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A Cynopsis Message From
NBC SPORTS GROUP
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| Wednesday August 12, 2020 |
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The Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences will shutter fall sports, including football, with an eye to start playing in the Spring. In making its decision, the Big Ten stated that the decision comes as part of the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. "The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward," Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. "As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete Going beyond just Fall sports, the Pac-12 CEO Group voted unanimously to postpone all sport competitions, including Winter, through the end of the year with the decision made after consultation with athletics directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee who expressed concern with moving forward with contact practice. Student-athletes impacted by the postponement will continue to have their scholarships guaranteed. Additionally, the Pac-12 Conference strongly encourages that the NCAA grant students who opt out of competition this academic year an additional year of eligibility. “The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the start of this current crisis,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would like to have seen the season played this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.” On Monday, the Mountain West also opted to postpone its fall sports season. "We were hopeful we could carefully and responsibly conduct competition as originally scheduled with essential protocols in place," Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. "However, numerous external factors and unknowns outside our control made this difficult decision necessary. PROGRAMMING CBS Sports’ final-round coverage of the PGA Championship ranked as the most-watched sports event of the week and the most-watched golf telecast since June 2019. The broadcast averaged 5.153 million viewers, rising 3% over last year. Viewership peaked at 6.873 million viewers from 8:30-8:45p. Around the dial, ESPN’s live coverage of the PGA Championship finished as the most-viewed edition of the event on cable since 2010, with Sunday’s final round coverage averaging 1,965,000 viewers. Across all four rounds, ESPN averaged 1,659,000 viewers and 399,000 viewers in the ages 18-49 demo. The first-ever NHL Qualifying Round handed NBC Sports with viewership gains when compared to the 2019-20 NHL regular season, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics. Across all platforms (NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app), Qualifying Round coverage averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 553,000 viewers, up 39% vs. 2019-20 regular-season average on NBC and NBCSN. The six games on NBC averaged a TAD of 1.190 million viewers, up 11% vs. 2019-20 regular-season average on NBC, excluding the 2020 NHL Winter Classic. “Everyone involved in the NHL relaunch should be commended for putting on a spectacular Qualifying Round amidst unprecedented conditions,” said Sam Flood, NBC Sports Executive Producer and President, Production, NBC and NBCSN. “The viewership confirms that hockey fans were starving for their favorite sport and that the quality of the competition and the skills of the players were as good as ever.” UEFA Champions League saw its telecast of FC Barcelona vs. Napoli on Univision, and simulcast on TUDN, on Saturday generate record numbers, averaging 1.1 million Total Viewers and marking the most-watched Round of 16 match in UEFA Champions League history in the U.S. on any network and in any language. Friday’s Manchester City-Real Madrid broadcast on UniMás and simulcast on TUDN delivered 571,000 Total Viewers 2+ and 345,000 Adults 18-49. PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that the Presidents Cup will return to The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, when the Presidents Cup shifts internationally in 2024. As part of the news, Monahan announced a partnership between First Tee, Golf Canada and Golf Canada Foundation to launch First Tee - Canada. With plans to expand across the nation, the partnership will add First Tee’s youth development program to Golf Canada’s platform that reaches kids in schools and at golf facilities. Rounding out golf news, GOLF Channel announced live coverage plans for the 120th United States Amateur Championship this week, running Wednesday-Sunday in primetime. Coverage will be presented by Rolex – uninterrupted – including a bonus hour preceding GOLF Channel’s telecast that will stream live, exclusively on Peacock, “The scenic vistas and rugged elements along the Pacific Ocean at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort will offer the perfect backdrop for the second championship broadcast in our renewed partnership with NBC Sports,” said Navin Singh, USGA Chief Commercial Officer. “The U.S. Amateur Championship is the top showcase for the next generation of talent and a highlight in the career of all of the competitors. This week will feature