The first merry-go-round in 2017 was a game show. Here’s a write up at the time from The Gazette’s Brendan Kelly.
We cast locals (Andy Nulman, George Laraque, etc) and built a hockey-based concept. In hindsight, we probably should’ve stuck to pop culture. Overthought it.
Then, in 2023, as part of our Vault initiative, we began carving out older sports videos and republishing them on The Lineup—initially conceived as more of an AVOD channel with occasional original programming. Check out the channel here.
As YouTube evolves from desktop, to mobile, to Connected TV, I increasingly see The Lineup as a potential FAST channel where we could lean into longer-form, thematic programming (World Cup, Olympics, expansion races, etc.) while experimenting with new formats, styles, and storytelling approaches. We can also just package our 10-min videos into 30 to 90 minute specials.
Reality is, the digital sports landscape is about to undergo tectonic shifts:
- many sports websites will disappear
- rights to matches will become more valuable
- but the personalities, ecosystems, and storytelling around sports may become even more valuable
I clearly had no intention of launching “AshMojo” hence why I focused behind the scenes to build WatchMojo, similarly, we will be looking for researchers, writers, hosts, voice over talent to both leverage areas I am well versed in with a broader suite of programming.
The Lineup 3.0 will essentially:
- sports business
- the convergence of media, entertainment & sports
- the Peanut Project’s home on YouTube and the road to bringing the Expos back to Montreal, by adapting some of the strongest articles, analysis, and “best hits” from the Peanut Project into original WatchMojo/The Lineup video content, as we did here with the list of cities vying for an expansion bid (and yes, given baseball’s 9 hitters and 9 innings, the list format will be a top 9)
- focus on major global sports storylines (eg. World Cup in June)
- Interviews: here is one example where Brendan joined us to discuss the Habs and promote his book on the Inside series.
- help lay the foundation for Expos Studios IP, including documentaries and long-form storytelling: next week we’ll release my interview with former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre discussing where I ask him for advice on navigating City Hall.
The timeline may not be that far off if expansion happens in 2028/29, even if first pitch wouldn’t occur until 203_.
As for audio rights: early in my career, before founding WatchMojo, I produced a handful of radio shows on Montreal sports radio—sports business, Expos recaps, soccer analysis, men’s lifestyle, etc.
Fast forward 20 years, and as I revisit the possibility of bringing the Expos back, I initially may have had a misplaced sense of loyalty and simply assigned audio rights without thinking it through.
But the media landscape has fundamentally changed.
If:
- Google/YouTube gets a package of games,
- Amazon/DAZN/Tubi get another,
- Rogers/Bell/Videotron/Telus split others,
…then no single entity has a God-given right to own all audio broadcasts either.
That realization led me to rethink audio entirely.
Historically, audio has been treated as secondary:
- radio for commuters
- podcasts as shoulder programming
- filler around the “real” product: video
But what if that thinking is outdated?
I increasingly see audio evolving into something more dynamic:
- audio-first
- video-enhanced
- globally accessible
- optimized for how people actually consume sports on the go
Imagine live game streams built around:
- companion graphics
- live stats
- contextual B-roll
- analysis
- storytelling
- community interaction
…all designed to complement—not replace—the primary broadcasts.
This also solves a real geographic issue:
local fans will usually have video access;
global fans often won’t.
And the Peanut Project has shown me just how much latent international interest exists outside Montreal.
So imagine a Chicago Cubs/Expos series, we’d lean in to cover Cubs players, history, and the franchise, and so on.
Twenty years ago, WatchMojo was built around where digital media was heading.
The Lineup is being built around where sports media may be heading next.