Overtime is hoping to be first in the battle for Gen Z

The GIST: Overtime is hoping to be first in the battle for Gen Z. Yesterday, the sports media company launched Overtime Boxing (OTX), a competition spotlighting the next generation of boxers — and targeting young sports fans — that begins in August.

The details: OTX will hold four weekend events this summer at company-owned OTE Arena in Atlanta, which will be broadcast by exclusive media rights partner DAZN. C4 Energy is OTX’s first sponsor — it signed a multi-year, seven-figure deal to serve as the competition’s official energy drink and earn in-stadium and on-air visibility.

• Overtime hasn’t selected any boxers yet but plans to mostly work with emerging talents aged 18 to 25, choosing to stay out of the world of celebrity boxing and crossover events.

The context: The company picked boxing as its third sport to expand into because of an eye opening stat — according to their data, it's the fourth most popular sport for Gen Z behind football, basketball and soccer. OTX is also Overtime’s first genuine venture into women’s sports, which comes after multiple women’s boxing bouts in iconic venues sold out last year.

Zooming out: Since hitting a $500 million valuation in 2022, Overtime has become a Gen Z success story in the sports world and carries significant weight as the industry figures out how to attract younger audiences. Its expansion into boxing not only offers new clues about Gen Z’s likes, but may also offer new relevance to the sport itself. TKO.