The demand for live sports content has never been higher. As streaming networks battle traditional media for broadcast rights and partnerships, the age of the content creator is now fully upon us. With ESPN and FOX Sports leading the charge by developing daily television programs to complement their rights deals, other players have jumped into the fray to capture sports fans in any way possible. Yahoo Sports is the latest company to enter the daily sports content race with Yahoo Sports Daily, hosted by Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton.
“From the day I signed with Yahoo a couple years ago, there were rumors they were planning a daily show. I made it clear then that if it ever happened, I loved being on air daily,” Fitz said, referring to how Yahoo Sports Daily has been in the works for some time.
The show launched Monday, streaming live on Yahoo Sports platforms and their YouTube channel. Yahoo Sports Daily is a fast-paced sports headline show built around the day’s top stories, featuring guest appearances and plenty of personality. The opportunity sounded like a dream for both Fitz and Fenton given their sports radio backgrounds and success in both national and local markets.
“There’s so much value in the authenticity and rawness you get with live programming. Being the first to react to something is fun — I love it,” Fenton noted. “Getting that live opportunity was something I absolutely jumped at, and the fact I got to do it with Fitz was the best cherry on top.”
Finding a Formula To Break Through
Both Fitz and Fenton have worked for Yahoo for at least the past year, with Fitz now in his third year at the company. The two, longtime friends, admitted there was built-in chemistry from the program’s start. As a digital-first alternative in a crowded morning drive slot, the goal of being unique and cutting through serves as a challenge against well-established properties in both television and radio.
“It’s easy to look around at what Barstool [Sports] and ESPN are doing. Seeing what my former coworkers are doing, it’s easy to get worked up about that,” Fitz remarked. “But I had to look back to the core of what made me good in the music business. I can’t worry about what song someone else is releasing. I can only worry about my song, and I want it to be number one. So I’m going to do everything I can for my song.”
With Yahoo Sports Daily only a couple of days old following its debut Monday, there’s still plenty to be revealed about what the show will present.
“Where we are right now is not where we’ll be four to six months or a year from now,” Fenton explained. “We have some exciting plans in the works.”
The Power of Search as an Advantage
One advantage Yahoo Sports Daily offers both Fitz and Fenton is the power of search. Yahoo owns one of the largest and most used search engines on the planet, allowing real-time information and up-to-the-second trending data to be made available to the program. This enables the production team and hosts to make topic selections in seconds, based on first-party data.
“We have the advantage of not guessing,” Fitz said. “When we’re debating topics, instead of questioning what our audience wants, our production team can go to content bosses and ask, ‘What are people paying attention to right now? What’s getting traction?’ That level of communication is something I’ve never seen anywhere else.”
Another aspect of Yahoo Sports Daily airing live is its role as complementary programming — creating synergy with the rest of the Yahoo Sports online staff across content creation and social.
“If a Yahoo writer or someone at the news desk reaches out and says, ‘We’re looking for a minute and a half on Luka Dončić’s weight loss,’ we’ll add that topic to our rundown and supplement the writer’s story with a clip of us discussing it,” Fenton explained.
Both hosts noted the luxury of resources Yahoo Sports has provided since the program’s inception. One asset they especially appreciated was time. The week before launch was devoted to rehearsals and meetings to shape how the program would operate and identify their target audience.
“Having that week to rehearse and get a vibe for the show — timing, producers, understanding what makes us tick — was so valuable. I really appreciate all the higher-ups giving us that time,” Fenton said.
Though Fenton and Fitz had known each other for many years, being able to work on the program together ahead of time played to their favor for the launch.
“I can’t remember the last first-show launch that felt this well-prepared and seamless,” Fitz added. “I’m really proud of what everybody did and how it felt. If this is day one, I can’t wait to see where we are on day one thousand.”
Lessons of the Past Aiding in the Present
Produced in California, Fitz and Fenton are based in different locales. Their experiences at ESPN Radio and SiriusXM respectively have paid dividends in understanding timing and how a program flows when no one is in the same room simultaneously — a key challenge during morning drive, where the show creates the narrative in real time rather than shaping it gradually throughout the day.
“The best part of my ESPN life was that it was a master class in how to prepare for this business,” Fitz said. “When you’re in mornings, you’re first to react. You’re shaping the conversation for the rest of the day, which is incredibly powerful and important. It also means you have to be on top of more and ready to think on your feet.”
The first show Monday was a perfect example of the hurdles of working mornings, as 20 minutes before their debut episode of Yahoo Sports Daily, a massive breaking news story dropped. The UFC officially signed a seven-year media rights deal with Paramount, CBS — leading to an immediate shift on an already important day.
“You have to be okay with scrapping a fully planned segment because of breaking news,” Fenton said. “We hopped on a meeting early, stayed in communication, figured out where it fit into the rundown. Our producers went out and got the appropriate b-roll and supported us with the information we needed. The early camaraderie and chemistry with the entire production team has been really valuable and something I haven’t built so quickly in other roles.”
Both Fitz and Fenton have adjusted well to their roles with Yahoo Sports. With the addition of Yahoo Sports Daily to their company responsibilities, they look forward to the challenge of cutting through the noise and being part of the daily sports discussion narrative — providing a sports bar feel and building community through Yahoo Sports’ digital lens.
“You have to ask yourself what makes us different. There are so many options out there,” Fitz explained. “The long-term goal is for people to realize they can get the same information anywhere else, but it’ll be packaged a little differently. It’s going to be fun and make my day feel a little better. It’ll be the thing that brightens my spirit a bit. This opportunity is to lift sports stories in a way that’s fun.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