incredible golf with astounding natural visuals, and we are excited to work together to share it with the world.” Jason Weigandt serves as the play-by-play announcer for all race telecasts alongside analyst Grant Langston. Will Christien will serve as the pit reporter during the 2020 season. Join us today at 2p as we applaud sports media’s champions and rally behind them during the Virtual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards. Will you be there? Click here to view finalists and register for free today. Peacock continues to add content. First, the new platform announced an exclusive deal with The Dan Patrick Show to stream the series for free on Peacock. Starting August 24, Dan Patrick will be live on Peacock each weekday from 9a-noon. “I’m thrilled to be coming back home to Peacock and the NBC family to continue the show with the Danettes and the rest of my talented team,” said Dan Patrick. “A huge factor in partnering with Peacock is that our loyal fans can watch us for FREE. Who doesn’t love FREE. We can’t wait to get started—see you soon.” In addition, Peacock announced that PFT Live with Mike Florio will live stream exclusively on Peacock, also beginning August 24. Mike Florio and Chris Simms, along with regular guests Peter King and Rodney Harrison, will continue to keep fans current on the NFL each weekday from 7-9a. ESPN+ unveiled plans to bring fans 64 MLS Live out-of-market games in the first phase of the resumption of Major League Soccer’s 25th season starting Aug. 20. The first phase of Major League Soccer’s return to play will conclude Sept. 14. ESPN’s linear television networks have the option to pick up matches as the regular season progresses. Fanatiz announced a new partnership to carry Brazil’s Championship A & B Series Leagues, aka Brasileirao, globally outside of Brazil. The Brasileirao will be available as a stand-alone package that includes all matches from the popular Championship A & B Series. The Washington Football Team announced that DeAngelo Hall and Bram Weinstein will join the Washington media team. The two will work with new Senior Vice President of Media and Content, Julie Donaldson, as a three-person booth for the team’s game day radio broadcasts. In addition, they will take part in various parts of the team’s weekly television broadcast programming with specifics to be released imminently. |
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FREE CYNOPSIS WEBINAR: BLACK OWNED MEDIA MATTERS The Ways You Can Include Us & Build Long Term Partnerships Thursday, August 27 // 1:00-2:00PM ET We'll focus on the benefits clients & agencies will see when they apportion part of their media spend on reaching the Black audience and diverse society that reflects their product’s customer base. JOIN US FOR THIS CONVERSATION (Sponsored by TheGrio/ES Networks – so it’s free to attend!) |
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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION Major League Soccer revealed the newest iteration of its brand campaign, “Our Soccer,” as the League continues its regular season play. The campaign features Matthew McConaughey with a spotlight on the growth of the soccer movement, highlighting MLS as “the League for a new North America” and depicts the story of its “25 Years in 25 Seconds.” Hershey’s extended its long-term partnership with USA Track and Field and will continue as the presenting sponsor of Run Jump Throw through 2024. “Hershey’s support has been instrumental in teaching children the basics and importance of exercise while growing the sport of track and field at a young age,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “We are thrilled to see the success of Run Jump Throw since 2015 and are excited to continue growing the program.” All Sports Television Network entered into a multi-year agreement with Verizon Business Services in a move that will give the new channel the ability to deliver a high-definition, linear television broadcast signal to its affiliates throughout the United States, as well as to broadcasters in Asia, Europe and other regions of the world. "Our primary goal is to assure that our affiliates are able to receive ALL SPORTS’ programming at the same level as if being delivered via satellite," stated ALL SPORTS President Roger Neal Smith. "After considering many program delivery alternatives, which included satellite uplinks, we decided that Verizon will be able to provide us with the consistency and support we require. Whether we are sending our signal to a satellite or over the Internet, viewers expect a high quality, uninterrupted signal from their television broadcasters. I am confident that, with Verizon, we can meet those expectations." DIGITAL, DATA & TECH The WNBA extended its partnership with Twitter and will see 10 games carried on the platform starting tonight at 10p with Atlanta/Seattle. "Twitter continues to be an integral part of the WNBA's media landscape, providing innovation on their platform during this unique season will elevate fan engagement to a whole new level," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "This continued partnership enables our passionate supporters and fans to connect directly to