CYNOPSISSPORTS
11.07.16
Good morning. It’s Monday November 7, and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.
With just two races left in the Chase until a NASCAR champion is crowned, NBC Sports Group announced last week a new take on its racing programming with the debut of quiz show Shotgun on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app over the weekend. The series, which “tests contestants’ skills at answering questions while riding in the passenger seat of a professional race car,” will see a one-hour television premiere on NBCSN on Nov. 19 at 7p, with an encore presentation running on NBC on Dec. 11. The series, which is hosted by NASCAR on NBC’s Rutledge Wood, is produced by The Amazing Race team of Bertram Van Munster and Elise Doganieri.
Cynopsis Sports asked Jon Miller, President of Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN, about the network’s programming strategy, the Chase and NBCSN’s record year.
Miller on the NASCAR season: Obviously, the numbers for the Chase are a little bit off from where they were last year, but that is to be expected because you’ve lost some big names like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. But when you look at it, the Chase has shaped up nicely because you have some great stories out there that include Kyle Busch trying to repeat, his brother is still out there, Jimmie Johnson is challenging and you’ve got some great young drivers in the mix. Our last three races are on broadcast so there are a lot of good things going on and we work really well with NASCAR.
On NASCAR fans: They are still very loyal to the brand and their favorite drivers. One of the things that is amazing is that they will stick with races even through rain delays because they love the sport so much. But you can’t take them for granted either, and you have to constantly innovate and that’s one of the things Sam Flood and hit team have been trying to do when they cover the races.
On Shotgun’s fit with the NBC Sports brand: This series blends all of elements of a great new show in being a trivia/quiz show that involved motor sports, fast cars and contestants not knowing what to expect. We were all blown away by the pilot. I think that when people see it, they will get a big kick out of it. It embraces motorsports, it is fun. A lot of viewers just don’t understand how fast, how dangerous and how thrilling it is. I don’t know if I would ever want to do it! We want to do stuff that’s core to our brands and our properties. It comes in right at the end of the season for us. That’s one of the things that NBCSN has been so great at, sticking to the properties that we do well and superserving those fans, whether it is the Premier League or the NHL or our motorsports. We tend to focus on the properties that are our bread-and-butter. We try not to stray too far from our strategic plans and goals.
On 2016: It’s been a year for NBCSN and it will be our highest-rated year ever. In 2015, we set a record and in 2016 we are going to break that record. The channel had an unbelievable run during the Olympics. The Premier League continues to deliver great numbers for us. Our distribution continues to grow. We are up to the 85 million home mark, which is a key number for us. We continue to grow and innovate and that is the challenge we put in front of ourselves. We will always be looking for new opportunities, but everybody is pretty excited about where we are and how far we’ve come.
ON THE AIR
It’s the end of the road for Bill Simmons’ Any Given Sunday, which will finish its run on HBO on Wednesday and not return for season two. “One of the many reasons I joined HBO was to see if we could create a show built around smart conversations for sports fans and pop culture junkies,” said Simmons. “We loved making that show, but unfortunately it never resonated with audiences like we hoped. And that’s on me. But I love being a part of HBO’s family and look forward to innovating with them on other ambitious programming ideas over these next several years – both for the network and for digital.”
Meanwhile, FOX Deportes is celebrating is 20-year anniversary with a facelift, announcing a slate of new graphics and music to kick off another decade. The channel partnered with Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff Beal for its new score and theme, while the new graphics package is two- and three-dimensional in appearance and features a “more vibrant color palette while still maintaining the FOX DNA” with a different color displayed for each property and show, giving each its own unique identity.
Alabama’s win over LSU on the SEC on CBS handed the channel with an average overnight HH rating/share of 6.0/13 on Saturday to rank as the highest-rated college football game of the weekend, according to Nielsen. That number also ties as the second highest-rated game of the season overall.
