Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort inks first-look deal with FuboTV

Dive Brief:

Maximum Effort Productions and sports-first live TV streaming platform FuboTV said today (Aug. 8) that they are entering a multiyear, multi-pronged partnership, per a press release. Maximum Effort was founded by George Dewey and actor Ryan Reynolds.
The production company will launch and have creative control over a linear channel, Maximum Effort Network, on the platform. All ad sales for the channel will be managed by FuboTV. The partnership also includes a first-look deal for unscripted TV content.
With the deal, FuboTV seeks to leverage Maximum Efforts' expertise, creative and advertiser relationships to underwrite programming through marketing partnerships that leverage the platforms data capabilities and tech stack, FuboTV co-founder and CEO David Gandler explained in a statement.

Dive Insight:

FuboTV's latest partnership boosts its non-sports offerings by tapping the media and advertiser savvy expertise of Maximum Effort, the production company best known as a vehicle for co-founder Ryan Reynolds. FuboTV is a sports-focused virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) that markets itself as a cable TV replacement for cord cutters and is one of the platforms that has emerged amid the growth of connected TV as a viewership and advertising channel.

The first-look deal for TV content and the creatively controlled Maximum Effort Network channel will bring the production company's offbeat, meta sense of humor to FuboTV. Maximum Effort is responsible for the "Deadpool" movies, "Free Guy" and upcoming unscripted show "Welcome to Wrexham." The platform also looks to utilize Maximum Effort's familiarity with the ad industry.

"We plan to leverage Ryan and George’s expertise, creativity and advertiser relationships to underwrite network programming through innovative marketing partnerships that leverage Fubo’s data capabilities and interactive technology stack," FuboTV co-founder and CEO David Gandler said in a statement.

Maximum Efforts Productions is a separate entity from Maximum Effort Marketing, the agency that performance TV ad-tech firm MNTN acquired last summer. However, that deal also demonstrated the importance of merging content and creative amid the growth of CTV.

FuboTV has made its data and tech capabilities a core part of its differentiation from both linear TV and other CTV platforms. It was the first CTV platform to support Unified ID 2.0, the open-source identity solution created by The Trade Desk, and is fully integrated with Dentsu’s people-based, identity and data platform M1. The company's 2021 acquisition of AI platform Edisn.ai has helped it improve its ad break detection and contextual advertising.

FuboTV last week announced its Q2 earnings, reporting double-digit year-over-year growth in North America in total revenue (up 65%), ad revenue (32%) and paid subscribers (41%). However, it continues to lose money due to the costs of licensing content, an issue that deals like the Maximum Effort partnership could help offset.