Sports fans don't stop being fans when games aren't playing and Monumental Sports & Entertainment is launching a new digital service designed to entice those fans.
Monumental, the Ted Leonsis-led company that owns the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, debuted the new Monumental Sports Network service on all major platforms at once including iOS, Android and all the smart TV services. The new service is broadly being led by his son and Monumental vice president Zach Leonsis and costs $12.99 a month or $8.99 a month if you get year's subscription.
What does that get you? Well, it doesn't get you live Capitals or Wizards games, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic extended its exclusive access to those rights earlier this week. Subscribing will get you all of the Washington Mystics home and away games and the 12 Washington Valor games once the Arena Football League franchise is up and running. There are plans to include new franchises as well. Monumental is looking into acquiring an NBA D-League team that would appear on the platform, and potentially the esports (professional video game) franchise Team Liquid that both Ted and Zach Leonsis participated in acquiring.
But, NBA and NHL fans won't have nothing to watch. Close to 100 hours of original content are being put together for the platform.
"The goal is really to try to produce bingeable content," Zach Leonsis told DC Inno in an interview. "It’s going to be 30, 10 minute episodes.”
Those episodes include a show about putting together the first Valor lineup and an interview show with Reggie Love, former body man to President Obama and Duke basketball player. Describing the ideas for the output as "original and authentic," Leonsis also outlined potential features from exclusive interviews with players to game analysis by cheerleaders and others at Monumental. And there will be plenty about the games that do get streamed on the platform too.
"A lot of the content is going to be really authentic, gritty, very behind-the-scenes feeling,” Leonsis said. “Some of these emerging sports lend themselves to greater access than some of the larger sports do."
