CYNOPSISSPORTS
01.20.17
Good morning. It’s Friday January 20, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.
ESPN and Golden Boy Promotions locked up a multi-year, international agreement that will see a lineup of fights run on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The first card will come from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, on March 23. Year one of the deal sees ESPN delivering 18 fight cards throughout the US in both English and Spanish, as well as on its wholly-owned and affiliated networks in Latin America, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia and parts of Asia. ESPN will also feature Golden Boy Media and Entertainment content on multiple platforms, including: Golden Boy’s Classic Fight Library, In the Ring, Mano-A-Mano, The Ring TV Express, as well as podcasts hosted by Oscar De La Hoya and other Golden Boy talent.
ON THE AIR
TNT is launching a brand-new NBA Monday night franchise titled Players Only that will offer five consecutive weeks of doubleheader action featuring only former players behind the microphones. Programming begins Feb. 27 at 7p on the network, with the roster set to include two game commentator teams Brent Barry (primary host and play-by-play) with Derek Fisher and Grant Hill; and Greg Anthony (primary host and play-by-play) with Kevin McHale and Richard “Rip” Hamilton along with reporters Lisa Leslie and Dennis Scott. Additional NBA players will also contribute to Players Only throughout the five-week span. With studio coverage anchored by Chris Webber with Isiah Thomas and Baron Davis.
NBC Sports Group and AT&T lined up plans to offer the first live US telecast of the Premier League in 4K ultra high definition this weekend to eligible DIRECTV 4K customers. DIRECTV will offer coverage on channel 106 in the format beginning Saturday with Manchester City/Tottenham at 12:30p with programming continuing Sunday with Arsenal/Burnley at 9:15a.
The Oakland Raiders formally filed for relocation to Las Vegas, where they would away a proposed 65,000-seat domed $1.9 billion stadium if the move is approved by NFL team owners. In a statement, the NFL said that “The application will be reviewed in the coming weeks by league staff and the Stadium and Finance Committees. The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32).”
With Cars 3 on the horizon, actor Owen Wilson, the voice of Lightning McQueen, will serve as Grand Marshal for the 59th annual Daytona 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway. In addition, Wilson will ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during pace laps prior to the green flag of the 200-lap, 500-mile race and attend the drivers meeting.
NHL Network announced that Ryan Whitney has joined the channel as an on-air analyst, becoming the ninth former NHL player to join its on-air talent lineup. Whitney will appear across NHL Network’s studio programming and make his debut on NHL Tonight with Bill Lindsay and Jamison on Jan. 25 at 10:30p.
Sky UK Limited and Tough Mudder announced a video content partnership that brings Tough Mudder to digital and linear platforms on Sky Sports starting this month. Sky Sports Mix will give viewers an in-depth look into the 2016 World’s Toughest Mudder with 2017 programming set to include a multi-episode series focusing on World’s Toughest Mudder 2016, the preview show, Road to World’s Toughest Mudder, a six-part series that will feature five short digital episodes and a one-hour special airing later in 2017, as well as an original content television series from Sky and Tough Mudder.
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Golf Channel hits the 64th PGA Merchandise Show with nearly 20 hours of news and instruction coverage starting Tuesday, with programming spanning across the four days. Coverage will provide viewers with an insider look at the PGA Show, featuring live interviews with industry leaders, professional golfers from the world’s major tours, PGA of America members and an overview of the latest products and trends for 2017.
Meanwhile, SiriusXM serves up the PGA Merchandise Show on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, carrying more than 34 hours of coverage from the PGA Show Demo Day at the Orange County National Golf Center and PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center. SiriusXM’s set will showcase live shows hosted by some of the most enlightening and entertaining voices in golf including Bob Ford, Hank Haney, David Leadbetter, Golf Channel’s Michael Breed, Chris DiMarco, John Maginnes, Carl Paulson, Frank Darby, Brian Crowell, Matt Adams, Brian Katrek, Ben Shear, Greg Warmoth and Taylor Zarzour.
Elsewhere in radio, Motor Racing Network opens its 2017 broadcast schedule with exclusive radio coverage of Friday’s eighth annual NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony from Charlotte. Mike Bagley and Woody Cain will anchor the network’s live broadcast from the Charlotte Convention Center with five more legends being enshrined as the Class of 2017 starting at 8p. .
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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Target is going deep with soccer, locking in a three-year deal to become an official sponsor of Major League Soccer, with activations set to include broadcast advertising on Univision, Fox Sports and ESPN, and in-stadium experiences. In addition, the brand will extend its involvement to its Twin Cities hometown as an Official Partner of Minnesota United FC and the team’s official jersey sponsor, which will put the Target bullseye logo on the team’s official jersey.
Meanwhile, Budweiser announced that it would be ending its 32-year sponsorship of Team USA. "We continually evaluate our sponsorships as our business priorities evolve and we’re adjusting our portfolio to reflect those priorities," Eelco van der Noll, VP of experiential marketing, said to the press in a statement.
