The Mark Cuban-owned streaming platform called Fireside hired Kevin Endsley from WWE to help it get into the sports business. Cuban and Falon Fatemi launched the Fireside app last fall with the promise that stars can build audiences through interactive shows that allows viewers to take part. Jay Leno and Craig Kilborn have used the app, the company said. Back in February, TechCrunch reported that Fireside was in talks to raise about $25M, which would have valued the company at $125M. A rep for the company said it did not have any details to share about Fireside’s fundraising.
One way Endsley plans to expand into sports by having athletes employ an alternate telecast strategy similar to ESPN’s “ManningCast” and Amazon Prime’s Dude Perfect stream. As head of partnerships for sports, gaming and news, Endsley will recruit sports stars and pursue partnerships for the app. Most recently, he was VP/Entertainment Relations at WWE. Before that, he had a role at Golf Channel.
