• Loading stock data...
Monday, June 23, 2025
exclusive
Media

House Of Highlights Founder Omar Raja To Leave Bleacher Report

  • Sources tell Front Office Sports that House of Highlights founder Omar Raja is expected to leave Bleacher Report.
  • ESPN, DAZN, and The Athletic have emerged as possible landing spots for Raja.
Bleacher Report
omar-raja-hoh-br
Photo Credit: House of Highlights

Bleacher Report and House of Highlights founder Omar Raja are expected to part ways, sources tell Front Office Sports. 

After nearly four years of helping grow House of Highlights to over 14 million Instagram followers and recently becoming the first U.S. sports publisher to surpass ESPN’s following on a social media platform, Raja is expected to leave the company, sources said. 

Raja had recently entered into contract renewal discussions with Bleacher Report, but the two sides could not come to an agreement, said sources. His contract expires on December 31, 2019, and he’s expected to draw multiple lucrative offers from other media companies, sources said.

ESPN could be a frontrunner to hire Raja, given its increasing investments in basketball and social media content, sources said.

DAZN North America and The Athletic could also be potential landing spots for Raja, sources said.

Regardless of where he chooses to work next, sources say that Raja’s future will be resolved within the next couple of weeks. 

Both Bleacher Report and Raja declined to comment.

With Raja’s departure, Bleacher Report will retain full ownership of the House of Highlights brand. With a full team already in place for it, there are no plans of having one single person fill in as Raja’s successor, sources said. Going forward, Bleacher Report will continue to work with a variety of influencers while also seeking out multiple talents to integrate into its programming, sources said. 

Despite Raja’s impending exit, it hasn’t slowed the growth of House of Highlights. 

READ MORE: House of Highlights Aspires To Become True Media Brand

When Raja created the House of Highlights Instagram account in 2014, he was a 20-year-old college student at the University of Central Florida. 

During that time, Raja was able to amass between 700,000 and 800,000 followers on Instagram. That’s when Doug Bernstein, the-then vice president of social media at Bleacher Report, took notice in July 2015. By early 2016, Bleacher Report had acquired House of Highlights for an undisclosed price, Bernstein became its general manager, and Raja joined shortly after graduating from UCF.

“Where we have had success is in growing an organic audience the hard way – day by day, bit by bit, learning, failing, growing and having that process just work,” Bernstein told Front Office Sports in early October about House of Highlights’ social media expansion. “With House of Highlights on Instagram, we hired Omar because he was the best at growing on Instagram’s platform.”

Since being acquired by Bleacher Report, House of Highlights has set its aspirations beyond Instagram – and hopes of becoming a true media brand. House of Highlights recently launched on YouTube, where it has accumulated more than 1.64 million subscribers and was the fourth-biggest US-based sports media account in June. 

In late July, it made TikTok its next foray into social media, quickly gaining roughly 350,000 TikTok followers after its inception. It exceeded 500,000 TikTok followers by September 15 and currently stands at 1.4 million on October 22.

READ MORE: Turner Sports, Bleacher Report See Growth Ahead For Champions League In Year Two

The last semblance of Raja’s time at Bleacher Report comes not through Instagram, but on Twitter. In 2018, he and Bleacher Report launched the House of Highlights show, a monthly Twitter show starring Raja and guests out of the company’s New York City offices. The show had its second season premiere on October 22 – with Raja to remain on it through the end of the year.

“We want each of our platforms to reflect our brand values – but the way in which we execute is really, really different,” Bernstein told Front Office Sports in early October about operating House of Highlights’ various social media accounts. “We’ve been able to manage expectations, I think pretty decently, because the growth has just been quick and that helps kind of manage expectations. But I think it’s really about hiring people that are dedicated and focused on it as opposed to trying to have everybody do a little bit of everything.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) dribbles the ball upcourt against the North Texas Mean Green during the first half at Dickies Arena

NIL Is Shrinking the Pool of NBA Draft Entrants

Agents are now advising many players to stay in school.
exclusive

Chip Caray Will Not be Suspended for Accidental Homophobic Slur: Sources

The verbal stumble was followed by over 30 seconds of silence.
exclusive

Lakers Reporter Dan Woike Leaves LA Times for The Athletic

Woike had been at the L.A. Times for eight years.
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter on the red carpet before the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field

‘More Is More’: The Elite Luxury Jewelers Decking Out Athletes

Meet the elite group of luxury designers crafting the biggest statement pieces.

Featured Today

Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.
Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park
June 14, 2025

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.
June 6, 2025

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
June 17, 2025

Zaslav Takes Pay Cut, TNT Sports Future Unclear in WBD Shake-Up

The TNT Sports parent company retools its executive pay after shareholder pushback.
Tyrese Haliburton
June 16, 2025

NBA Finals Ratings Up Again in Game 4 but Still Down Overall

More than nine million people watched Games 3 and 4.
Thunder
June 16, 2025

NBA, ABC Air Finals Lineup Intros After Fan Complaints

ABC aired player intros for the first time in 12 years Monday. 
Anthony Slater
exclusive
June 13, 2025

Top Warriors Reporter Anthony Slater Leaving The Athletic for ESPN

Anthony Slater starts at ESPN later this summer.