Apps Front Office Sports Debuts App, Adding Ad Inventory and Video FOS is on track to surpass $20 million in revenue this year, per CEO Adam White By Mark Stenberg --> The sports news brand Front Office Sports will launch its first mobile app Sept. 1, the first of two major product launches from the publisher in recent weeks. The release precedes the Sept. 14 debut of Front Office Sports Tonight, a nationally syndicated daily television show, where the digitally native publisher expands into linear programming for the first time. The mobile app, designed in-house but built in partnership with the developer Pug Pig, aims to deepen engagement by offering its most loyal audiences a dedicated home for Front Office Sports content and its slew of new programming. “We have grown from being a newsletter business into a website, social channels, YouTube, and, beginning this month, linear television,” said vice president of marketing and strategy Victoria Baldwin Dailey. “Eighty-one percent of our audience say that engaging with FOS is a daily habit, so we knew that if we created an app, people would come to it.” The app’s robust data signals could, in future, better inform editorial decisions, said Baldwin Dailey. In October 2024, the sports news brand sold a majority ownership stake to RedBird IMI, a joint investment fund led by former CNN executive Jeff Zucker. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. This year, Front Office Sports is pacing to surpass $20 million in revenue and achieve profitability, according to chief executive and founder Adam White. The company, which is almost entirely ad-funded, will introduce additional advertising inventory and exclusive sponsorship opportunities in the app, including The Pole Position, an exclusive takeover of its landing page. The new offerings also reflect a growing trend, as publishers embrace video and launch apps in response to declining web traffic, a result of disruption posed by artificial intelligence. Over the last two years, The New York Times added a vertical video Watch tab to its app, People Magazine introduced an app-exclusive reality show , and Eater belatedly launched a mobile platform of its own. Front Office Sports is less affected by traffic fluctuations than its peers given its origins as a newsletter publisher, according to White, but the app gives it a more direct line into its audiences. Video, games, and no newsletters In total, the app will have five separate tabs: Now, Read, Watch, Play, and For You. Together, the sections will make available all the content that lives on the website, in addition to multimedia programming and some exclusive elements. The Now tab will serve as the landing page. Modeled on the flagship newsletter, the section will feature an array of content, including a full-bleed centerpiece story, two recent stories underneath, audio from the latest episode of its flagship podcast Front Office Sports Today, a push to play its daily Factle Sports trivia game, and a carousel of recent vertical video. The Read tab will feature its latest written reporting. While the Watch section will feature video from its flagship podcast, long-form YouTube series, short-form vertical video, and, starting this fall, clips from Front Office Sports Tonight. FOR Scoops, Sharp Analysis, and Insider Context On Background A direct line to ADWEEK’S senior media reporter, delivering scoops, sharp analysis, and insider context on how publishing, streaming, and advertising are changing. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . You may opt-out anytime by clicking ‘unsubscribe’ from the newsletter or from your account. Email Subscribe Loading… “The short-form video component is particularly interesting because we’re increasingly seeing the Reels or TikTok-style experience become a standard part of media products themselves,” said FTI Consulting senior managing director Justin Eisenband. “Sports is especially well suited to this type of experience because so much of the value is tied to specific moments.” The fourth tab, Play, is a big point of emphasis for the editorial brand, according to Baldwin Dailey. Front Office Sports currently has two games on offer, Factle and Factle Sports trivia, which will be available to play in-app via webview. Finally, the fifth tab, For You, will let people customize their app experience, like by following specific authors and topics. Newsletters will not be available to read in the mobile app, as the publisher wanted to respect users’ preference to read emails in their inbox, but people can sign up from the app. In addition to its enhanced video footprint, the publisher is running events, like the annual Huddle in the Hamptons event it hosts in July. This expansion, although driven by necessity, is vital, according to Eisenband. “The lines between a publisher, entertainment product, and digital platform continue to blur,” Eisenband said. “They are competing with social media, streaming, podcasts, and every other experience on a user’s phone, forcing publishers to think much more broadly about what their product actually is.” Mark Stenberg Mark Stenberg is ADWEEK's senior media reporter. @markstenberg3 | mark.stenberg@adweek.com Recommended videos ADWEEK Branded Read More In Healthcare Advertising, Relevance Is the New Reach Irina Katsnelson, SVP, Enterprise Sales, Nexxen A Remedy for Media Ad Sales Facing Massive Disruption By Salesforce Not Just What You Stand For—What You Build Texas A&M University 3 Misconceptions About Media in Third Spaces Atmosphere TV The Latest Newsletters ADWEEK Daily Your 5-minute morning advantage. ADWEEK Daily delivers the most important headlines in marketing, media, and tech—every weekday. 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