ESPN and Thirty Five Media, a company founded by Kevin Durant in 2017, have agreed to partner for a sports business show called The Boardroom. The show will air exclusively on the ESPN+ streaming platform.
Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, will make regular appearances on the show to lead conversations into the world of sports business, technology, and culture. An official launch date for the show will be announced soon.
Kleiman and Durant will also serve as executive producers to the show. ESPN’s Jay Williams will host the six-episode series with Jordan Schultz appearing as a correspondent.
“The Boardroom will bring fans behind the scenes of the modern boardroom, showcasing the evolution of sports business through the minds of athletes, sports executives and tech moguls alike,” an official ESPN press release states.
The press release continues to note that each episode will focus on a broad theme within the sports business world. Such topics include team owners, player development, and the business of social media.
“We’re excited to partner with ESPN for this series,” Durant said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to bringing fans insights from some of the greatest minds in the sports business world and show how athletes and thought leaders are changing the game.”
Durant has long been one of the most active athletes in the worlds of digital and social media. His byline has frequently appeared in The Players’ Tribune as a contributing writer and photographer, while Thirty Five Media has also partnered with Imagine Television to create a basketball-themed dramatic series for Apple.
He also maintains an extensive investment portfolio, with investments in tech companies such as advertising startup Suzy and athlete wearables company Whoop. An interesting part of The Boardroom‘s story arc could examine Durant’s personal investment ventures and business portfolio.
“This is a particularly interesting time for the business of sports. Players are increasingly evolving from business endorsers to active participants, decision makers, and owners,” said Connor Schell, ESPN Executive Vice President of Content in the press release. “We are excited to collaborate with Kevin and Rich, who have both had a profound effect on the way that athletes interact with the business of sports and investment community.”
SportTechie Takeaway
ESPN+ recently garnered positive headlines with the announcement that the service surpassed 1 million paid subscribers within its first month of launch. That announcement mentioned ESPN’s plans to soon add more exclusive content to the streaming service, so Durant’s show may not be the only new piece of content coming to ESPN+.
Durant’s fellow NBA superstar LeBron James recently announced that his digital media company Uninterrupted will produce a series starring Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on the Facebook Watch video-on-demand platform throughout the 2018 NFL season.