“The Super Bowl is an event that brings America together, and we look forward to doing just that with our presentation of Super Bowl LIV in Miami,” said Brad Zager, FOX Sports Executive Producer, Executive Vice President Production/Head of Operations. “Hundreds of men and women throughout the company have been working tirelessly on this production, and we can’t wait to get to Miami to show off their efforts, including our state-of-the-art South Beach studio compound.”

Next to the broadcast compound in Lummus Park, FOX will host a weeklong interactive fan experience that includes a 70-foot Ferris wheel themed to The Masked Singer, a screening room on the beach showing the latest FOX series and a 10-foot-tall Super Bowl-themed LEGO MASTERS mural that fans can help build. Fans can also take pictures with LEGO-ized versions iconic FOX Sports commentators at a LEGO MASTERS photo opp and catch the Ring of Excellence Experience Presented by Kay Jewelers where fans can try on a replica Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring. FOX Sports will also have an official NASCAR vehicle on site ahead of Daytona 500 and a photo opp with an oversized WWE championship belt.

PROGRAMMING

ESPN is beefing up the presence of the 2020 Women’s Final Four (semifinals and championship), announcing that the games will be carried in primetime on the flagship network. Additionally, the entire first and second rounds of the women’s championship will be available nationally on ESPN’s television networks, eliminating regionalization. “Making the decision to move the women’s college basketball semifinals to ESPN and make the first and second round available nationally across our networks was a direct result of the ever-growing popularity of women’s college basketball,” said Carol Stiff, ESPN vice president of programming and acquisitions. “Last year alone, we saw an 8% ratings increase for the Women’s Final Four. These changes will only further celebrate a great sport with a tremendous fan base.”

NBC Sports takes on the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend with live coverage on NBC, NBCSN, NBC Sports Radio, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, culminating with the 3-on-3 2020 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday night at 8p on NBC. In addition to live coverage on NBC, NBC Sports will produce a digital-only second-screen presentation on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app showcasing puck and player tracking data that will be presented in real time. Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analysts Pierre McGuire and Brian Boucher will call the NHL All-Star Game on NBC, while Kenny Albert and analyst AJ Mleczko call NBC Sports’ digital presentation. NBC Sports’ comprehensive NHL All-Star Weekend coverage begins Friday night at 6:30 p with a special 30-minute presentation of the NHL All-Decade Show, immediately followed by pre-game coverage on NHL Live, leading into the 2020 NHL All-Star Skills at 8p.

The American Cornhole League signed a new multi-year contract with ESPN to extend their presence on the network. “Our collaboration with ESPN has not only helped to further legitimize the sport of cornhole, it’s given us exposure to a wide audience of sports fans to appreciate the game,” said Stacey Moore, Commissioner and Founder of the American Cornhole League. “We’re looking forward to continuing to grow the game and bring all of the amazing action to ESPN’s viewers.”

TNT reveals the All-Star Game starters, captains, reserves and will televise the 2020 NBA All-Star Draft presented by Jordan Brand over the course of three upcoming pregame shows beginning Thursday at 7p. Thursday’s TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader show will unveil the All-Star Game starters, including the two captains, at 7p. The following Thursday, the NBA on TNT studio team will announce the All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, on Jan. 30, at 7p. The All-Star Draft will then be revealed on a special 2020 NBA All-Star Draft presented by Jordan Brand on TNT on Feb. 6, at 7p.