Speaking of Nielsen, the WSJ writes that the company is “standing by its estimate showing an eye-popping subscriber loss at ESPN in the span of a month” and has reaffirmed its estimates that show showing that ESPN lost 621,000 subscribers in a month. Meanwhile, ESPN called that drop a “dramatic, unexplainable variation,” according to the report, noting “their demonstrated failures over the years to accurately provide subscriber data” and that the estimates didn’t track with its own internal numbers.
ESPN detailed its announcer lineup for the upcoming college basketball season, which tips off on Friday with the fifth annual State Farm Armed Forces Classic. ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV crew of Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will take on the doubleheader. Host Rece Davis with analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams return for College GameDay. Assignments include Brent Musburger joining ESPN’s Super Tuesday SEC telecasts with Sean Farnham and Kaylee Hartung. Farnham will again be paired with Joe Tessitore on Thursday SEC games. Bob Wischusen will call Big 12 games with Fran Fraschilla as part of Big Monday and also on Saturdays. Dan Shulman and Dave Flemming will join analyst Dan Dakich on most Super Tuesday Big Ten telecasts while Bilas, Doris Burke and Dick Vitale will rotate to call ACC Big Monday games with Sean McDonough.
MLB Network hits the offseason today with return of the weekday morning show Hot Stove, hosted by Matt Vasgersian, Harold Reynolds, Ken Rosenthal and Lauren Shehadi. Programming today will also see the first of a slate of exclusive end-of-season awards announcements on MLB Network in November, as the finalists for the 2016 BBWAA Awards are revealed at 6p.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
How to Use Podcasting to Amplify Your Brand
Are you making the most of your podcasting potential? Whether it’s selling a product, amplifying excitement about a TV show or creating brand integrations that accomplish both goals, podcasting can be a powerful tool.
With over 20 percent of Americans, or 57 million, listening to a podcast monthly, (up 17 percent from last year), those numbers add up! Find out how to leverage this market by joining Cynopsis, Edison Research, Mack Weldon and Midroll Media on November 29, from 1:30 – 3:30 PM (EST).
Sign up today.
SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
The Maui Invitational renewed its partnership with Maui Jim Sunglasses in a multi-year contract for title sponsorship of the college basketball tournament. The Maui Jim Maui Invitational runs Nov. 21-23 this year, and feature Chaminade, UConn, Georgetown, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin. “The partnership between Maui Jim and the Tournament is a natural connection, and after a wonderful first year, we are excited to renew,” said Jay Black, VP, Global Brand Marketing at Maui Jim. “Both brands share a commitment to the island, and take much pride in providing a unique experience to consumers across the globe.”
DIGITAL & STREAMING
120 Sports lined up a lot of the top five 2016 Chicago Cubs playoff games to replay on its channel, including Game 7 of the World Series. The company will showcase one game a day to run in full across the 120 Sports network, beginning today with NLDS Game 4 Cubs/Giants from Oct. 11.
The Olympic Channel lined up a slate of new series that will debut this month. New programming will include Transform My Meal, Flame Catchers, Kids Call and Hitting the Wall. Transform My Meal sees chefs help Olympic athletes “transform their boring eating habits into gourmet dishes while preserving nutritional values.” Kids Call showcases youngsters taking to the mic to give their reactions to the performances of Olympic athletes. Hitting the Wall, produced by Whistle Sports, debuts on Nov. 16 and sees social influencers from the fitness world put to the test by the workouts of 12 Olympians. Finally, Flame Catchers tells the stories of how hosting the Olympic Games has sparked defining moments for a nation’s sporting culture.
ESPORTS
Blizzard Entertainment made its reveal of the Overwatch League at BlizzCon over the weekend, announcing plans to serve up “a world-class, sports ecosystem for professional Overwatch competition” that echoes other sports leagues and focused on long-term stability for teams. The inaugural season will debut in 2017 and include a combine, where eligible players will be invited to try out for teams and anyone picked up by a team during the signing period will be guaranteed a contract that includes a baseline minimum salary and benefits package. Overwatch League teams will represent major cities from different regions (with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Rams owner Stan Kroenke at the event to watch the Overwatch World Cup this weekend. Potential owners?). Team announcements and additional Overwatch League information will be shared in the coming months. “The Overwatch League represents not only the pinnacle of Overwatch competition, but also a genuine career opportunity for the most skilled Overwatch players,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re building a league that’s accessible to players and fans, sustainable, and exciting for everyone involved.”
