NBC signs Mike Florio to extension, will boost ProFootballTalk’s video content

ProFootballTalk and its founder and editor will be sticking around with NBC Sports. The network announced Tuesday that they’d signed a multi-year extension to their multiplatform deal with Mike Florio and PFT, and that it will include daily video content from Florio on the site going forward:

NBC Sports today announced it has extended its multi-platform partnership with ProFootballTalk, the innovative, NFL-focused website created by Mike Florio. As part of the new long-term extension, ProFootballTalk will feature increased video content, with Florio providing daily, short- form video reports to supplement PFT’s extensive written coverage on breaking NFL news.

Florio and ProFootballTalk joined forces with NBC Sports in July 2009, with PFT quickly becoming a signature component of NBCSports.com.  Since then, both PFT and NBCSports.com have seen tremendous growth in traffic, with ProFootballTalk averaging 1.9 million page views and 725,000 unique visitors daily.

“The decision to partner with NBC continues to be the single best professional decision I’ve ever made,” said Florio. “Of course, I usually make pretty bad professional decisions. So there really isn’t much competition for the top spot.”

“Mike and PFT are a highly respected voice and destination for news in the sport, and have been significant to the growth of NBCSports.com,” said Rick Cordella, Senior Vice President & General Manager, NBC Sports Digital. “As video becomes increasingly important to our digital business and viewers consumption habits, we agreed that this was the perfect opportunity to extend our partnership and expand PFT’s video presence.”

Florio and his staff of PFT writers, Michael David Smith, Darin Gantt, Josh Alper, Zac Jackson and Curtis Crabtree produce an average of nearly 50 NFL news stories a day, with Florio himself writing at least 15 posts.  During the first day of this year’s NFL free agency, Wednesday, March 9,  PFT staff posted 137 new stories and helped the site to its most trafficked day ever with 4.7 million page views. NFL free agency coverage also boosted PFT to its best week ever for video consumption, delivering 600,000 video starts from March 7 – 13.

Those are pretty good numbers, with the free agency numbers in particular standing out and showing just how much interest there is in NFL offseason moves. ProFootballTalk has been one of the most important and successful parts of NBC’s digital strategy, and Florio has also become part of their Football Night In America Sunday pre-game NFL show and other studio shows, so it makes sense for the Peacock to keep him around. It will be interesting to see how this new emphasis on video works, and if that resonates with regular PFT readers.

[NBC Sports Group Press Box]