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.

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News...Straight to the point.
September 20, 2023

David Beckham is Getting the Netflix Documentary Treatment

Football fans are well aware of the impact David Beckham had on the global game — from his early days in Europe, to his later years stateside with the LA Galaxy, and as current owner of Inter Miami CF. Thanks to Netflix, the legendary No. 7 is getting the documentary treatment. Announced Tuesday, Beckham is set to premiere on the streaming platform on Oct. 4 in four parts. A three-minute trailer for the doc promises to provide “never-before-seen personal archive footage from the last 40 years, candid current-day moments and interviews with the family, friends and footballing figures who have been part of his journey.” Among some key insights viewers will see are Beckham‘s early struggles with fame and the relentless criticism that came with his relationship with former Spice Girls member Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham.

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Brooklyn Aces Prepare for Fall MLP Season Kickoff in Atlanta

Major League Pickleball’s Brooklyn Aces are headed to Atlanta this weekend, marking the team’s first tournament in the top-flight Premier season. The new-look Aces consist of No. 4 overall draft pick Catherine Parenteau, Andrea Koop, Hayden Patriquin, and Tyler Loong. The team’s new quartet brings valuable experience earned from previous deep tournament runs. In addition to a new logo, the team has a new jersey partner in CityPickle, and New Belgium Fat Tire Ale has partnered with Boardroom to cover all things pickleball.

Read more about the season ahead for the Aces from Boardroom’s Shlomo Sprung. 

NWSL Adds Boston to Expansion, Set to Begin Play in 2026

The NWSL is returning to New England, with the league announcing on Thursday that it has awarded Boston an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026. The club will be the 15th NWSL franchise, following the additions of two other NWSL expansion teams earlier this year, Utah Royals FC and Bay FC, both slated for their inaugural seasons in 2024. The franchise will be led by an “all-female core ownership group” called Boston Unity Soccer Partners. This will be the third professional women’s sports team in Boston and the first women’s soccer club since the Boston Breakers called Beantown home from 2001 to 2018.

Boardroom’s Vinciane Ngomsi has more on the NWSL soccer club retuming to Boston. 

Disney Plans $60B Expansion of Theme Parks Business

Big changes are coming to The Walt Disney Co. Per a securities filing shared Tuesday for its Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products branch, the mass media brand is preparing to shell out at least $60 billion over the next year “by investing in expanding and enhancing domestic and international parks and cruise line capacity, prioritizing projects anticipated to generate strong returns, consistent with the Company’s continuing approach to allocate capital in a disciplined and balanced manner.” Essentially, consumers can look forward to sizable upgrades and expansions for the company’s domestic and international parks and cruise line capacity. An additional report from The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Disney held a presentation to investors on Tuesday and disclosed it had more than 1,000 acres of land available to expand on at its parks in California, Florida, France, China, and Japan. The expansion also included cruise ship ports in the United States, Asia, and Australia.

Bleacher Report is Coming to Max as Live Sports Package

Warner Bros. Discovery is adding a live sports tier to its Max streaming service, with the add-on set to be available for US customers on Oct. 5, per a release. Launching as Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports, the package will enable viewers to access simulcast streams of NBA, NHL, NCAA, US soccer games, and more. To start, Max subscribers can watch live sports programming on Max free of charge until the promo period ends on Feb. 29. The sports package will cost $10 per month after that and will be available as an add-on for any Max subscription plan in the US. As of the most recent quarter, WBD reported having 95.8 million global streaming subscribers, with most on Max.

Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers Among New Nominees for 2024 Hall of Fame Class

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has unveiled its list of 173 modern-era nominees eligible for a gold jacket next year, and it includes nine players who are in the first year of eligibility. Those premiering on the list, which dropped Tuesday, are wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Jordy Nelson, tight end Antonio Gates, running back Jamaal Charles, offensive linemen T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton and Max Unger, and defensive linemen Haloti Ngata and Julius Peppers. The 173-name roster consists of 94 offensive players, 62 defensive players, and 17 special teams players. The list will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November.

The Rock's Surprise WWE Return Boosts Friday Night Smackdown Ratings

His surprising return to WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown last week was met with plenty of delight, and it’s safe to say that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s shock cameo boosted viewership. The WWE alum’s confrontation with Austin Theory recorded 2.6 million viewers on Fox, up 23% versus the crowd for Friday Night SmackDown the week before. Compared to a year ago, the audience was up 16%. It was also No. 1 on broadcast primetime last Friday among audiences 18 to 49 and 18 to 34. For those who missed the live viewing, WWE posted the video of the 51-year-old’s segment on social media, and it has been viewed well over 100 million times.