Reddit’s NFL, NBA deals bring more sports highlights — and ads

Reddit has struck deals with major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and the MLB, as the company looks to boost revenue following its move to go public. Through the program, Reddit will show more game highlights, behind-the-scenes videos, and ask-me-anything (AMA) sessions with players.

In exchange, advertisers on Reddit, such as Samsung, Ford, Volkswagen, and FanDuel, can show ads alongside video content posted by the leagues. Reddit will then share the revenue it gets from advertisers with the participating sports leagues, according to The Information. In the example shown below, Reddit shows an ad just before a highlight from a game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

You might’ve already seen Reddit’s partnership in action, as the NFL started testing the program during the 2023–2024 season with video content and AMAs featuring Pro Bowl players and the NFL’s schedule planners. In addition to the NFL, MLB, and NBA, the PGA Tour and NASCAR are also partnering with Reddit.

“We’re continuing to build more ways for businesses and organizations to engage with Reddit’s communities; this benefits our communities, program partners, and advertisers,” Reddit COO Jen Wong says in the press release. As pointed out by The Information, Twitter had similar deals with media firms and sports leagues before Elon Musk’s takeover.

For the past year or so, Reddit has been trying to drum up revenue to make the now-public company more appealing to investors. The platform cut lucrative deals with OpenAI and Google to train AI models on user content. It also made it more expensive for some third-party developers to access its API last year, leading to protests across the site.