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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | M a y 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 23 earns money by charging fees to content providers for operating the channels and custom design work, including editing content. ere may be one or several content provider partners per channel, Canning said. "It depends on how much content a provider can contribute," Canning said. "Some have hundreds of thousands of hours of content; others may only have 40 or 50 hours of content. We like to make sure we have 500 to 1,000 hours of content [per channel] before going to market." For example, Triple-B Media partnered with Predator Cues last summer, to help launch the billiards channel, which is the company's most- watched station with upwards of 50,000 people tuning in on an average day, Canning said. "Predator Cues is one of the largest billiard manufacturers in the world and they also produce scores of professional billiard tournaments throughout the world," Canning said. "ey have a library of more than 3,000 hours of professional tournaments." Canning said the company's seven channels — which also include lacrosse, motorcycle racing, cornhole events and FTF Sports, which offers live coverage of worldwide professional sports leagues — have a combined 750-plus annual live events and 3,000-plus annual live hours. He said the channels have collectively garnered 4 million to 5 million viewers a month and 22 million viewers overall since they launched last year. 'Great potential' Triple-B Media employs a team of salespeople and uses third parties to sell the channels directly to advertisers interested in getting in front of the company's various audiences. For example, Canning said, the boxing channel's target audience is men ages 18 to 34, a demographic typically coveted by advertisers. "Most of our inventory is not sold directly by us," said Canning, noting the company has 'hundreds' of advertisers across its seven channels. "We use third parties to fill the inventory and it is very specific to your geographic location. An ad you see in Connecticut is different from the ad someone may see in Texas." Triple-B Media also advertises its own channels on several platforms that air its content, Canning said. Richard Hanley, a media expert who is an associate journalism professor and co-director of sports studies at Quinnipiac University, said the FAST market is growing and he believes there is a market for niche programming that Triple-B Media offers. "I think this company has great potential," Hanley said. "eir sort of niche programming is emerging. ere is a highly-specific audience that doesn't want to pay for it, but is willing to tolerate ads to get the content they want." Hanley said various media companies, including Viacom, entered this space a few years ago almost as a defensive move, and the contacts made by the Triple-B Media co- founders during their time at ESPN will significantly help them in their new endeavor. "e fact that they know a lot of people in the content industry, specifically in sports, will allow them to make connections and accelerate partnerships and deals," Hanley said. "It's not something someone can come off the street and do." Bailey, Triple-B Media's co- founder and CEO, declined to discuss the company's revenues or projected revenues. He did say the company is growing, albeit one step at a time. e long-term goal is to be a leader in the FAST space, he added. "is industry has grown very fast and many much bigger [players] have decided to get into it," Bailey said. "With regard to revenues, you have to be patient. We generated revenue on day one, but it was small revenue. As we grow and the marketplace trusts our channels and — as soon as the ad market understands you are serving a specific fan, genre and demographic — you will start seeing the money going from nickels and dimes to dollars and it will continue to grow." n Triple-B Media employees (from left) Evann D'Adamo, Tracy Ericson and Sebastian Gonzalez edit content for the company's boxing and other channels. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER BIG BANK RESOURCES small bank attention Switch to Berkshire Bank today! Scan the code and get started today! or visit berkshirebank.com/berkshirebiz Our relationship managers have the tools and know how to provide everything your business needs. We have a strong commitment to helping businesses succeed. 175 years committed in the community, with local decision-making and a wide range of commercial services and products, our team can provide the best options, so you can spend less time worrying about finances, and more time running your business. We offer: · Branchless banking with our Relationship Managers, online banking and mobile banking · Cash Management berkshirebank.com Banking products are provided by Berkshire Bank: Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. Berkshire Bank is a Massachusetts chartered bank. Rev. 4/22

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