On Tuesday, Pro Football Focus and Bleav announced a strategic partnership that will see Bleav distribute all six PFF podcasts, including The PFF NFL Show (newly featuring Trevor Sikkema of NFL Stock Exchange fame).
Here’s more on that from a release:
PFF, the global leader in advanced football data, tools, and analysis, proudly announces a strategic partnership with Bleav, a top sports and entertainment company, to distribute all PFF podcasts. This collaboration significantly extends PFF’s content reach, providing fans with enhanced access to premium football insights. Along with this exciting expansion, rising star Trevor Sikkema takes the seat as lead host on PFF’s flagship NFL Show.
…“Together with Bleav, we’re expanding the reach and impact of our talented voices for what will be the most dynamic and engaging season yet,” said Zach Zimmerman, PFF VP of Marketing. “Along with our newly revamped content lineup, this collaboration brings PFF’s insights and analysis to more football fans worldwide than ever before.”
Bleav’s CEO, Bron Heussenstamm, echoed the enthusiasm, stating, “PFF is a leader in football content and one of the most recognizable football brands. We’re proud to work with them to give their fans more of their incredible shows and data driven insight.”
…”It’s an honor to take on this role with a brand like PFF and to partner with a company like Bleav,” said Sikkema. “The talent we have, both behind and in front of the camera at PFF, is among the best in the industry. I’m thrilled about the content we’ll be creating this season and beyond.”
The current six podcasts covered under this partnership are the PFF NFL Show, PFF Fantasy Football Podcast, The PFF College Football Show, NFL Stock Exchange, PFF Daily Best Takes, and PFF Forecast. It’s notable to see Sikkema taking on this lead role on the flagship podcast; he’s received a lot of attention for his NFL Draft and Stock Exchange work, and now he’s getting an even bigger PFF platform.
That platform should be further boosted by this deal with Bleav. That company has put together an impressive cross-platform content lineup ranging from podcasts to TV (including a ReachTV deal, RSN deals, and 24/7 free advertising-supported streaming television channels on Fubo and YouTube), plus 24/7 radio channels for football and all sports via TuneIn. It’s interesting to see them team up with PFF, which will combine PFF data and personalities with prominent Bleav NFL talent like Ike Taylor, Carl Banks, Lofa Tatupu, and more.
PFF has been a significant NFL content player for a decade-plus, including around NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth’s $6 million investment for majority control in 2016. Their data shows up on many broadcasts, including but not limited to NBC. Many of their personalities, including Arjun Menon as well as Steve Palazzo and Sam Monson have landed other notable media jobs during or after PFF work.
PFF is going through some change at the moment, including around this year’s parting of ways with former exec George Chahrouri and Monson and Palazzo leaving for The 33rd Team. But the company is still a prominent part of the NFL landscape, and that extends to their content (including these podcasts), not just their player rankings. They also still have some very high-profile analysts, including Sikkema.
It will be interesting to see how the Bleav partnership works for them and if that further expands their presence in the NFL space.