Uninterrupted extends its audio presence with athlete-curated playlists
Sports media company Uninterrupted has partnered with SiriusXM to bring athlete-curated playlists to Pandora.
Uninterrupted wants to give a fuller picture of athletes' lives
Basketball star LeBron James, who co-founded Uninterrupted with his business partner Maverick Carter, is one of several high-profile athletes involved in the exclusive deal between the two companies.
"There's a real and deep emotional connection between athletes and music...," said Carter, chief executive officer of Uninterrupted. "Together with SiriusXM and Pandora, we're taking that to a new level, giving fans a new way to connect with the athletes they love."
Uninterrupted burst onto the scene in 2015 after securing $15.8m in funding from Warner Bros. Entertainment and Turner Sports. Initially producing athlete-created video content, Uninterrupted has since expanded into podcasting and e-commerce.
Rob Gronkowski, Odell Beckham Jr, Angel McCoughtry, Draymond Green, Chiney Ogwumike and Adam Rippon are among the athletes providing “warm-up playlists” meant to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at their musical pre-game routines.
"We are very excited to collaborate with Uninterrupted, a unique and innovative content creator, to allow listeners to make a deeper connection with their favorite athletes,” said Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer at SiriusXM.
“Through this exclusive offering, we are providing listeners with access to the music the athletes are listening to, whether warming up or working out to prepare for a game or just what they listen to in their free time.”
Uninterrupted moves into a new channel as upstart sports media outlets face critical growth stages.
Minute Media recently acquired athlete-founded The Players’ Tribune after the site struggled from sluggish growth numbers.
Meanwhile, Dazn is beginning to pitch itself as a social media agency, and The Athletic, a three-year-old site that’s garnered 500,000 US subscribers, is expanding into the UK.