Cover Story
Video
Articles
Newsletters
Members Club
Members Club

About Boardroom

Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

Recent film and TV projects also under the Boardroom umbrella include the Academy Award-winning Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER (Apple TV+) and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime).

Boardroom’s sister company, Boardroom Sports Holdings, features investments in emerging sports teams and leagues, including the Major League Pickleball team, the Brooklyn Aces, NWSL champions Gotham FC, and MLS’ Philadelphia Union.

All Rights Reserved. 2026.
News...Straight to the point.
August 11, 2025
Get the Newsletter

Subscribe for the biggest stories in the business of sports and entertainment, daily.

Author Issa Rae is hitting the road in support of her new collection of essays, I Should be Smarter Now, following up on her 2015 best-selling debut book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Available on Aug. 26 through Amazon Original Stories, the book includes six essays on a range of topics, including the steps taken in building her media empire. The tour begins Sept. 8 in Philadelphia, making stops in Washington, D.C., and Dallas before concluding in Detroit on Sept. 24. Tickets are available via presale beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. 

Paramount has agreed to a $7.7 billion deal to become the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the UFC, both sides announced Monday. The seven-year agreement effectively eliminates the pay-per-view model ESPN uses in its current deal with UFC, making all 43 live events available for no extra charge on Paramount+. Paramount said it intends to explore UFC international rights “as they become available in the future.”

Who can forget the days of connecting to the internet using a conventional telephone line while emitting a distinctive, high-pitched chirping sound in the process? Well, the company behind that, AOL, confirmed plans to discontinue dial-up capabilities on Sept. 30. AOL’s own instant messaging service, AIM, which digitally connected millennials to their classmates and crushes, was shut down in 2017. Per the United States Census Bureau, about 163,000 households were using dial-up service in 2023, which represents 0.1% of the country’s household internet subscriptions.

Zach Cregger’s horror flick Weapons topped the box office in its debut weekend with $43.5 million domestically. Add the $27.5 million from its international haul, and it totals an impressive $70 million globally. Meanwhile, the nostalgia-heavy Freakier Friday did well on its own with $28.6 million stateside and $15.5 million overseas for a $44.5 million total.

During a conversation with Cleo Abram, OpenAI CEO Sam Alman said more college graduates will be working in space in the next decade. Admitting that AI could eliminate some roles, the billionaire softened the reality by adding that salaries will reach sky-high levels, with more roles geared toward exploring extraterrestrial activities, which Altman says beats any desk job currently available. 

ESPN and Fox will offer their forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming services as a bundle, beginning Oct. 2. A subscription to ESPN’s standalone streaming service and Fox One will cost $39.99 per month, saving about $10. Separately, Fox One and ESPN cost $19.99 and $29.99 a month, respectively.

A new awards show is being added to the already packed schedule: the BAFTA Honours. Scheduled for Nov. 2 in Los Angeles, three honorees across film, TV, and video games will receive the iconic bronze mask. Reserved for those working in the gaming industry, BAFTA North America recently opened full-voting membership with applications due Aug. 14.

Chance the Rapper is plotting a fall tour in support of his upcoming album, Star Line, which drops this Friday. The And We Back Tour begins Sept. 26 in Houston with stops in Toronto, Denver, and Las Vegas, wrapping up on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles. Ticket presales start Tuesday and go on sale to the public on Friday.

Film at Lincoln Center has chosen Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere as the Spotlight Gala selection for the 63rd New York Film Festival. The Sept. 28 premiere will feature director Scott Cooper and stars Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, and Odessa Young, along with Bruce Springsteen himself. For those interested in attending in person, tickets go on sale to the general public on Sept. 18 at noon ET.

FIFA announced Monday that applications are now open for the FIFA World Cup 26 Volunteer Program. Around 65,000 volunteers are expected to participate, making it the largest volunteer program for a FIFA event to date. Volunteers whose applications are successful will be invited to attend the Volunteer Team Tryouts, which are expected to begin in October 2025, with training to follow in March 2026.

Image: Courtesy of Jabari Jacobs

Read More:

Vinciane Ngomsi

Vinciane Ngomsi is a Staff Writer at Boardroom. She began her career in sports journalism with bylines at SB Nation, USA Today, and most recently Yahoo. She received a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Truman State University, and when she's not watching old clips of Serena Williams' best matches, she is likely perfecting her signature chocolate chip cookie recipe or preparing a traditional Cameroonian meal.