Eight months later, in October 2008, Bleacher Report secured $3.5 million in Series B funding from Hillsven, Gordon Crawford, and SoftTech VC.
In August 2011, the company announced a $22 million growth round led by Oak Investment Partners, with participation from Crosslink and Hillsven.
Following WWE and ESPN beginning to collaborate on projects on a regular basis in 2014, other mainstream sports outlets now cover professional wrestling, with Bleacher Report having strengthened theirs by forming a partnership with All Elite Wrestling to be the exclusive home to their pay-per-view events in the U.S., as well as parent company Turner having broadcasting rights to AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage.
Under the terms of the deal, Grey, Finocchio, Calacci, and CTO Sam Parnell all assumed official Turner Sports titles while retaining their management responsibilities at Bleacher Report.
[16] In a press release announcing the purchase, Turner president of sales, distribution, and sports David Levy cited the site's rapid growth and loyal user base as key factors in his company's decision to make a deal—and also alluded to the potential value of Bleacher Report's multimedia platform as an outlet for Turner's various video resources: As brand builders and content providers, we were attracted to Bleacher Report's fast growth to a leading marketplace position and a valued consumer destination.
[16]Nemetz continued with the company for eight months after the acquisition, going on to advise and invest in other media platforms including Elite Daily and Bustle.
[17] As part of the integration process, Atherton's CFO responsibilities were assumed by Turner corporate in February 2013, and Grey stepped down from the CEO position in October 2013.
[18] In October 2016, Bleacher Report launched Gridiron Heights, a cartoon web series featuring satirical portrayals of NFL stars and executives.
[30] After Game of Zones ended in 2020, it was replaced with another NBA-centric series called Hero Ball, which parodies several anime shows and tropes In March 2018, Bleacher Report announced a new internet television service known as B/R Live.
Discovery revisited the concept of a Bleacher Report-branded streaming platform, announcing that it would brand the live sports hub and subscription add-on for Max launching in October 2023.
These were made to create a more personalised experience for users, making accounts specifically designated to sports such as football, basketball, soccer and many more.
Such critiques cited the fact that all registered users on the website were permitted to publish articles on the site, arguing that Bleacher Report's policy resulted in a glut of low-quality content, which made it difficult for the network's readers to find credible coverage of their favorite teams and sports.
[44][45] These critiques found their strongest voice to date in an October 2012 SF Weekly article, in which tech columnist and entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa was quoted accusing Bleacher Report of "dumbing down of the web" with "custom-manufactured garbage.
[47] Detailing his journey from hopeful intern to "just one more drone pumping content to get clicked on," in three years, Schreier "wrote over 500 articles, generated nearly three million page views, and received $200 for [his] services.
"[48] Bleacher Report attempted to address the concerns of its early critics by making substantive reforms to its editorial and personnel policies in 2010 and 2011.
These reforms were aimed chiefly at the mechanics of Bleacher Report's Writer Program, with emphasis on enhancing quality and credibility by doing the following: Although some detractors likened such changes "to spritzing a little room deodorizer after leaving a steaming deposit in the toilet and failing to flush",[45] apart from a published rebuttal disputing the objectivity and accuracy of the October 2012 SF Weekly article,[53] Bleacher Report has mounted a substantive response to ongoing criticism of its contributor compensation structure, news-breaking policy and search-optimization strategies.