor hoping to establish his or her voice" in the sports blogosphere, [19] Bleacher Report addressed the concerns of its critics by making substantive reforms to its editorial and personnel policies in 2010. These reforms were aimed chiefly at the mechanics of B/R's Writer Program, with an emphasis on enhancing quality and credibility by…
- Initiating a formal application process for all prospective writers, wherein only the top 20 percent of candidates earn the right to publish on the site[20][21]
- Introducing comprehensive educational resources for new and veteran writers, including the "B/R U" new-media training program[22]
- Establishing a paid team of high-profile Lead Writers to headline the network's sport-specific writer communities[23]
These reforms, along with the continued growth of B/R's audience, prompted Forbes.com to single out Bleacher Report as a company "doing it right" in August 2011.[24] B/R was also named one of Time magazine's "50 Best Websites of 2011,"[25] and was picked by Adweek readers as 2011's "Best Sports Media Brand."[26]
[edit] References
- ^ "Bleacherreport.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/BleacherReport.com. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2011/08/22/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-bleacher-report-finds-a-third-way/
- ^ http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/bleacher-report-hires-new-head-of-revenue-traffic-continues-to-surge-in-may/
- ^ http://www.businessinsider.com/saicast-bleacher-report-2011-7
- ^ http://www.businessinsider.com/why-bleacherreportcom-is-trouncing-espncom-by-using-social-business-principles-2011-3
- ^ http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/20/bleacher-report-arrives-on-ipad-with-new-team-stream-app/
- ^ http://bleacherreport.com/about
- ^ http://paidcontent.org/article/419-bleacher-report-taps-ex-yahoofox-sports-exec-brian-grey-as-ceo/
- ^ http://bleacherreport.com/contact
- ^ http://www.cjr.org/the_news_frontier_database/2011/01/bleacher-report.php
- ^ Hendrickson, Mark (October 28, 2010). "Bleacher Report Gives Stage to Amateur Sports Writing". Tech Crunch. http://techcrunch.com/2008/10/28/bleacher-report-hunkers-down-with-35-million-more/. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ Hendrickson, Mark (February 19, 2008). "Bleacher Report Hunkers Down With $3.5 Million More". Tech Crunch. http://techcrunch.com/2008/02/19/bleacher-report-gives-stage-to-amateur-sports-writing/. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Bleacher Report Taps Ex-Yahoo/Fox Sports Exec Brian Grey As CEO". Paid Content. June 16, 2010. http://paidcontent.org/article/419-bleacher-report-taps-ex-yahoofox-sports-exec-brian-grey-as-ceo/. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ Kelly, Meghan (August 25,2011). "Bleacher Report isn’t playing Fantasy Funding, scores $22M". Venture Beat. http://venturebeat.com/2011/08/25/bleacher-report-isnt-playing-fantasy-funding-scores-22m/. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ^ http://www.battleofcali.com/2010/7/14/1569806/bleacher-report-sucks
- ^ http://www.thejetsblog.com/2010/03/01/why-bleacherreport-is-retarded-part-one-of-a-two-million-part-series/
- ^ http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/waiting-for-the-day-readers-march-in-and-demand-an-end-to-the-dreck/
- ^ http://www.thejetsblog.com/2010/03/01/why-bleacherreport-is-retarded-part-one-of-a-two-million-part-series/
- ^ http://bleacherreport.com/about
- ^ http://benkoo.com/articles/biz-and-tech/big-changes-at-bleacher-report.html
- ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2011/08/22/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-bleacher-report-finds-a-third-way/
- ^ http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/08/bleacher-report-ups-its-game-by-taking-contributors-to-school/
- ^ http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2011/08/23/Media/Bleacher-Report.aspx
- ^ http://www.forbes.com/sites/lewisdvorkin/2011/08/22/whos-doing-it-right-bleacher-report-turns-knowing-fans-into-reporters/
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2087815_2087855_2087858,00.html
- ^ http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/sports-media-and-marketing-mvps-138411