Best Buy once again sponsored a marathon run by OpTic Gaming in the Call of Duty Endowment’s 2016 Race to Prestige, described as an around-the-clock, relay-style video game marathon. The event starting on Thursday on Call of Duty’s official Twitch channel and on MLG.tv in a move to raise money for the Call of Duty Endowment, which identifies and funds best-in-class veteran organizations that get unemployed veterans back to work. "We are excited and honored to team with the Call of Duty Endowment, as well as our veterans in finding fulfilling careers,” said Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez of OpTic Gaming. “They gave everything in defense of our freedom and we’re going to rally the power of the Green Wall to show our thank you."
Plays.tv launched its Automated Highlights integration with Blizzard’s Overwatch, designed to offer players full match replays and an easy way to share videos. According to the company, along with match replays, every elimination, multi-kill, death, resurrection and Play of The Game in Overwatch will automatically be captured and tagged, appearing on an Annotated Timeline to make it simple for players to find those moments and share them
THE MAIN EVENT
Bills/Seahawks on ESPN at 8p.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
Shine a light on your team’s work in the
CYNOPSIS Social Good Awards
Media professionals’ commitment to community is honored in the Cynopsis Social Good Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations who give back to the public through innovative linear TV, digital and marketing campaigns. We’ll be celebrating promotions for diversity, environmental initiatives, anti-bullying and much more.
CHECK OUT THIS YEAR’S CATEGORIES, AND START YOUR ENTRIES TODAY!
ON THIS DAY in 1978: Jim Rice wins the AL MVP.
In The Know: What number did the Red Sox retire to honor Jim Rice? (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: Jim Palmer was a spokesman and model for what clothing brand in the 1970s? Answer: Jockey. Kudos: Ged Young-GC Marketing/Garden City; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Media/NY; Michael Novara-ESPN/NY; Michael Neuman-Scout Sports and Entertainment/NY; Jerehmy White-BusyBuddy Books/Glen Rock; Wayne "World B." Otto-Pro-Am Sports/Boone; Joe Schreiber-3 Penny Films/Bethesda; Randy Ingram-WBTW-TV/Myrtle Beach; Gretchen Brady-KTVT/Dallas; Fernando Arriola-Consultant/Naperville; Kristin Staskowski-Spectrum Reach/Birmingham; Steve McNair-KUBE TV/Houston; Warren Weideman-Producer/LA; Bob Ramsey/Palm Springs; Rick Pike-InterMedia Advertising/Woodland Hills; Anne Wettig-Fox Cable Networks/LA.
Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cynopsis | Sports @VegasandVine
11.07.16
Roberta Caploe: Publisher @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group
Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP, Sales | 203-218-6480
Cynopsis Job Listings Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations | 203-899-8459
Cynopsis Media: a division of Access Intelligence, LLC * 10 Norden Place * Norwalk, CT * 06855 * USA
CYNOPSISJOBS – To view our full job listing online, please visit our webpage: cynopsis.com/classifieds/
JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT MANAGER/Ovation/Santa Monica: Support CD EVP, SVP and CD Acct Mngr and Mktng VP;Attend shows. Point person on VOD and TVE/Manage cable shows, conferences (e.g. NCTC) and events Maintain database/Administrative functions including budgets. Resume to: Humanresources@ovationtv.com (11/12)
JOB OPENING:
HR BUSINESS PARTNER- 6 MONTH CONTRACT/DISCOVERY/NY: Great communicator to provide client support to digital teams. Expertly navigate employee related challenges, work in ultra-fast paced environment, serve as advisor, coach & partner. 3-5 yrs exp. Send res HERE (11/12)
JOB OPENING:
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE/Univision/LA: Resp for generating ratings and media consumption reporting across our platforms (TV, Radio, Digital). Analytical & creative skills. Comfortable reading, analyzing & interpreting data. Media research tool exp preferred but not req. Resume HERE (11/12)
JOB OPENING:
RECEPTIONIST/OFFICE ASST, POST PROD WORKFLOW MGR, JR EDITOR/Hollywood: Entry level med exp young professional for Promo & Content Ent Mktg boutique agency hiring several spots, freelance to staff. Motivated, team player, multi-tasker. Cable Ntwk & Media Exp a +. Res/cvr: HERE (11/11)
JOB OPENING:
SALES PLANNER/FUSETV/NY: Create proposals in Ad Sales sys,monitor/steward accounts, support Nat’l Account Exec w/ mktg and rsrch projects. BA, 2+ yrs media/sales plan’g req’d. click on our career page @ www.fuse.tv (11/11)
JOB OPENING:
SR ADMIN ASST/Fuse Media/NY: Manage Head of Ad Sales phone, calendar and travel. Integrated mktg. support. Gen. office/ admin responsibilities. Good comm, interpersonal & organzt’l skills Ability to multi task. Appy here www.fuse.tv (11/11)
JOB OPENING:
SALES PLANNER/GSN TV, Chicago, IL: 2 yrs exp. sales asst. or media plan’r/buyer. Expertise in TV & Digital planning a plus as well as familiarity in Wide Orbit. Pre-sales call prep, client events, AdViews Tracking, Assist AE’s w/territory and regional coverage mapping. Send res and CL: tvcareers@gsn.com (11/11)
JOB OPENING:
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER/Scripps Networks/Knoxville TN: Assist in conceiving, writing & project mngng branded content & promotions for sales initiatives. Strong interpersonal skills especially w/clients & talent. 0-2 yrs TV prod exp. BA deg, comm, mktg or journalism/English. Full info/apply HERE (11/11)
JOB OPENING:
WRITER-PRODUCER/DISCOVERY-Mktg/LA: Does your creative break through the noise? Are you a great promo writer/innovative thinker- from ideation to execution? Create all-star promos across media landscape. 4+ yrs cable mktg reqrd. Full info/apply HERE (11/10)
JOB OPENING:
SEGMENT PRODUCER, MSNBC/NYC: Write and produce segments with speed and accuracy for weekend news programming. The focus is on breaking news and politics. BA deg. Must have 5+ yrs exp in live television (i.e. morning shows, cable shows, broadcast TV, etc.). Full info/apply HERE (11/10)
JOB OPENING:
SEGMENT PRODUCER, ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES/NYC: Research, report, and write daily segments. Determine video and sound for assigned segments. 5 yrs exp in some form of journalism required (i.e. cable or network news, website, newspaper). Full info/apply HERE (11/10)
JOB OPENING:
SR PRODUCER, MTP/NBC NEWS & MSNBC/DC: Develop a vision and strategy for the franchise on all platforms working closely with the Executive Producer. Over 10 years’ experience producing high quality TV journalism. Full info/apply HERE (11/10)
JOB OPENING:
SALES ASSISTANT/REELZ/NYC: Daily maintenance of accounts. Booking orders, pulling reports & brand allocations. Work closely w/traffic dept, planners & AEs all areas scheduling & inventory management. 4 yrs college/BA degree. 1 yr agency buying pref’d. Dealmaker exp. a +. Apply at www.reelz.com/careers (11/10)
JOB OPENING:
