• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

House of Highlights Moving On Without Founder Omar Raja

  • There won’t be a ‘like for like’ replacement for founder Omar Raja after his departure to ESPN, says House of Highlights GM Doug Bernstein.
  • HoH still has 25-person team within Bleacher Report. Bernstein has high hopes for young talent like Kenny Beecham, aka KOT4Q
Photo by Melissa Rawlins / ESPN Images

It’s not the beginning of the end for House of Highlights. Instead, it’s the end of the beginning.

That’s the attitude of HoH General Manager Doug Bernstein following the departure of founder Omar Raja to ESPN.

Bernstein said that there won’t be a “like for like” replacement for Raja, and it instead will be leadership by committee. But HoH is no longer a one-man-band. It has a 25-person team with the umbrella of Bleacher Report, and the brand and the team will continue to grow, he predicted.

“HoH has been developing talent we believe in,” said Bernstein. “We’ve built a roster of talent that we believe in and has a lot of potential.”

HoH, for example, is nurturing young stars like Kenny Beecham (nickname KOT4Q), who boasts 611,000 followers on YouTube. The YouTube influencer was signed in 2018 as HoH set out to become a true media brand, not just an Instagram account, with a YouTube channel and live Twitter talk show.

“He’s somebody we’ve seen take off – and become a next-level star that we’re excited about,” Bernstein said. 

There’s no doubt Raja’s defection was a big loss for Bleacher Report. Since founding the popular Instagram account in his University of Central Florida dorm room in 2014, he turned it into a go-to spot for highlights. He also did it in his unique voice, helping capture the imagination of Generation Z sports fans.

But Raja’s defection to ESPN does not change some basic business metrics. 

Bleacher Report still owns HoH. With 15.5 million followers, it is still the number one sports media brand on Instagram, reaching more millennials and Gen Z sports fans than any other account.

Out of the top 100 best-performing branded videos on Instagram in 2019, HoH generated 54.

On other social platforms, HoH is up to 2.3 million followers on TikTok, 1.85 million subscribers on YouTube, and 144,000 followers on Twitter. 

“House of Highlights has carved out this incredible business and this incredible brand,” Bernstein noted. “As part of that, we know how to reach the Gen Z consumer. We’re establishing ourselves as the Gen Z sports destination. Our audience is growing. Our business is growing with that. As a result, the team grows alongside that.”

And the basketball-oriented HoH is going global, leaning into soccer and other highlight-driven sports embraced by young fans. 

On Jan. 17, Bleacher Report is set to unveil exclusive content with soccer icon Neymar and Paris Saint-German Football Club on HoH’s social and YouTube channels as well as B/R Football.

“If we can meet with Neymar, it doesn’t get any bigger than that…Our guys came back with a crush on Neymar,” said Bernstein.

As for Raja, he made his ESPN debut Jan. 13 during the media company’s “MegaCast” coverage of the College Football Playoff National Championship. 

At ESPN, Raja will serve as the leading voice on the “SportsCenter” Instagram account and contribute to digital and social content, including a new Hoop Streams live show with Chiney Ogwumike and Christine Williamson.  

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro is a personal fan of Raja’s work, said sources, and was instrumental in recruiting him. 

“Omar’s distinct, edgy and authentic voice resonates perfectly with those we reach across digital platforms,” Ryan Spoon, ESPN’s senior vice president of digital and social content, said in a statement.

READ MORE: House of Highlights Looks To Score with Neymar, Soccer

Raja was not the only Bleacher Report employee to jump to Bristol.

ESPN spokeswoman Kristie Adler confirmed that four of his colleagues came over with him as digital and social content specialists. They’ll work alongside ESPN’s team on social platforms and high-growth areas like Instagram, TikTok, soccer and high school sports.

Expect more fans to follow Raja to ESPN, predicted Mason Bates, an account director for sponsorship and content at global media agency Mindshare.  

“There will be a lot of people that will follow him to ESPN. After all, the story of the everyday fan, who turned his passion into a lucrative, influential position in sports, will continue to follow Omar wherever he goes,” Bates said.

READ MORE: House of Highlights Founder Omar Raja To Leave Bleacher Report

On the other hand, Bates believes that HoH “will survive and continue to thrive” without its founder.

“Even with his vision and personal connection to the origins of the brand and the community, House of Highlights is stronger than its founder,” Bates said. “The leadership team behind Bleacher Report, the owners of House of Highlights, are nimble and smart. They have staffed House of Highlights with a team that understands and will continue the momentum of the brand.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

MLB Home Run Derby Draws 5.7M Viewers on ESPN, Up 5%

ESPN reverses the trend from last year and registers audience growth.
Jul 14, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the 2025 Home Run Derby at Truist Park.

MLB Enters Crucial Second Half With Big Questions Looming

Media, labor, and Cal Raleigh are among the top second-half storylines.
Cal Raleigh

Home Run Derby Came Down to a 1-Inch Hawk-Eye Measurement

One expert is skeptical that the measurement could be that precise.

Featured Today

May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
Bobbleheads are seen at Vintage Indy Sports, Tuesday, April 29, 2025 in Speedway. The local sports memorabilia store opened recently.
July 12, 2025

Baseball’s Bobbleheads Are the Center of the Collectibles Universe

Baseball’s most important keepsake drives long lines—and big business.
Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.
July 11, 2025

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.

WNBA Hits Fourth-Highest ABC Viewership With Clark-Bueckers Duel

Clark missed the first Fever vs. Wings game with an injury.
NBC Sports
exclusive
July 14, 2025

NBC Hiring Ex-Hawks Exec Grant Liffmann As NBA Front Office Insider

Liffmann spent the last three years with Atlanta after covering the Warriors.
Brittney Griner and Caitlin Clark
exclusive
July 15, 2025

‘Good Morning America’ Will Air From WNBA All-Star in First

The All-Star Game’s relevance has exploded with the league in recent years.
Sponsored

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

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
F1
July 11, 2025

F1 ‘Poised’ to Choose Apple Money Over ESPN Reach

Formula One looks to be changing lanes.
Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland at her on court interview after winning her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
July 10, 2025

Wimbledon Set to Deliver Strong Finals Matchup for ESPN

Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam.
Paige Bueckers
exclusive
July 8, 2025

Women’s March Madness Expansion Wouldn’t Yield More ESPN Money

ESPN is not required to pay extra if women’s March Madness expands.
Feb 7, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after his basket against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
July 8, 2025

After Decade Apart, ESPN and Big East Rekindle Media Rights Relationship

After a decade-plus apart, the network will stream hundreds of conference events.