Speaking of drafts, the NFL detailed some of the festivities fans will see for the 85th NFL Draft in Las Vegas, running April 23-25. The celebration – at the NFL Draft Red Carpet, NFL Draft Main Stage and NFL Draft Experience – will include free immersive activities and live entertainment and performances, set against the backdrop of the Strip. The NFL Draft Main Stage will be constructed next to the Caesars Forum, with the Main Stage also hosting daily performances by headlining acts throughout the Draft. Located adjacent to the NFL Draft Main Stage, the NFL Draft Experience presented by Oikos®Triple Zero will be a free, three-day football festival highlighted by interactive games, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, autograph sessions with NFL players and Legends, brand activations, giveaways and the NFL Shop presented by Visa. At the center of the action will be the NFL Draft Experience Stage, which will feature special performances by Las Vegas talent as well as interactive NFL-themed experiences. The 2020 NFL Draft will open on April 23 with the official NFL Draft Red Carpet, which will be constructed on the Fountains of Bellagio with players taking a boat to arrive at the set.

Have you seen the new “Sports Betting” categories included in the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards? These brand new categories (sponsored by SeventySix Capital) spotlight the incredible and groundbreaking work that’s been done in the sports betting arena in 2019. View all categories here and be sure to enter your content, campaigns or individuals by Jan. 28.

David Feherty returns tonight at 9p on GOLF Channel for a special edition of Feherty Live presented by Farmers Insurance. The one-hour show is produced in front of a live audience, and will air in conjunction with the Farmers Insurance Open. Originating from Mandeville Auditorium on the University of California San Diego campus, Feherty will be joined by guests that include Pat Perez, Michael Peña and Bob Parsons. Feherty is set to return for the show’s 10th season in 2020, with the season premiere airing Feb. 24 at 9p.

ESPN Events’ St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational will see more than 40 games available on ESPN’s Networks, running February 13-16. Games will be carried on ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network, SEC Network, ESPN3 and the ESPN App beginning at 9:30a. As part of this year’s schedule of games, the 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) will participate in three exhibition games as part of its “Stand Beside Her” tour.

FloSports unveiled its cycling broadcast schedule for 2020 for its FloBikes platform, offering over 75 world class events and more than 300 days of racing on the schedule so far, producing premium content topping 10,000 hours of competitive cycling programming. This year’s broadcast schedule includes cycling races such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Men’s and Women’s Tour of Flanders, UCI Road World Championships, La Vuelta a España, DVV Trofee Cyclocross Series, and more. FloBikes will be the exclusive broadcaster for the Tour de France in Canada. FloBikes will supplement live event broadcasts with exclusive on-site coverage, commentary and analysis from the world’s leading cycling journalists including FloBikes European Correspondent, Gregor Brown.

– Chris Pursell | CYNOPSIS Director of Content

Enter Before Jan 28th – Click here to learn more

Hendrick Motorsports extended its marketing and technical relationship with Microsoft Corp., with the company continuing as the Official Cloud Partner of the 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions for the 2020 and 2021 racing seasons. The agreement incorporates new promotional assets, notably the Microsoft brand debuting as an associate sponsor on Hendrick Motorsports’ Nos. 48 and 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE teams competing in the Cup Series. In addition, Microsoft will continue to collaborate with Hendrick Motorsports on key technology projects including enhanced data analysis capabilities, a speech-to-text solution and race simulation upgrades.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

FOX Sports is touting its digital successes from 2019, reporting 5.6 billion total video views across social and streaming digital platforms and a third consecutive year of double-digit growth — up 22% over 2018. Overall, FOX Sports delivered its best-ever digital video consumption year in 2019 with fans viewing a total of 21 billion minutes (up 21% YoY) across all content.

Pac-12 Networks announced a distribution partnership with Vidgo. As part of the agreement, Pac-12 Network, the Networks’ primary national channel, is now available to all subscribers of the Vidgo “Core” package, which includes more than 60 channels and comprehensive sports coverage for $39.99 per month. In addition, all seven Pac-12 Networks channels, including six regional channels, are also now available to Vidgo subscribers as part of its “Plus” package, which includes more than 80 channels and is available for an additional $10 per month.

