Live sports must be accessible, engaging and relevant. The geographic location and time zones do not matter. The public deserves more reruns and fragmented protruding facts. All sports fans must be served with content that counts, is live and talks about the changing rhythm that the media are consumed. This philosophy shapes the mission of Ryz Sports Network.
Ryz is a free 24/7 streaming television channel that offers a new type of sports experience. It prioritizes accessibility, equity and live non-stop action. Currently available on Samsung TV Plus, Xumo, Google Play TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Firetick, Amazon Live On Linear, Comcast and Xfinity, Ryz aims to consolidate its presence in the competitive streaming space.
The network is distinguished by its content strategy. It is intentionally wide, covering various sporting events worldwide and on several divisions and leagues. The Ryz slate includes male and female sports. It offers coherent flows of live events, whether football from division I, basketball, softball, international baseball, ultimate frisbee or MMA, different time zones. This capacity demonstrates the truth behind Ryz’s signature motto: “Lighting time all the time”.
Two veterans of the entertainment and sport industries, Hammad Zaidi and Neil Brubaker, shape the director principle of the company. With six decades of expertise combined in content distribution, media financing, production and world sales, the founders propel Ryz Sports Network in highest heights.
Zaidi, producer, entrepreneur and specialist in content acquisition, is known for his work with The Lonely Seal company groupA portfolio of entertainment companies he founded, including a streaming service, a film festival and an international sales operation. By holding a MFA from the UCLA School of Film, he has always been passionate about narration in cinema and sport.
Brubaker completes Zaidi with his long career in sports syndication and content distribution. As a former executive superior to ESPN for over 16 years, he has built a network of relationships and specialization in the industry which has proven to be essential to place Ryz on the main fast platforms.
Their partnership was born from an accidental introduction at a conference of content in Miami. They realized that they shared a vision, and it became the seed of Ryz. Industry experts have found common ground in their love for sport and a mutual desire to challenge traditional dissemination models despite very different horizons.
Ryz is more than a company for both, but especially for Zaidi. After all, it is the realization of his childhood dream. An unfortunate incident limited Zaidi to use its left side. Nevertheless, he grew up while aspiring to become a professional athlete. Later, realizing that becoming one was not physically possible for him, he pivoted.
Zaidi promised that he would one day have a sports franchise. This childhood passion found the expression in Ryz decades later. “Sport is one of the greatest forces on television,” he says. “The cable collapses, streaming takes over and sport is still among the most appreciated content worldwide. So I thought:” Why not build a platform that meets the public where they are while celebrating the sports that I like? “”
Now Ryz is known as a modern network for the modern spectator. If traditional networks rely on fixed hours and geographic constraints, Ryz uses its international program to ensure that live content is always possible. “It’s free, it’s mobile, and it’s everywhere,” says Zaidi. “This is what people want: live content without the payment wall. And we deliver it.”
“It’s amazing to see how something that starts with a simple conversation can turn into a platform that people connect worldwide. To wake up every day knowing that we build something we love is rewarding, ”explains Brubaker.
The founders have ambitious plans for Ryz. They plan to launch sub-scans to accommodate the growing slate of live programming. Other initiatives are on the list, such as establishing collaborations with the main influencers of social media, such as Nino BrownPodcasters, and going on live television (OTA). Zaidi says: “We do not see Ryz as a simple fast channel. We see it as a rapid entity. This means that it is not only the diffusion; we create an ecosystem.”