Behind the Mic: Social Media Notable Omar Raja Signs With ESPN; SportsCenter Shuffles Daytime Talent By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Friday, January 10, 2020 - 2:43 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, House of Highlights' founder joins ESPN, the network moves around faces of their daytime SportsCenter shows, and the postseason edition of NFL Countdown gains a NFL head coach.
ESPN has added Instagram star and House of Highlights founder Omar Raja has joined ESPN as digital and social content commentator, a role that will encompass multi-platform talent appearances and strategic social programming.
Raja will continue to have a direct relationship with fans, injecting his voice - and the fun and personality that he is well known for - into ESPN's digital and social content across all sports. His first appearance on ESPN platforms will be as a guest on Countdown to the CFP Championship on Monday, Jan. 13, ahead of the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Moving forward, Raja will be the leading voice behind ESPN's SportsCenter Instagram account and will play a key role in new exclusive content offerings on the No. 1 sports app in the U.S., the ESPN App. He will also be a key contributor to ESPN's NBA digital and social content, including a new Hoop Streams live show with co-hosts Chiney Ogwumike and Christine Williamson. The weekly studio show premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 6:30-7 p.m. ET and will focus on culture and viral moments across basketball. It will be the first show produced from ESPN's new Studio E in Bristol, CT. dedicated exclusively to its growing digital content and shows. The show will be available to stream live on Twitter, YouTube, and the ESPN App.
I'm very excited to join the ESPN digital and social team and help elevate the amazing product they've already built, said Raja. After meeting with Jimmy Pitaro, Connor Schell, and Ryan Spoon, I knew the opportunity at ESPN was incredibly special and I genuinely can't wait to get started.
Joining Raja will be a team of four digital and social content specialists that will work alongside ESPN's existing team to support its presence on social platforms and areas of growth such as TikTok, Instagram, soccer, and high school sports. The team will also bring industry-leading expertise in user-generated content strategy and social community building to expand on ESPN's success in reaching the next generation of sports fans.
Omar's distinct, edgy and authentic voice resonates perfectly with those we reach across digital platforms, and we're excited to have him play a key role in creating fun content and strengthening our connection with fans across our entire digital footprint, said Ryan Spoon, SVP of Digital and Social Content, ESPN. Thanks to the hard work and dedication from the team, we're coming off of an incredibly successful year of growth and leadership, fueled by audience expansion among younger and female fans. With the resources and the reach and scale of ESPN behind them, Omar and his team will be adding fuel to the fire.
Raja founded House of Highlights in 2014 while he was a student at University of Central Florida as a way to share video clips of moments both on and off the court with his friends. The Instagram account quickly gained a following and, in just five years, has built a community of both a younger audience of sports fans and superstar athletes and celebrities like LeBron James and Drake. In 2015, Bleacher Report acquired House of Highlights and hired Raja. At Bleacher Report, Raja and team expanded the brand and business, building one of the most followed U.S. sports media accounts on Instagram that reached an all-time high 15 million followers last year. Raja has been named to numerous lists recognizing visionary leaders that are making an impact on the industry, including one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, an Agent of Change by Hashtag Sports, and to Digiday's Changemakers
Daytime editions of SportsCenter will see some new anchor pairings as well as a familiar duos in different timeslots beginning the second week in February.
With Cari Champion's pending departure, the noon ET SportsCenter will no longer be a bicoastal show and instead will originate completely from Bristol, CT, with Elle Duncan and Matt Barrie helming the newly-expanded 90-minute Monday-Thursday episodes. Hannah Storm and Jay Harris will handle Friday's noon shows in addition to weekend SCs beginning at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., while Duncan and Barrie will be on the Sunday 7 a.m. show.
The Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 7 a.m. SC will be anchored by Nicole Briscoe and Randy Scott and David Lloyd shifts from the daily noon show to handle Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 7 a.m. shows where he will be joined by Storm on Mondays and Toni Collins the other two days
ESPN's Postseason NFL Countdown will travel to the College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans for two shows during the NFL Divisional Playoff Weekend, Jan. 11-12. The Saturday (10 a.m. ET) and Sunday (12 p.m. ET) editions of Countdown hosted by Sam Ponder and featuring ESPN's full set of analysts and experts at Jax Brewery (600 Decatur Street) will be part of ESPN's extensive coverage of both the NFL and college football playoff weekend.
Ponder will host a two-hour show on Saturday and the usual three-hour edition on Sunday in the heart of the French Quarter with Tedy Bruschi, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan, Louis Riddick, Chris Mortensen, and Adam Schefter.
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton will
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
Behind the Mic: Social Media Notable Omar Raja Signs With ESPN; SportsCenter Shuffles Daytime Talent By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
