What On3 does

On3 is a private digital sports media company that provides college and high school sports coverage, recruiting intelligence, NIL tracking, and transfer portal analysis. Founded in 2021 by Shannon Terry and headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, the company operates a network of 70+ editorial sites and 100+ team-specific fan sites that together reach approximately 15 million monthly visitors. Following the April 2025 reunification of On3 and the legacy Rivals recruiting platform — which On3 acquired for an undisclosed amount — the company consolidated editorial coverage, recruiting databases (Rivals300), the proprietary NIL valuation engine, community message boards, a podcast network spanning national shows and 40+ team-specific programs, and native iOS/Android applications under a single subscription product.

The platform is built around a freemium content model: free editorial coverage and basic rankings drive top-of-funnel traffic, while the Rivals + On3 National subscription ($1 trial, then $19.99 annually) unlocks the recruiting database, premium analysis, NIL valuations, and forum access. Underlying technology includes AI-powered content and commerce recommendations from Mula integrated across roughly 20 sites to optimize revenue per session, alongside integrations with Fanatics (ecommerce), RevContent (native advertising), and EX.CO (vertical video). The April 2026 TeamQ partnership adds structured athlete performance intelligence to the Rivals Recruits system, with rollout targeted for Fall 2026, signaling incremental movement toward B2B data products for college athletic departments.

On3 generates revenue across four streams: subscription (Rivals + On3 National), advertising and sponsorships (display, RevContent native ads, podcast), ecommerce affiliate commissions (primarily Fanatics), and emerging enterprise/analytics offerings (TeamQ, Podstock). The customer base is predominantly a long tail of individual college sports enthusiasts, supplemented by high school sports families, sports bettors, and — increasingly — college athletic programs. The company has raised approximately $36.25 million in disclosed funding as of November 2024, employs between 251 and 500 people, and operates as a corporation domiciled in the United States.

Name

On3

Legal name

On3 Media, Inc.

Website

https://on3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

On3 is a private digital sports media platform covering college and high school sports, combining editorial coverage, recruiting intelligence (Rivals), NIL valuations, and community forums across 100+ fan sites serving roughly 15 million monthly visitors via a $19.99 annual subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Streaming Distribution & App Platforms (CTV, Mobile, Web) (MPAKAOAL)

Keywords

• College sports media
• Recruiting rankings
• NIL valuations
• Transfer portal coverage
• Sports content platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Premium subscription model offering Rivals + On3 National content. Initial trial at $1, then $19.99 annually. Provides access to recruiting databases, premium analysis, fan sites, forums, and exclusive content.
2. Advertising & Sponsorships: Revenue generated through native advertising (RevContent partnership), display ads, and sponsored content across the platform's 70+ sites. Diversified revenue streams supplement core sports coverage.
3. Ecommerce: Ecommerce partnerships including Fanatics for sports merchandise, generating revenue through affiliate commissions when users purchase through the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

On3 operates a digital sports media platform providing comprehensive coverage of college and high school sports, including news, recruiting rankings (Rivals300), NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) valuations and deal tracking, transfer portal coverage, NFL/NBA Draft coverage, podcasts, and community message boards. The company monetizes through a freemium model offering free content alongside a $1 trial premium subscription (Rivals + On3 National) priced at $19.99 annually, supplemented by advertising and affiliate e-commerce revenue.

Product overview

On3 is a sports media platform providing comprehensive coverage of college and high school sports. The platform operates as a unified product combining On3.com and the Rivals recruiting platform (reunified in 2025) with a network of 100+ team-specific fan sites. Core offerings include college football and basketball news, recruiting databases and rankings (Rivals300), NIL tracking and valuations, transfer portal coverage, high school sports coverage, podcast network, and community message boards. The platform serves 15 million monthly visitors with AI-powered personalized content recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rivals: College football recruiting platform and database operated by On3
• Rivals Recruits
• On3 NIL
• On3 Shows