Turner Sports’ ELEAGUE and Twitch are teaming up for a “first-of-its-kind, community-driven live show” titled ELEAGUE Super Punch powered by Twitch. The series will look to serve up the week’s biggest moments in and around gaming and esports, along with the creators and communities that drive them and will be hosted by Twitch streamers and gaming personalities Ify Nwadiwe, Kelly Nugent, J.D. Witherspoon, and Alex Corea, Super Punch will be formatted as a fast-paced and dynamic take on the late night talk show format with real time engagement built into the live show. The series will air on both Twitch and TBS starting in February, running Monday-Friday beginning Feb. 3 at 11p in addition to streaming live on a dedicated Twitch channel. Each Friday, beginning Feb. 21, will also see a special live showcase on TBS from midnight-1a.

DreamHack is turning toward a familiar face to handle its collegiate esports competitions, naming Collegiate StarLeague as the Official and Exclusive Collegiate Esports Provider for all DreamHack North America events over the next two years. Running at DreamHack events throughout North America, the new CSL-hosted tournaments will feature a slate of variety of competitive titles: from League of Legends and Magic: The Gathering, to Gears 5. The first event with CSL will take place at DreamHack Anaheim from Feb. 21-23. DreamHack will produce the events, as well as provide broadcast talent, stage setups and additional marketing support. CSL will run any and all collegiate-based gaming activations at North American DreamHack events.

Gen.G forged a partnership with beauty brands Benefit Cosmetics, in a move designed “to connect the communities of beauty and gaming while encouraging female gamers to find their Game Face.” The deal marks one of the first cross-industry campaigns between beauty and gaming, reaching more than 15 million women and will include a weekly video series capturing the beauty routines and real stories of four professional female gamers and streamers on Benefit’s Instagram and YouTube channels. The five women featured for this campaign are: Eleanor Barnes, @Snitchery, (host); Kristen Valnicek, @KittyPlays; Gina Darling, @MissGinaDarling; Nicki Taylor, @nickitaylor; and Jayden Diaz, @Your Princess.

Beasley Media Group named Lori Burgess as Chief Operating Officer at Beasley Esports. Burgess most recently served as Chief Digital Content Officer at Beasley Media Group. Previously, she worked as an integrated marketing strategy consultant on behalf of the company. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the company’s esports business.

Nerd Street Gamers announced a partnership with Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, a world-leader in orthopaedic care, to promote healthy habits for gamers of all ages and skill levels. This strategic partnership is being launched alongside the Philadelphia Fusion, who has named Rothman Orthopaedics as their Official Team Doctor. Under the terms of the partnership, Rothman Orthopaedics will sponsor Nerd Street Gamers Summer Camp series. Rothman Orthopaedics physicians will also hold seminars on gamer health at the camps and at Nerd Street Gamers’ Localhost venues in the Philadelphia area.

THE MAIN EVENT

Rutgers/Iowa on BTN at 9p.

In the Know
John McEnroe competed for which university? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
What was the name of Quebec’s NHL team? Answer: Nordiques. Kudos: Jim Bono-NBCU Hispanic Sports/NY; Bob Edwards-Giant Spoon/NY; Michael Doherty-BC Media/NY; Sean Walker-Omnicom/NY; Elaine Moy-Gederman-WJAR/Providence/New Bedford; Kathi Gillin-effectv/North Wales; Daniel Rioux-PUSH 22/Bingham Farms; Ken Nice-TeamPeople/DC; Mark Stulberger-Stully’s Broadcasting School/Houston; Matt Fumagalli-NBC/Chicago; T.K. Gore-Comscore/Chicago; John Ward-Gamut/Chicago; Bill Robertson-WCHA/Bloomington; Greg Moloznik-GLM Media/Scottsdale; Rich Wolfe-Lone Wolfe Press/Scottsdale; David Hauptman/Denver; Jim Seifert/Denver; John Baghdassarian-Olympusat/LA; Dave Sikula-San Francisco State University/San Francisco; Bob Ramsey/Palm Springs; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo; Jim Bernard-PRG/LA