Advantage International is changing its corporate name to “Advantage” and announced plans to introduce a slate of changes in early 2017, including the creation of four service verticals underneath the Advantage brand: Sponsorship Consulting, EXP, The Event Studio and Creative & Content; as well as a new agency positioning of “We Make Brands Happen” which runs across the Advantage brand and service verticals
DIGITAL & STEAMING
NBC Sports Regional Networks unveiled a deal with MLBAM to begin streaming their local market MLB games, as well as pre- and postgame shows, beginning with the 2017 regular season. This offering is available at no additional cost to authenticated pay TV subscribers of NBC Sports Group’s CSN regional sports networks with teams set to include the Chicago Cubs (via CSN Chicago), Chicago White Sox (CSN Chicago), Philadelphia Phillies (CSN Philadelphia), Oakland Athletics (CSN California) and San Francisco Giants (CSN Bay Area). “This is a home run for our local sports fans,” said David Preschlack, President, NBC Sports Regional Networks, and NBC Sports Group Platform and Content Strategy. “We are constantly looking for ways to better serve our fans and provide comprehensive coverage of their favorite teams. With the addition of MLB in-market streaming rights, they don’t have to miss a pitch.”
Chinese e-commerce heavyweight Alibaba inked a new partnership with the International Olympic Committee to bring year-round Olympic programming China. The deal sees Alibaba develop and customize the IOC’s existing Olympic Channel. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has the exclusive rights to the Olympics through 2024. "We are founded in China, but built for the world. We have a global vision, and the Olympics can empower our global dream," Ja Ma, founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, told a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Players’ Tribune closed $40 million Series C financing with the round led by IVP. Substantial new investments also came from GV, the venture capital investment arm of Alphabet Inc. and dozens of athletes new to the TPT team.
For the second straight year, Campus Insiders will serve up the exclusive live stream of the Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase, taking place on Jan. 28 at 3p. this year’s event sees the battle celebrate its 15th anniversary, showcasing eight elite marching bands from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
Ironman partnered with Omnigon to design and develop an all new digital and online experience for the company. The upgraded platform is designed to drive engagement with current and new fans and athlete, featuring an image-based redesign of the main Ironman.com website.
ESPORTS
BTN is developing a taste for esports, announcing a deal with Riot Games to launch of the official BTN League of Legends season. The new pilot program, in which clubs from Big Ten Universities take part in a season-long competition, will see teams from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin all play in the inaugural season, which will kick on off Jan. 30 on BTN2Go and watch.lolesports.com. The Big Ten Network will also televise the BTN League of Legends championship on March 27. The BTN League of Legends Champion will then compete in the League of Legends College Championship, which features the best collegiate teams from across the continent to determine the overall League of Legends collegiate champion. “We are thrilled to be taking the next step into esports with the season-long BTN League of Legends competition,” said Erin Harvego, BTN Vice President of Marketing. “We are confident that, together with Riot, we can build a successful platform for future esports intercollegiate competition. We hope to learn a lot in this pilot season.”
ELeague details plans for its first-ever ELeague Major, which starts on Jan. 22 at 10a on Twitch. The week-long tournament will award shares of a $1 million prize purse and kick off with North/Gambit Gaming in the first of Sunday’s eight best-of-one matches. Features will see the league’s Game Command allow fans to watch select ELeague Major matches through a customizable interface with thousands of different viewing options. Fans can choose between individual player views (up to four at a time); a team vantage point for either squad’s complete lineup of five players; the observer feed; and a large version of the game map.
Just ahead of the ELeague major, Audi is investing in Danish Counter-Strike: Global Offensive outfit Astralis, announcing a sponsorship of the team that will see Astralis change their team jerseys to feature Audi’s four-ring logo. “The upcoming Major is the perfect place to start our partnership,” said Jordi Roig, Chief Commercial Officer at RFRSH Entertainment, which brokered the deal on behalf of Astralis, per Mashable. “We are proud to be working with an absolute top-class global mega-brand and we look forward to see what the future will bring.”
Blizzard announced that four matches for the Heroes Global Championship (two from HGC EU and two from HGC NA) will take place throughout the day today starting at 9a via Twitch and Facebook. The first matchup sees Team Dignitas, owned by the Philadelphia 76ers faceoff with Misfits, owned by the Miami Heat.
THE MAIN EVENT
Conference Championship Sunday sees Packers/Falcons on FOX at 3p, while Steeler/Patriots battle on CBS at 6:40p.
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CYNOPSIS SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
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Awards Event: April 13, 2017 (NYC)
ON THIS DAY in 1980: President Jimmy Carter announced a US boycott of the Olympics in Moscow.
In The Know: In 2007, Matt Ryan won the Manning Award as college football’s top quarterback, but lost the Heisman to another QB. Who was he? (Email Chris-Sports@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: What injured player did Patriots QB Tom Brady first fill in for? Answer: Drew Bledsoe. Kudos: Matt Moran-USA Today Sports/NY; Edward Flamos-comScore/NY; Evan Noonan-Optimum Sports/NY; Michael Neuman-Scout Sports and Entertainment/NY; Joe Schreiber-3 Penny Films/Bethesda; Rob Keith-Partnership Sports Marketing Group/Charlotte; Mark Lehman- Atlanta Braves/Atlanta; Christine Ferrara-WBZ-TV/WSBK-TV/Boston; Chris Hartweg-Huddle Pro/Chicago; Gretchen Brady-KTVT/KTXA/Dallas; Lucie Prann-The Richards Group/Dallas; Mark Stulberger-Stully’s Broadcasting School/Houston; Matt Sautter-Imagine Communications/Denver; David Hauptman/Denver; Nick Monroe-Monroe Photography/San Diego; Jack Simmons-US Army Reserve/LA; Paul Gygli-NBCUniversal Television Distribution/Universal City; Don Surath-KPIX-TV KBCW-TV/San Francisco.
Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cynopsis | Sports @VegasandVine
01.20.17
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