Harlem Globetrotters Plot Media Expansion as Streaming World Seeks More Sports Content (Exclusive)

The Harlem Globetrotters want to become a true multi-platform media brand once more.

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The exhibition basketball team continues to face off against their arch-nemeses the Washington Generals in live matches held around the world, and now they are once again becoming a staple of the Saturday morning kids TV programming block, with season three of the series Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward set to debut Oct. 5 on NBC. Kenny Smith, the NBA on TNT analyst, will host the new season of the show, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

But Keith Dawkins, the president of the Harlem Globetrotters, says that he is just beginning the process to build out the media presence for the team, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026.

“We’ve missed multiple generations of an audience over the last 20-30 years by being this tour-only mindset, the only way in which you could reach the Globetrotters is by touring some 250 tour stops around North America, another 150 around the rest of the world,” Dawkins tells THR . “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a powerful part of our brand, but it has its limits. It has limits in terms of consumer touch points, not being in retail, not being on someone’s content platform or streaming platform, gaming, digital social media, the list goes on.”

So Dawkins is going about changing that narrative, leaning into his experience at Nickelodeon and Viacom to build a flywheel that includes a flurry of original content, including long and short-form documentary projects, features, and “animated series with best in class partners,” all of which can coexist alongside the NBC Saturday morning series. Dawkins says that the development slate is now 20-40 projects deep.

“When we’re able to strike those deals and bring those properties out to the marketplace on different platforms, it’s just going to help to elevate the brand and also kickstart other parts of the business,” Dawkins says.

Streaming services like Netflix, Peacock and Prime Video have all aggressively sought sports content, not just live game rights but also documentaries and series that tackle subjects tied to sports. Dawkins argues that the Globetrotters fit nicely into that genre.

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“There’s documentaries on Elvis and Michael Jackson and Tina Turner and Wu Tang Clan and what have you, there should be stuff on the Globetrotters as well,” he adds, while saying of Play it Forward “being able to reach 800,000 to a million people each week between the show’s airings on NBC proper, Telemundo, Cozi, Peacock, YouTube, is just phenomenal.”

The NBC morning show, which averages about 900,000 viewers, is a throwback to the heyday of the basketball brand, when animated shows featuring the stars were a staple of Saturday morning TV. Nowadays, it serves as a gateway to the Globetrotters for fans, and to let the on-court talent shine off-court.

“It gets people to know our stars, who are talent is, what the Globetrotters have been up to, the way in which we operate as a business builds brand affinity and awareness and creates conversion, where there’s a percentage of those people be like, you know what? the Globetrotters are back, I see them more favorably. I’m more likely to buy a ticket right to the tour to other things that are important,” Dawkins says.

For a brand turning 100 in two years, it is pursuing its goals in a way that feels closer to that of a startup.

“I’m old enough to remember the Globetrotters on TV and when they were relevant in that way, and I was a kid, and the impact on me personally then, right?” Dawkins says. “I think to me, that’s the beauty, the opportunity of having this almost 100 year old brand with a gigantic addressable audience, is that there’s something in there for each of them that we should be telling stories to… We have this awesome product, gigantic brand awareness, awesome equity, and it makes people feel a certain way, right, joy and happiness and possibilities.”

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