our game and to experience WNBA basketball from wherever they are." NASCAR and BetMGM announced a multi-year sports betting partnership. As an Authorized Gaming Operator of NASCAR, BetMGM will collaborate with NASCAR to create and promote sports betting experiences, including introducing in-race betting options, for racing fans across the US. “Partnering with a best-in-class operator like BetMGM positions NASCAR to build on the positive energy and momentum we’re seeing around gaming and in particular the live in-race experience,” said Scott Warfield, NASCAR Managing Director, Gaming. “We’re excited to have such an iconic brand on board to expand our offerings and deepen our engagement with the most passionate fans in sports.” BetMGM will expand the portfolio of bet types offered on its mobile app throughout the NASCAR season, including pre-race and in-play bets. Bet types currently being explored include top-finishing drivers, driver matchups, stage winners and bets tied to the number of the winning car (over/under), among others. CBC/Radio-Canada announced a new two-game partnership with Twitter Canada that will see the public broadcaster’s tweets featuring live content streams and clips from its coverage of Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 reach a wider Canadian audience through the use of Twitter Amplify. “We’re thrilled to continue working with Twitter Canada through this new two-game partnership that will provide Canadians with more opportunities to access CBC/Radio-Canada’s exciting coverage of the Olympic Games,” said Joe Gottfried, Director Sales & Marketing - Sports & Olympics, CBC/Radio-Canada Media Solutions. “With the Tokyo and Beijing Games scheduled only six months apart, our partner brands will have unique opportunities to create a continuous and lasting impact, and connect with an engaged audience around touchstone cultural moments.” Strat-O-Matic baseball board and digital games set records for sales and engagement during the pandemic, according to numbers released. For the period of March through July 2020, Strat-O-Matic sales far surpassed the same time frame in 2019 with Baseball Board and Windows platform sales up over 70% while Baseball Board game product sales are more than 85% higher. Cards depicting eight singles and doubles American Cornhole League World Championship winners were issued on the TOPPS NOW platform. Future TOPPS NOW cards will be produced for other major events sponsored by ACL, which promotes and develops cornhole as a sport for any age and any skill level. “The TOPPS NOW platform is a great way to introduce collectors to the personalities that have driven the growth and success of cornhole and the ACL,” said Jeff Heckman, Topps’ Global Director of Ecommerce. “The World Championships gained a lot of attention, and we are pleased that fans have been excited about our first foray into the sport.” ESPORTS Activision Blizzard recruited Major League Baseball deputy commissioner Tony Pettiti to oversee its esports and entertainment efforts, serving as President of Sports and Entertainment and reporting directly to CEO Bobby Kotick. “Tony is one of the most highly regarded executives in sports and entertainment,” Kotick said in the announcement. “His success in media and as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball is the perfect blend of skills to help us realize our aspirations for esports and our related businesses. He is admired by owners, media executives, players, and fans.” Buffalo Wild Wings is serving up some League of Legends Championship Series, locking in a multi-year partnership that will designate the sports bar brand as the Official Sports Bar of Riot’s North American league. The deal also creates the first-ever streaming deal between an esports property and a major restaurant chain to livestream events at scale. The first event live-stream at participating Buffalo Wild Wings will be the LCS 2020 Summer Playoffs beginning Friday, August 14 at 4p. As an Official Partner of the LCS and Academy League, Buffalo Wild Wings will have rights to activate the partnership throughout the leagues’ marquee events, including the Spring and Summer Playoffs. Beyond streaming, Buffalo Wild Wings will be able to use official trademarks for the LCS in both on-premise and digital marketing materials and to create unique menu items and customer merchandise. Buffalo Wild Wings and the LCS will also work together on a variety of co-branded initiatives such as promotions and broadcast integrations during LCS events. The famed Ford Models is turning its attention to esports and gaming, with the launch of a new division at the agency Ford Models Esports and Gaming will rep esports and gaming talent and work with leagues, sponsors, and other stakeholders to promote one of the fastest-growing segments in tech, and with opportunities for cross promotion with other talent categories and clients. Among early clients are Hot 97’s and Logitech G’s gaming media personality and content creator, the “HipHopGamer.” He will be joined at by other recently signed leading gaming talent that includes “Games Award” nominee for “Best TikTok Gaming Creator,” OVERTFLOW, as well as ESPN ESPY winner professional