Planet Sport's publishing division has kicked off the new year with a bang. From excellent exclusives to powerful partnerships, take a look at some of the projects they're most proud of so far.
1. Excellent exclusives across the network
With the help of Planet Sport's Head of Publishing, Mark Holmes, we delved into the standout exclusive features that defined the first month of the year.
Football
It's fair to say the January transfer window wasn't as exciting as we'd all have hoped, but one of the big stories of the month was the possibility of Karim Benzema returning to Europe, and it's one that the TEAMtalk journalists were right at the heart of, including the confirmation that neither Chelsea nor Arsenal could afford to do the deal.
The TEAMtalk journalists got the juice that Chelsea and Arsenal were out of the race for Karim Benzema due to his £2 million-a-week wages. They were able to confirm that Chelsea were hamstrung by Premier League profit and sustainability rules and, as such, weren't able to tie the Frenchman down.
They were able to report this story exclusively, along with the news that Poch was now focusing on Aston Villa's Jhon Duran as an alternative.
But the biggest football story of the month was undoubtedly Jurgen Klopp's announcement that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
It's days like that when you drop everything else. The breadth of coverage across all three of our football titles, TEAMtalk, Football365 and Planet Football, was genuinely outstanding.
Mark Holmes commented: “There were some wonderful pieces published looking back at everything Klopp has achieved at Anfield, but Football365 were immediately looking ahead to who might replace him, with their look at the likely contenders to step into his shoes quickly and still attracting a huge number of views.”
Football365's exclusive insights provided a comprehensive list of top contenders to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. The article highlights possibilities including Benfica's Roger Schmidt, Girona's Michel Sanchez, and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. Of course, Xabi Alonso has emerged as a leading candidate, presenting a potentially perfect fit for Liverpool, as discussed by Football365.
Formula 1
Talking of big stories, the news that Guenther Steiner was leaving Haas was the talk of F1, before one Mr Hamilton stole the show.
Our PlanetF1.com journalists worked hard to ensure they got that news before it was announced to the public, meaning they were able to put an action plan in place for a comprehensive content plan.
And just as with Klopp and Football365, perhaps the biggest interest came in our look at what might come next for Haas. It was one of many fantastic features published over the course of a crazy few days!
Tennis
Last but certainly not least, Kevin Palmer from Tennis365 spoke with Andy and Kim Murray about their plans for The Cromlix, the five-star hotel they manage near Dunblane, Scotland.
Kim took the lead on this one, but we did get a nice line from Andy at the end when he challenged his mum, Judy to a game of pickleball!
"There is a huge interest in sportspeople's lives away from their day jobs, particularly in tennis as it's such a personality-driven sport. The exclusive with the Murrays is just one example of the wide variety of content we publish every day to get people engaging with our brands", said Holmes.
2. Planet Football launches its new home
Planet Football, our engaging football experience platform, has recently undergone a stylish transformation, revealing an entirely new front-end design for its website.
Planet Football's Features Editor, Michael Lee, said, “Planet Football provides original and interesting content in a light-hearted, informal manner that mirrors the way supporters speak about the game.“
“The new Planet Football website supports us by making our content as easy to read and interact with as possible for our audience. It now perfectly showcases who we are as a brand.”
Renowned for its captivating football quizzes, nostalgic features, and distinctive perspectives on the latest football events, Planet Football stands as Planet Sport's tribute to the beautiful game.
The revamped Planet Football platform now consolidates all essential elements for football enthusiasts into one seamlessly organised space.
As we tie off the January transfer window, why not challenge yourself to identify every Premier League club's record departure?
Alternatively, take a stroll down memory lane by exploring some of the most peculiar transfers that almost happened from Januarys gone.
But if you're more inclined towards current affairs, you can easily access up-to-date tables, fixtures, and results.
Planet Football caters to the diverse interests of football fans, ensuring there's something for everyone within its redesigned and enhanced interface.
3. A powerful rugby partnership continues
One of our many highlights in 2023 was the launching of our partnership with multi-asset investment platform, eToro.
We originally partnered for the Rugby World Cup in France to bring fans a series of unmissable video podcasts. On board for the ride were former international rugby captains, Chris Robshaw and Sergio Parrise. Take a look at the snapshot of what we got up to below.
The series performed so well that this January, eToro renewed the partnership for both the Six Nations and Premiership rugby.
In an interview with Charlie Lavery, Planet Rugby's Editor, Adam Kyriacou, revealed that they have Bernard Jackman, Adam Jones, Nick Easter, Paul Gustard, and potentially one or two other notable characters joining the lineup for the partnership.
Want to partner with Planet Sport and showcase your brand to our network of over 22 million monthly users? Fill out the form below.