SENIOR EDITOR, WELLNESS/NBC NEW DIGITAL/NYC: Seeking an editor that understands this mix, someone who can drive our coverage of Wellness (fitness fads and latest medical to finance, family, career) Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
POLITICS EDITOR/NBC NEWS DIGITAL/NYC: NBC News Digital is seeking an editor who will be working with a range of journalistic talent from both digital and TV to produce political journalism that sets us apart. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, MSNBC/NYC: MSNBC Live is seeking a Dayside Executive Producer who is responsible for the overall vision, content, editorial planning process, and day to day operations of show. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
SR DIR, MARKETING STRAT/MSNBC/NYC: Seeking talented Marketing Strategist, with Brand Planning and strong Digital Strategy skills, to work closely with research and marketing brand leaders for NBC News & MSNBC. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
SENIOR PRODUCER, MSNBC/NYC: Seeking a Senior Producer, MSNBC Dayside who is responsible for creating, producing and supervising programming for MSNBC. This person will oversee the editorial vision.Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
MGR, REVENUE STRATEGY & ANALYTICS/Discovery/NYC: Digital ad sales expert resp for identifying key revenue drivers & dvlpng revenue strategies & optimization for end-to-end Dig. business. Support Discovery Go’s digital growth strat/dev & its supporting metric/ analytics. 5+ yrs TV Ad Sales exp. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
MANAGER, COMPETITIVE STRATEGY & MARKETPLACE ANALYTICS/Discovery/NYC: Data & analytics expert to develop strategies, build a framework that analyzes competitive pricing & derives actionable insights, & identify solutions to improve performance. 6+ yrs exp in TV Ad Sales. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
SR. MANAGER, REVENUE STRATEGY & ANALYTICS/Discovery/NYC: Linear Ad Sales expert to identify key revenue drivers & develop sales demographics strategy based on network performance/ad sales incumbencies, & manage the national sales team’s performance. 7+ yrs exp. in TV Ad Sales. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
DIGITAL PRODUCER/Discovery/LA: Stellar digital/social producer supporting Discovery Network brand/shows. Drive overall content plans, strategy + social distribution plans for tentpole shows through brand filters to drive awareness, traffic and aud engagement across pltfrms. 5+ yrs exp. in TV. Digital/social media pref. Full info/apply HERE (11/9)
JOB OPENING:
DIR NETWORK COMMS & MEDIA RELATIONS/Science/NYC: Strategic team player willing to take resp. for dev. of multiplatform comms strtgy & outreach on behalf of Science Channel, its talent & execs. Pitch prgrms, ntwrk stories & clips to news sources. 7+ yrs exp. in media relations, ntwrk exp. a +. Apply HERE (11/8)
JOB OPENING:
DIGITAL AD OPS TRAFFICKER (PROJECT)/A+E Networks/NY: Execute day-to-day tasks of the Ad Ops team, including the testing, execution, optimization & troubleshooting of all A+E Networks non-linear advertising campaigns Full Info/Apply HERE (11/8)
JOB OPENING:
SEGMENT PRODUCER/MSNBC/NYC: We are looking for an experienced Segment Producer to write and produce segments with speed and accuracy for daily news programming, in a breaking news environment. Full info/apply HERE (11/8)
JOB OPENING:
MGR DIG ANALYTICS/ADVERTISING/NYC: Supply analytics framework for record label. Conduct rsrch & analysis on artists & releases to support mktg campaigns. Use data to dvlp & monitor ad campaigns. 3+ yrs of relevant exp & being avid fan of music a plus. Full info/apply HERE (11/8)
JOB OPENING:
AD SALES ASSISTANT/Crown Media Family Networks/NY: Provide support to Ad Sales by working W/Acct Execs to srvc clients. Including sales orders, move requests and media schedules. Detail oriented w/orgnzt’l skills to keep efficient work sched. BS req. Full info/apply HERE (11/8)
JOB OPENING:
VP DIGITAL/Sprout/NYC: Create digital strategy roadmap for Sprout and operationally execute on key objectives. Min 10 years digital product experience required. Full info/apply HERE (11/8)
To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
%%PLUGIN_Unsubscribe: 2193667-unsub-generic%%
Copyright Cynopsis 2016
All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2016
The post 11/07/16: NBC Sports talks clutch programming; Simmons won’t see you next Wednesday; Blizzard storms Overwatch League with sports model appeared first on Cynopsis Media.