News company Gannett and influencer marketing platform OpenSponsorship announced a new tie-up last week that aims to marry the reach of established media brands with digital content creators.
As part of the arrangement, Gannett-owned USA Today intends to sell advertisers access to OpenSponsorship’s creator community of more than 20,000 athletes, musicians and other online celebrities in addition to spots running on Gannett’s own sites. The company owns more than 200 local publications.
“While we have always offered brands engaging opportunities across our portfolios, we’re excited to offer this level of creator-led branded content to our advertisers,” Gannett VP of sports revenue strategy Nate Scott said in a statement announcing the offering.
On the flipside, influencers will receive promotional opportunities in Gannett outlets. OpenSponsorship users could also be tapped for Gannett events and marketing initiatives.
“Working with Gannett will bring new opportunities to our network and in turn offer Gannett advertisers a turn-key solution to influencer marketing,” OpenSponsorship CEO Ishveen Jolly said in a statement.
Jolly started OpenSponsorship in 2016, envisioning a more efficient process for athletes and brands to make connections and sign deals. Expansions in college sports and with non-athletes have fueled recent growth.
Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures made a seven-figure investment in the company, which also boasts the family office of David Blitzer among its backers. Blitzer is among the select few to own team equity stakes in all five major U.S. men’s sports leagues.
Gannett employees have been among the casualties of media’s shift from an era dominated by local papers to one marked by independent digital creators. According to a 2023 accounting, the company’s workforce shrunk by 47% between a 2019 merger with GateHouse and the end of 2022.
A smaller, digital-focused approach has delivered bottom line benefits of late, though. Gannett’s stock price (GCI) is up more than 100% from this time last year. In May, the company reported an 8.1% increase in digital revenue during the first three months of 2024, compared with the same period a year earlier. Online now accounts for roughly 42% of Gannett’s total revenue.
The company has leaned into partnership revenue opportunities, including a deal with Gambling.com predicated on driving referral traffic to sportsbooks. During Gannett’s most recent earnings call, chief content officer Kristin Roberts said the company was “doubling down on highly successful verticals, such as sports.”