Three Keys For Success for Barstool Sports on FS1

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Next week, Barstool Sports will officially launch their new FS1 daily morning show. The program will originate from their Chicago offices, airing in a two-hour block from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., with a replay of the program airing from 10 a.m. to noon, leading into The Herd with Colin Cowherd.

The program will be Barstool Sports’ second attempt at daily programming partnering with a broadcast network. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back last month in sharing how much he regretted the first attempt with ESPN. In an interview with Fox News, Portnoy said he “never liked ESPN” and should have never done a deal with them. Remember, hindsight is 20/20.

With the program launching next Tuesday, no official details of the show and its makeup have been released. While many questions remain, here are three suggestions that would make Barstool Sports destination programming on FS1.

Be Different and Stand Out

Assuming there is a clean slate where no idea is a bad idea, the first suggestion is: don’t be what you already are.

Barstool Sports currently produces several daily shows and weekly podcasts that draw the eyeballs of the Barstool Sports digital viewer. When considering the type of content to bring to the FS1 program, it must differ from what is presented already online.

The first factor to consider is time. FS1’s program will have commercial breaks. Nothing on broadcast television is commercial-free. Sorry Barstool. This will require more planning, coaching, and execution from talent on hitting the points needed to make the television memorable.

The FS1 show cannot be The Yak, Pardon My Take, or even Mostly Sports. There can’t be hour-long interviews or random conversations with “inside baseball” references. The format demands being unique to the platform on which it’s being distributed.

With the constraints of an ad-supported program, the biggest key is to have a definitive host or set of hosts. A rotation of talent tasked to lead the show will cause the audience to fragment, affecting which talent they enjoy watching and choose to follow.

Structure and consistency of the host is vital to the success of the FS1 program. The less put-together it feels, the less likely it will succeed, especially for a television audience where some may not know the Barstool Sports product.

Shaking Hands With FOX Sports

The second suggestion is to lean into the assets the partnership with FOX Sports allows. FOX Sports has ties to the NFL, MLB, college football, and NASCAR. Utilize the assets presented to enhance the program, from highlights to a roster-load of talent. Colin Cowherd has done exceptionally well with this over his time with FOX Sports; there’s no reason why Barstool Sports cannot.

Leaning on the stars of the network and creating buzz around them allows them to use it in their work for the network. Greg Olsen should be a regular, and so should Tom Brady. Find elements during the football season where both commentators can reference elements of the show in their broadcasts on the big network. FOX Sports said the Barstool Sports FS1 show is produced by Barstool, so lean into that creative control, bringing out the personality of the FOX Sports talent roster.

If the goal of this FOX Sports/Barstool Sports partnership is to connect a new generation of sports fans to the FOX Sports product, it must connect with the personalities of the FOX Sports product too.

Don’t Lose What Makes You Barstool Sports

The third suggestion for the new FS1 Barstool Sports morning show is to be authentic. The one element that Barstool has done a great job of since its inception is connecting with a younger audience. Younger audiences don’t watch cable. Younger audiences don’t have filters. If former Barstool Sports personality Pat McAfee has shown anything during his time with ESPN, it’s to remain authentic.

There must be a free stream of the new program living on the Barstool Sports YouTube platform and streamed live on their social channels. You can’t bet on the Barstool audience to go find FS1 on their cable plan or the new FOX One direct-to-consumer platform. The more places you can put the program live, the better for promotion and reach. If it’s only broadcast to FS1, a massive opportunity is missed.

Being authentic also means being yourself. Barstool Sports is not made of clean-shaven professional commentators who wear suits and don’t use profanity. Their vibe is fun, loose, and sometimes profane, with hoodies and sneaker culture always represented. There should be no censorship by the FOX Sports brass; embrace the bold nature of the ‘FOX way’ of doing things. Freedom of expression should always be allowed and encouraged, because it wouldn’t be Barstool if it were any different.

Authentic also means active. Barstool Sports has one of the more active and engaging social media teams in all of sports media. FOX Sports should lean into this and embrace the fun of the new program, even if it’s not theirs to produce. Clips, reels, and interactive, social media–driven content should be an absolute must for the new program. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be Barstool.

With the partnership, FOX Sports is attempting again to cut into the attention economy of morning sports programming. With changing habits in how people consume content daily, shifting more to digital, it’s a smart play to embrace Barstool Sports, who already dominates the digital sports content space.

If the FS1 program is destined to be a success, it must play by a different set of rules. It must adapt to the changing landscape while also keeping its authentic Barstool Sports feel.

Could this be just the next example of how networks and creators can coexist in harmony? If so, the slogan should read: “Every day is for the boys.”

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John Mamola is the sports editor and columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success.  Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.