House of Highlights

House of Highlights (often abbreviated as HoH) is a sports media brand that focuses on the creation and aggregation of viral video clips and original video series for a predominantly Gen-Z audience. HoH is headquartered in New York City within Bleacher Report’s office. Known primarily for popular highlights in the world of sports, HoH has positioned itself as a distributor in the sport media industry as described by Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. In 2019, the NBA experienced a dip in TV ratings during their games that can be traced back to the evolving consumption patterns of viewers  today that gravitates toward exciting highlights and mobile viewing; the sort of content that House of Highlights is known to provide.[1]

House of Highlights
TypeMedia Network
IndustrySports, Entertainment, Youth Culture
Founded2014
FounderOmar Raja
HeadquartersNew York City
ParentBleacher Report
WebsiteOfficial website

Since being acquired by Bleacher Report in December 2016,[2] House of Highlights has expanded into a multi-platform media business with over 24 million followers across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.[3] According to Bleacher Report, House of Highlights accounted for 10% of Bleacher Report’s total revenue as of June 2019.[4]

History

Founding: 2014-2016

The company was founded by Omar Raja in his college dorm room at the University of Central Florida in the summer of 2014.[2] The company started when he wanted to relive and share memorable moments of LeBron James and the Miami Heat after the NBA star left the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers that same summer. Raja then started an Instagram account called “The Highlight Factory”, but eventually changed the name to “House of Highlights”.[5] The House of Highlights audience contributed to the content on the page with user-generated content discovered online or by submitting videos to the page via direct message for the consideration of reposting.

Bleacher Report Acquisition: 2015 - Present

House of Highlights had gained about half a million followers on Instagram by the time the account caught the eye of Doug Bernstein, then the vice-president of social media at Bleacher Report, who expressed interest in the brand in July 2015.[2] After a year and a half later, Bleacher Report officially acquired House of Highlights in December 2016.[2][6] While under Bleacher Report, House of Highlights started to see increased traffic and viewership as reported by Esquire that HoH would get about 700 million video views a month during the NBA season, with 10,000 new followers daily.[2] In 2016, House of Highlights struck its initial brand partnership deals with the companies such as Lexus, Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas and Netflix.[7] An early brand partnership with Under Armour had the brand create “The Curry Challenge” where they posted clips of ordinary people trying to imitate Stephen Curry’s signature pre-game basketball moves that went viral.[6] As the company’s followers rose on Instagram and continued to build partnerships with brands such as these, HoH eventually caught the attention of the fast food chain, Taco Bell. AdAge outlined how Taco Bell will sponsor HoH stories on Instagram during the NBA season, to target the company’s young audience.[8]

As reported by Billboard, House of Highlights was a platform for the viral 2016 dance craze the Running Man Challenge,[9] the Drive By Dunk Challenge,[10] and “Hoodie Melo” in which HoH posted clips of Carmelo Anthony working out in a hoodie, which soon became a viral meme with the nickname "Hoodie Melo",[2] which expanded to a clothing brand.

In January 2018, HoH expanded the business and created its own YouTube channel.[11] The channel shares NBA highlights, player recaps, basketball podcasts, House of Highlights original content and other viral clips.[12] The HoH original content series titled “The Reel” gives viewers the opportunity to get a candid reaction from star athletes as they relive and break down the most iconic plays of their careers.[13]

In October 2018, the company partnered with Twitter to launch “House of Highlights LIVE”, a recurring live show built for the Gen-Z audience and featuring athletes and entertainers.[14] In effort to improve the brand’s presence across social media, HoH is hoping that the Twitter show will help increase the following on the platform.[15]

In April 2019, Twitter ordered a second season of “House of Highlights LIVE” with a new focus on activating before huge live sporting events including NBA Opening Night, All Star Weekend, and College Football Rivalry Week.[16]

In addition to this, the company conducted its first basketball camp in 2019, that was free for 150 kids. Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg, describes how the company’s goal is to build a stronger affiliation with its audience and share memorable experiences with them through live events.[17] The following year, during the NBA All-Star Weekend, House of Highlights put on its second basketball camp for young athletes. The Chicago Tribune was on location and explained how Chicago Bulls star Coby White felt like a kid again as he helped teach the young campers new skills on the court.[18]

Earlier in 2020, it was announced that Raja would be leaving House of Highlights at the end of his contract and join ESPN.[19]

Award Recognition

Since 2018, House of Highlights has been nominated and awarded for the brand's success across social media ranging from its use of Instagram, presence on Instagram and collaborative brand sponsorship campaigns.[20][21][22]

Shorty Awards
  • 2019 "Instagram Presence" - Nomination[20]
Cynopsis Sports Media Awards
  • 2018 “Use of Instagram" - Winner[21]
  • 2020 “Use of Instagram” - Finalist[23]
Clios Sports Award
  • Silver for Social Media - Multi-Platform Campaign[22]

References
  1. Golliver, Ben. "The NBA isn't surprised its TV ratings are way down. Radical change already was afoot". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  2. Duncan, Byard (2018-10-22). "Who Is Omar? How the 24-Year-Old Founder of @HouseOfHighlights Flipped Sports Media on Its Head". Esquire. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  3. "House of Highlights Moving On Without Founder Omar Raja". Front Office Sports. 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  4. "Bleacher Report is on track to grow 50% this year, hit $200m in revenue". Digiday. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  5. "Omar Raja, @HouseofHighlights Founder, on Starting Instagram's Most Fire Account". SLAM. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  6. Weissman, Cale Guthrie (2018-02-02). "Bleacher Report's Secret Weapon Is A 23-Year-Old Instagram Savant". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  7. Sarconi, Paul (2017-03-16). "Why Instagram Is Suddenly the Place for Sports Highlights". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  8. "Taco Bell will sponsor Bleacher Report's popular House of Highlights Instagram account". adage.com. 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  9. "15 Most Popular #RunningManChallenge Videos". Billboard. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  10. Gartland, Dan. "What is the drive-by dunk challenge?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  11. "Twitter Deepens Sports Content With ESPN". www.sporttechie.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  12. "House of Highlights scores first brand deal for its YouTube channel". Digiday. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  13. "The Reel | NBA Players React To Their Own Highlights - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  14. Feldman, Jacob. "House of Highlights talk show is coming to Twitter". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  15. Spangler, Todd (2018-10-24). "Bleacher Report's House of Highlights Sets Twitter Live Talk Show Debut". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  16. "Second Season of Twitter's House of Highlights Show Will Focus on Tentpole Events Including NBA Finals". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  17. "Beating ESPN on Instagram Isn't Enough for Bleacher Report's House of Highlights". Bloomberg.com. 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  18. Anderson, Jamal Collier, Teddy Greenstein, DeAntae Prince, Phil Thompson, Tracy Swartz, Javonte. "NBA All-Star Weekend: A recap of all the events around Chicago". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  19. "Instagram Star Omar Raja Joins ESPN". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  20. "House of Highlights: the No. 1 Sports Brand on Instagram - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  21. "House of Highlights - 2019 Sports Media Awards". Cynopsis Media. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  22. "Under Armour - House of Highlights & Under Armour #CurryChallenge". Clios. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  23. "Cynopsis Sports Media Awards / Event: August 12, 2020 in NYC". Cynopsis Media. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
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