Drake, LeBron James Announce Canadian Media Partnership

Drake and LeBron James are joining forces to conquer the Canadian sports market.

The music superstar and the Los Angeles Lakers forward announced their partnership goal to bring Uninterrupted, a digital platform for athletes, to Canada. Drake is a co-owner and promoter for the platform which James began in 2015. Scott Moore is the chief executive officer and Vinay Virmani works as chief content officer.

Moore, who resigned as network president of Sportsnet in October, says Uninterrupted Canada will not be a competition to his former employers, TSN, or any other traditional media outlets.

“I think it’s complementary, but it’s also a bit of a disruptor,” said Moore on Tuesday. “In trying to describe it to people it’s not a TV channel, it’s not a website, it’s not a Twitter feed. It’s a brand, it’s a content ecosystem that can appear anywhere.

“It might appear in a podcast, it might appear on Instagram, it might appear on YouTube, it might appear on a television channel. But it’s the content ecosystem and the brand itself that drives the content.”

Uninterrupted Canada will focus on the interests of athletes outside their field of play.

Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka would also have a fashion-based property on the platform, whereas Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman will have a motivational series.

Although Uninterrupted Canada has clear ties to the NBA, Moore believes that they will also manage to get many NHLers interested in working with the company.

Auston Matthews is ready for his close up https://t.co/eK0a3faQ9M pic.twitter.com/7ZU2765L0M

— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) September 27, 2018

“Hockey players are dying to show their personalities,” said Moore. “I’ve seen this change over the last four or five years where hockey players have started to become their own brands, to let their personalities come through. You’ve seen it in Toronto with guys like Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, in Vancouver with Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson.

“Many professional athletes, regardless of their sport, want to build their brands. Want to have an opportunity to speak quote uninterrupted. That’s the beauty of this platform. It gives them the voice to do it.”

Drake’s musical talents will also be used for some major projects, either creating original songs, as a producer, or as a consultant. But his and James’s primary contributions will be their impressive network of personal and professional connections.

“Obviously, it’s a gigantic advantage. The doors that open when you have two partners like that, the people that want to be involved with the platform when you’ve got two partners like that, the possibilities are endless,” said Moore. “In Canada, where there is no other brand like this, we’ve got a little bit of green field for a bit. I’m sure there will be others.

“You’ve got the biggest musician in the world and, arguably, the biggest professional athlete in the world, it makes for a strong brand, that’s for sure.”