Products and services

• On3.com sports media platform Main sports media platform providing comprehensive coverage of college and high school sports, including news, rankings, recruiting information, NIL data, and transfer portal coverage for sports fans.
• Rivals recruiting platform Recruiting platform providing football and basketball recruiting news, player rankings (Rivals300), team recruiting rankings, database search, and recruiting prediction tools for high school athletes and college recruiters.
• On3 NIL coverage Comprehensive NIL coverage including news, player NIL valuations, and deal tracking for college athletes, with a proprietary NIL valuation system ranking top athletes.
• Transfer Portal coverage Transfer portal coverage including news, player rankings, and team rankings for basketball and football transfer portal movements in college athletics.
• On3 Podcasts and Shows Network Podcast and shows network featuring national shows (Andy & Ari, The Hard Count, Crain & Cone, Inside Scoop, Josh Pate) and team-specific podcasts for major college programs, delivered across podcast platforms, YouTube, and social video channels.
• On3 Message Boards Community forums and message boards for college sports discussion, including team-specific boards for 70+ major programs and general sports topics with millions of threads and posts.
• Rivals Recruits athlete profile platform Profile platform for high school athletes to claim their profile, add film, stats, and offers, and get evaluated by recruiting experts, expanding into performance intelligence (leadership traits, decision-making) via TeamQ integration.
• NFL and NBA Draft coverage NFL and NBA Draft coverage including draft rankings, news, and college draft history tracking for fans following top college prospects entering professional sports.
• High School sports coverage High school sports coverage including football news, school search, national and state rankings, and game scores for high school athletes, families, and fans.
• Fan Sites Network Network of 100+ team-specific fan sites covering individual college athletics programs, providing team-focused news, forums, and recruiting coverage for fan communities.
• Rivals + On3 National premium subscription Premium subscription product offering Rivals recruiting database access combined with On3 National content, including fan sites, forums, premium analysis, and exclusive content, at $1 trial then $19.99 annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 million monthly visitors across the platform network
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TeamQcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026Strategic partnership with TeamQ, a performance intelligence platform founded by former NFL veteran Chris Spencer, to integrate athlete performance data into the Rivals Recruits system. The integration targeted for Fall 2026 will expand athlete evaluations beyond traditional rankings to include leadership traits and decision-making abilities.
• MulacoreTechnology or IntegrationOn3 integrated AI-powered content recommendations from Mula in Q3 of the prior year across approximately 20 of its 70+ sites. The AI uses first-party data to personalize content, ecommerce, and native ad recommendations, prioritizing revenue per session (RPS) optimization.
• RevContentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNative advertising partnership delivering sponsored content through RevContent integration, supplementing core sports coverage revenue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ESPN: ESPN is the dominant US sports media platform with extensive college football, recruiting, and NIL coverage through ESPN.com and apps; it is a broad incumbent that competes for audience attention, advertising dollars, and subscription bundling with On3.
• CBS Sports: CBS Sports operates 247Sports and offers comprehensive college sports coverage, recruiting analysis, and bracket content, making it a broad incumbent that bundles competing recruiting content alongside general college sports media.
• Sports Illustrated: Sports Illustrated is a legacy sports media brand with renewed digital focus on college sports, recruiting, and NIL coverage; it competes for editorial attention and brand sponsorship dollars with On3's content portfolio.
• Bleacher Report: Bleacher Report is a digital sports media platform with strong social distribution and college sports coverage, competing with On3 for young college sports audiences and advertising revenue across mobile and social channels.
• The Athletic: The Athletic is a subscription-based sports media company covering college and pro sports with deep reporting; it competes with On3 for paying sports fans and represents a broader, well-funded incumbent in subscription sports media.

Emerging players

• Hudl: Hudl is a performance video and analytics platform serving high school and college athletes; it is an emerging player adjacent to On3's recruiting and TeamQ-integrated performance intelligence offerings for athletes and programs.
• Front Office Sports: Front Office Sports is a digital media company covering the business of sports, including NIL, media rights, and college sports economics; it overlaps with On3's NIL business coverage and sports business audience.

Direct peers

• MaxPreps: MaxPreps is the leading high school sports coverage and rankings platform, directly comparable to On3's high school football/basketball rankings, scores, and recruiting content for student-athletes and families.
• 247Sports: 247Sports is a direct competitor in the college football and basketball recruiting rankings space, operating the 247Sports Composite and competing head-to-head with On3/Rivals for recruits, fans, and subscription revenue.
• Prep Redzone: Prep Redzone is a high school football recruiting and scouting platform offering player rankings, camps, and combine events; it directly competes with On3's Rivals recruiting network for high school athlete coverage and audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/on3sports
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@On3sports
• Facebookfacebook.com/On3Sports
• Instagraminstagram.com/on3
• TikToktiktok.com/@on3rivals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about On3