Overtime — the New York-based digital sports network backed by VC luminaries like Andreessen Horowitz and Greycroft Ventures, as well as Kevin Durant and former NBA commissioner David Stern — has pacted with YouTube and Instagram star Rachel DeMita to create basketball-centric programming.
DeMita, a former college basketball player for Old Dominion University who also hosts NBA 2KTV — a digital series about the NBA video game franchise — will collaborate with Overtime on a still-unnamed show that will see her attempting the workout routines of professional athletes. DeMita will also furnish live event coverage for the network, including high school, college, and professional basketball games. Overtime says that is currently in discussions with multiple buyers for DeMita’s show.
“Rachel’s well-established connection with the next generation of sports fans is rare,” said Zack Weiner, Overtime’s co-founder and president. (Weiner and Overtime co-founder Dan Porter previously worked together at WME, where DeMita is a client). “By combining that with the power of Overtime’s brand and community, plus our team of young producers and creatives, we’re confident the shows we create together will be special.”
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And while Overtime — which has raised $12.3 million in venture funding to date — has previously harnessed its internal talent fleet to populate its shows, DeMita marks its first outside partnership. Furthermore, the company plans to open a Los Angeles office to tap more deeply into the Hollywood creator scene. Overtime, which counts 40 employees, says that its video views have more than doubled since the beginning of the year, totaling 75 million minutes of watch time each month.
