Chris Paul to star in new basketball content series

Chris Paul is set to star in a new content series that combines his basketball expertise with advanced data visualization technology, marking the latest project from Connor Schell’s Words + Pictures in collaboration with Genius Sports.

Content Series Details

The series, which will launch later this year, aims to take viewers inside the strategic elements of basketball. Paul, a future Hall of Fame point guard, will host the digitally native program, which will run 30 to 45 minutes per episode. The show will utilize the same Genius technology that Paul relied on extensively during his playing career for scouting and analysis.

“Certainly there’s going to be all kinds of culturally relevant talking points that come up through this,” Tara said. “This isn’t intended to just be a stats show. There are good resources for that already, but it’s the color behind the data.”

Technology and Distribution

Paul’s production company, Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment, was launched a year ago with backing from Words + Pictures. This new joint venture brings Genius Sports into the fold to provide official NBA data and visualization technology. Paul has had a long-standing relationship with Genius, dating back to his early investment in Second Spectrum, which served as the NBA’s official tracking data provider through the 2022-23 season before being acquired by Genius.

According to Genius CRO Josh Linforth, the partnership represents a key emphasis for the company, which has been focused on creating new sponsorship inventory through its AI-driven data platform, GeniusIQ. “This is really a manifestation of that because by Genius controlling the production element, we can control how the data is used, how we create new sponsorable assets within the programming,” Linforth explained.

Expansion Plans

Paul’s social channels will serve as a primary distribution vehicle for the new program. The series is positioned as the first in what all parties hope will eventually span multiple sports. Genius is already the official data provider for numerous leagues beyond the NBA, including the NFL, Premier League, and NCAA.

“The ambition here is that we’re going to build a network of shows that talk about the data behind the sport,” Tara said. “And so we’re going to get the model right, we’re going to get the format right, and then we have big ambition with Genius about the NFL and EPL and all kinds of emerging sports that we think are under-covered from a sport education perspective.”