How Dave Portnoy Single Handedly Changed the Media Business Forever — Ari Lewis

Barstool has an excellent platform for influencers to leverage:

• Give them a platform

Barstool's influence translates to money for the influencers.

Dave realized that content was a commodity. Anyone could create content, but you can’t create a personality. That is how Barstool's content model was born. The company's model relies on four tenets:

Barstool Sports started in 2003 by Dave Portnoy. The idea was to create a media publication that catered to people interested in gambling. Barstool found an audience, albeit, niche. It's initial success boiled down to one reason: Dave Portnoy. People loved Dave and Barstool's fans became known as "Stoolies".

• Find amazing talent

This model isn't only creating a loyal audience but making money. Barstool Sports' annual revenue in 2019 was between $90M - $100M (Barstool Sports was purchased by Penn Gaming for $450MM in 2020). A majority of the revenue came from podcasts, merchandising, and gambling. Yes, some of their revenue is ad-supported, but it's a unique model. Advertis... See more

• Provide them with the infrastructure to succeed

• 55 million global downloads and stream (May, 2020)