Madden and NBA2K League player, Timothy “oLarry” Anselimo. Ford has signed gaming veteran, motivational speaker and content creator, Ivan “OG King Curt” Curtiss, professional Street Fighter gamer, Chris “Chris T” Tatarian and CGS alternate turned veteran shoutcaster and host of the Paladins Premier League, the Paladins Collegiate World Championship, the NBA 2K League, and NACL, Paul “Rabies” Santoro. DreamHack announced the postponement of its remaining festivals in 2020: DreamHack Rotterdam, DreamHack Hyderabad, DreamHack Atlanta, DreamHack Winter and DreamHack Madrid as a result of the pandemic. “The goal for all of us at DreamHack is to provide great experiences at our events, which thrive by bringing communities together for these shared and beloved festival weekends all around the globe,” said DreamHack Co-CEO Marcus Lindmark. “We have never had to postpone events like this before — but these are extraordinary times, and the safety of our attendees and staff has never been more important than now.” Team Liquid is launching Liquid+ into open beta, described as a “groundbreaking fan engagement platform to reward Liquid fans for regular online engagement with players, teams and the club and rewards fans for supporting the team and its more than 100 pro players and streamers. When fans connect Liquid+ to the sites and social media accounts they use to interact with Team Liquid—such as Twitch, Discord, Twitter, or Reddit—Liquid+ will award them points for the engagement they show. Those points can be redeemed for in-game currency, event tickets, Team Liquid swag and tailored fan experiences with Team Liquid personalities, to name a few. Tempo Storm cemented a new partnership with Dr. Squatch, an organic, natural personal care brad for the grooming industry. This partnership marks Squatch’s first with an esports/gaming company. “It was really important to us to collaborate with a sustainable and all-natural company like Dr. Squatch during a time of such uncertainty and stress for people all over the world,” said Tempo Storm Senior Partnerships & Marketing Manager Ryan Turner. “We want gamers to take care of themselves and we see this partnership as a way to help to ensure that our community has access to products that make them look and feel good every day.” INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES A slate of sports industry executives announced the launch of NextUp Ventures and NextUp Partners. The multi-solution consortium offers strategic capital investment, sweat equity and access to an angel network to fuel startups and emerging brands in the sports betting, esports and sports technology spaces. “The distinctive strengths of these entities will provide unparalleled value for sports organizations at any stage, from early startups to established brands and organizations,” said Joe Dupriest, co-founder NextUp Ventures and NextUp Partners. “Our mission and talent fully align with the sports industry’s current trajectory and can help sports brands at all stages get to that next level and beyond.” Participants include Joe Dupriest, Jim DeMarco, Joe Flores, Derrick Heggans, Craig Heisner, Gerald Jones, Sabrina Jenkins, Scott Lewis. Rob Purvy, Sarah Uhran, Patrick Conreaux, Marc Calamia, Kerry Graue, TJ Lowden and Paul Omps. FaceBank Group appointed renowned polo player, entrepreneur and investor Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras to fuboTV’s board of directors effective immediately. “Nacho does it all - he's revered in the sports and entertainment worlds as an international athlete, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. I'm looking forward to the unique perspective Nacho will bring to fuboTV," said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, fuboTV. |
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TODAY’S THE DAY! REGISTER FOR OUR FREE VIRTUAL AWARDS EVENT. Cynopsis Sports Media Awards At 2pm ET, we’ll celebrate the work of the most talented producers, hosts, sponsors and executives in the sports industry, saluting the initiatives that drove audiences and turned sports viewers into fans. Crossing the spectrum of television, radio, and online platforms, we’re looking forward to spotlighting this incredible industry. Join us today, August 12 at 2PM ET for this virtual awards event. REGISTER NOW |
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On this Day 1963: Stan Musial announces his retirement. In the Know What number did the Cardinals retire to honor Stan Musial? (Email cpursell@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city). Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question Which NBA player is also known as hip-hop artist and rapper Dame D.O.L.L.A? Answer: Damian Lillard. Kudos: Rick Ramage-UTA/NY; Andrew Feingold-FOX News/NY; Greg Conner-Tennis Media/NY; Aymon DeMauro-ADM Media & Marketing/NY; Bill Graff-BeIN SPORTS/Miami; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Travis Wacker-ESPN Chicago/Chicago; Tom Doherty-Starcom/Chicago; Paul Barrere-Home Team Sports/Chicago; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tara Aviel-Access Media Services, LP/Redondo Beach |
Cynopsis Team
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