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CBS Sports is playing ball with the ever-growing influencer marketing industry.
The advertising division of its parent company, Paramount, debuted the CBS Sports Creator Studio, a branded content division. The studio will connect advertisers with sports influencers, helping the network drum up further buzz for the many sporting events it airs, such as NFL games and college basketball.
According to Paramount, advertisers will be able to choose from three partnership options: They can work with sports influencers on content that revolves around tentpole events, such as the Super Bowl, which will air on CBS Sports and Nickelodeon in February.
A second option gives brands the chance to work with an influencer on behind-the-scenes content involving CBS Sports talent, footage, or studios, while the third offering pairs brands with athletes or influencers to create custom content tied to something specific, like a “sport, season, or moment.” Participating advertisers will be able to use tools like Paramount’s proprietary influencer dashboard, The Match Report.
Ryan Briganti, SVP of sports sales at Paramount, told us the company created the offering to help it capitalize on the social growth it’s seen across its sports properties, amounting to more than 80 million followers. “We’ve seen significant growth with our social handles on the CBS Sports side,” he said.
The CBS Sports Creator Studio comes as live sports migrate to digital platforms more than ever. Last year, Amazon Prime Video started airing Thursday Night Football as part of an exclusive, 11-year deal with the NFL. Meanwhile, YouTubeTV secured the rights to Sunday Ticket—a subscription that gives NFL fans access to out-of-market games—last year as well.