Bleacher Report on June 20 will stage its first-ever multi-site live video production for the NBA Draft, with updates planned from its Manhattan headquarters, Las Vegas, and Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, site of the Draft.
The WarnerMedia-owned media outlet will blend on-site video reports from the three sites with social media content. Taylor Rooks and current NBA players Dennis Smith Jr. and Josh Hart will be part of Bleacher Report’s Draft production from Manhattan, and will be joined by field reporter Master Tesfatsion in Brooklyn, and betting expert Kelly Stewart in Las Vegas, where she will be providing updated odds based on the outcome of individual draft picks.
The content will be shown on Bleacher Report’s own digital outlets, as well as social media portals such as Twitter and YouTube, and is designed to be a youth-focused counterpoint to the standard live coverage of the NBA Draft on ESPN and NBA TV.
“This is really about being a fellow fan and what that feels like,” said Sam Toles, Bleacher Report chief content officer. “What we’re also doing is challenging established formats and trying to come up with innovative ideas about how to create content and reach a younger audience.”
The scheduled 90-minute program will run through the first 14 picks of the Draft, and will be presented commercial free. During the day of the 2018 NBA Draft, Bleacher Report generated 5.9 million total consumer engagements, nearly twice its daily average.
Several other US digital sports media entities, including Stadium and CBS Sports HQ, are also planning their own special NBA Draft night coverage.