• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 16, 2024

The Athletic, the New York Times sports platform, is teaming up with FuboTV Inc., its first streaming partner.

It’s about time. The Athletic has already departed from standards sports coverage, the old format in which reporters covered games and boxing matches and wrote stories for their print publications, to venture into collectibles, audio, video and other activities. Why not this arrangement? 

Included in the multi-year agreement with Fubo are content and product integrations and co-marketing plans. The arrangement will provide custom in-content modules featuring relevant game information.

According to The Athletic, Fubo will be integrated into "live game blogs and additional content on The Athletic’s leading sports platform as a go-to sports streaming destination." 

In addition, the two brands plan to co-develop new product features on The Athletic, which was acquired by the Times in 2022 and recently announced plans to launch an editorial collectibles vertical, partnering with eBay to offer trading cards and memorabilia.

What’s the goal of the arrangement with Fubo?? "This partnership brings together The Athletic's unrivaled sports journalism and Fubo's dynamic live content, enhancing the way fans engage with sports,” says Sebastian Tomich, chief commercial and development officer, The Athletic. 

Fubo, which is said to aggregate more than 400 live sports, news and entertainment networks, will be integrated into live game blogs and other content on The Athletic.

Maybe this is just the start for the Times. Fubo also aggregates news and entertainment networks.  

“We are excited to be The Athletic’s first official streaming partner and look forward to connecting with sports fans through bold new integrations while providing leading sports coverage,” says  Yale Wang, executive vice president of marketing, Fubo.