DALLAS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- PlayersTV, the network dedicated to Athlete-Sports lifestyle and culture entertainment, announced today a new multi-faceted distribution agreement with ReachTV, the first Nielsen-rated, linear short-form OTT entertainment network. Through a branded channel on ReachTV, PlayersTV is the first ever athlete-owned media network to be showcased across ReachTV's airport, in-hotel and digital network, bringing more than 100+ million tastemakers who travel and 30 million Nielsen-rated viewers a new way to connect with professional athletes worldwide.
PlayersTV is the central destination for fans seeking quality athlete content and intimate access into the interesting and entertaining lives of professional athletes. With unique content and investor partnerships with athletes from three of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, PlayersTV boasts unique programming such as groundbreaking original content like NBA world champion Kyrie Irving-led #SAYHERNAME: BREONNA TAYLOR and Deandre Jordan's "The Mindful Life" among others.
PlayersTV appealed to ReachTV's CEO Lynnwood Bibbens for its truth in positivity to its core audience. "In today's climate, the public is looking to see and hear directly from their favorite professional athletes in authentic ways. This is a unique joint partnership on several levels, not only for the opportunity to connect sports fans and travelers with athletes who are creating meaningful content for PlayersTV, but for ReachTV to support those athletes and the network who are taking a stand for racial justice, social equality and humanity," said Bibbens.
From comedies and documentaries, to reality shows and podcasts, all centered on sports, culture and lifestyle, PlayersTV offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands to advertise and create integrations with its athlete-led content and distribution through an inside look at athlete's passions, interests, and off-the-field pursuits.
"Now more than ever athletes are using their platforms to tell the stories that matter most. The partnership between PlayersTV and ReachTV will provide a tremendous opportunity for a wider audience to engage with athlete-driven content and for our work to have even greater impact. I am excited to see this partnership come to life," said CJ McCollum, PlayersTV investor, journalist and shooting guard for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Through this joint partnership, PlayersTV will continue to roll out new athlete content to a wider audience. "From its inception, PlayersTV is the first of its kind to provide professional athletes with content partnerships and ownership in a media network. We are committed to constant innovation with compelling distribution partners, and ReachTV is a perfect partner to roll out original athlete-led programming and content that fans and worldwide travelers are craving. We are proud to work with ReachTV to meet this demand while providing athletes with a global platform to address important issues such as criminal justice reform and racial equality, and viewers can look forward to more of that content in the future," said Deron Guidrey, co-founder of PlayersTV.
30-year television industry veteran and PlayersTV CEO Nancy Pingitore is excited for this partnership as PlayersTV expands its distribution in the video viewing marketplace. "Audiences today are highly mobile not just by device-in-hand but also in travel, coast-to-coast. Because of ReachTV we now have the ability to provide a more enjoyable travelers' experience with a dedicated screen within major airports and hotels across the country. What we've programmed in athlete lifestyle entertainment with our athlete partners should never be missed and ReachTV is helping us fulfill that objective," said Pingitore.
ABOUT PLAYERSTV
Co-founded by entertainment executives Deron Guidrey and Collin Castellaw, and led by former Tennis Channel Executive Nancy Pingitore, PlayersTV launched on March 25, 2020 on Samsung TV Plus. PlayersTV is an athlete majority-owned group of 25+ elite athletes including NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, C.J. McCollum, MLB Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr, All-Star pitcher Trevor Bauer and NFL great Vernon Davis among others, all of whom have a financial stake and creative control of their individual production companies. Anthem Sports & Entertainment, owner of AXS TV (a joint venture with AEG and Mark Cuban Companies) is also an investor and strategic partner. In addition to Samsung, three additional distributors are anticipated to launch PlayersTV before Q4 2020, projecting to reach more than 75+mm households. Visit us at http://www.playerstv.co, and Instagram @theplayerstv.
ABOUT REACHTV
ReachTV is the first Nielsen-rated, linear, self-distributed, short-form OTT entertainment network. Considered the fastest growing new entertainment network for people on the go. ReachTV's ground-breaking in-airport linear short form channels can be seen in over 90 of the top airports in North America and are expanding globally. ReachTV airports see 100+ million travelers and generate over $1 billion in food & beverage/retail revenue every month. ReachTV delivers fresh daily content on the Company's own patent pending delivery platform, which recreates the entire traditional television network ecosystem in the cloud. ReachTV Studios produces content in its penthouse studios on the top of Hollywood, and partners with world-class producers to deliver outstanding original programming for its network and other distribution channels. In addition to its original programming, ReachTV channels feature innovative short form content from a broad range of production companies and networks such as A+E Networks, Bloomberg, Refinery 29, Ovation, Live Nation, Business Rockstars, AMC, USA Today, Overtime Sports, and Hearst. ReachTV launched a Tastemaker network of Influencers and Celebrities under ReachTV.Social which has now grown in less than a year to over 350 million fans and surpassing over 1.5 billion monthly video views.
Media Contact
Kristi Roehm (Players TV), 8 Degrees LLC, [email protected]
SOURCE PlayersTV
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