02/21/19: Bleacher Report's new champion

Good morning. It’s Thursday February 21, 2019 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

Turner Sports named Howard Mittman to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Bleacher Report. Mittman, who has held a dual role as Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of B/R since August 2017, will report to current B/R CEO and Founder Dave Finocchio until Finocchio’s departure from the company this June. Mittman will then report to Matt Hong, Chief Operating Officer, Turner Sports.

“Howard has a wealth of industry experience to match his creativity, innovative thinking and unwavering passion for the Bleacher Report brand,” said Matt Hong, Chief Operating Officer, Turner Sports. “We’re confident in his abilities to lead the rapidly growing B/R business, and the talented team of people who work on B/R and House of Highlights every day, as we further deepen our connection with sports fans and create new experiences centered on the vibrant intersection of sports and culture.”

PROGRAMMING

The National Women’s Soccer League and A+E Networks are severing their equity partnership and rights deal that they agreed to in 2017. According to ESPN, A+E will remain a sponsor of the NWSL, through its cable channel Lifetime which has been the league’s main national TV home for the last two years. However, the network is returning its 25% equity stake in the league and a 50% equity stake in NWSL Media. NWSL execs said that a new national TV partner will be announced “in the coming weeks.”

The United Soccer League and ESPN locked in a deal to bring every game of USL League One’s inaugural 2019 season to ESPN+, with the regular season kicking off the weekend of March 29-30. The addition of League One’s 2019 regular season and postseason schedules to the platform, results in more than 700 games across the USL Championship and League One on ESPN+ in the 2019 season. The games will be produced by USL Productions.

Boxeo Telemundo is set to celebrate 30 years on the air, serving as the longest-running sports program in Spanish-language television. The show returns to Telemundo with the first event of the year tomorrow at 11:30p, offering a new look, and a line-up of special segments and content celebrating the most memorable moments of the show over the last three decades. “We are proud of the successful run Boxeo Telemundo has had over the last 30 years bringing boxing fans the best of up-and-coming Hispanic contenders vying for championship titles,” said Ray Warren, President of Telemundo Deportes. “We look forward to continue serving our fans with the best boxing as part of our efforts to continue positioning Telemundo Deportes as the leading Spanish-language destination for the Biggest, Best, Global sports events.”

NESN, the official home of the Boston Red Sox, announced changes to the network’s lineup of Red Sox broadcasters for 2019. NESN will employ a three-man booth up to 30 times this season featuring Jerry Remy and Dennis Eckersley working alongside play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien. Former Red Sox players and MLB veterans Carlos Pena and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be joining NESN this season to serve as color analysts for select games during both Spring Training and the regular season.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

ESPORTS UPFRONT

Monday, April 15 | New York City

The event is back by popular demand! Cynopsis, along with our friends from Player2 + Esports Ad Bureau, will host decision makers from brands and media agencies in an intimate setting to hear presentations from esports properties. Last year’s line-up included: MLG/Overwatch, Counter Logic Gaming / Madison Square Garden, ELEAGUE, Press X, and other industry leaders.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The NFL signed on as title sponsor of the third annual Historic Black Colleges and Universities Battle of the Brains, set to take place March 7-10 in Austin during South by Southwest. “The NFL is honored and excited to return as a sponsor of the HBCU Battle of the Brains event,” said David Jurenka, NFL Senior Vice President of Digital Media. “We saw firsthand last year how this event shines a light on the incredibly gifted young minds that will undoubtedly have an impact on the future of various industries, including ours. The creativity and enthusiasm surrounding this event is truly inspiring, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to engage and interact with these students.”

ONE Championship announced a collaboration with Mark Ong, an internationally renowned Singaporean designer, artist and owner of custom design company SBTG Surplus & Co. “It is with great excitement that I announce this collaboration between ONE Championship and SBTG. When ONE first launched its athleisure business in 2018, we mentioned working with world-renowned streetwear and lifestyle artists to create unique designs that represent the ONE brand,” said Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship. “With this collaboration, ONE Championship continues to expand the boundaries of a traditional sports property, weaving itself as a thread in the fabric of Asian society. We hope to inspire not just ONE Championship fans all across the world, but also fans across the art, design, streetwear, sneaker customization, skateboarding, and lifestyle spheres that are defining youth culture.”

Catching up on local partnerships, the LA Galaxy and the team’s home stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park, named Mezcal El Silencio, a specially crafted, Los Angeles-based mezcal label, as a strategic new partner. The multi-year agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, makes Silencio the exclusive mezcal of both the multi-use sports stadium and the Los Angeles MLS team. Silencio is the first mezcal ever to strike a partnership of this kind with a professional sports team.

Nashville’s MLS team unveiled their new logo and moniker a year before entering the league and will be known as the Nashville Soccer Club.

Integrated sports management brand TeamSnap extended its partnership with Rugby NorCal. With the extension, TeamSnap becomes Rugby NorCal’s preferred team and sports organization management platform.

Australian beef brand Four’N Twenty tied up a partnership with the 76ers, running three years and set to launch tonight during their game. In celebration, Four’N Twenty will unveil a new advertising campaign titled, Your Ice-Cold Beer’s New Best Friend, at the arena.

DIGITAL, DATA & STREAMING

Yahoo Sports and NBC Sports Group announced a renewal of their multifaceted alliance that “will continue driving best-in-class experiences around mobile sports, leveraging Yahoo Sports’ leading mobile experience for sports fans, the Yahoo Sports App” with the partnership designed to create more impactful editorial collaboration, particularly targeting major coverage for NBC Sports’ and Yahoo Sports’ audiences that include NFL, NHL, Premier League, motorsports, golf, horse racing, and local team and regional sports. Additional features of the alliance include live sports, deeper, editorial and programming integrations for Golf Channel, RSNs providing regional and team-specific news and video as well as Rotoworld + Yahoo Sports Fantasy Games.

ESPORTS

In this week’s edition of Cynopsis Esports…

Motorsport hits the gas on Codemasters partnership
Updates from Katowice
Magic’s 2019 Spell
Taking measure of OWL and LCS
TwitchCon’s 2019 plans
Scoping Apex Legends
Ninja’s Toy Box

INDUSTRY/ROSTER MOVES

SeventySix Capital announced that they’ve participated in the latest round of funding into Diamond Kinetics, an emerging baseball and softball technology company. “Because of my professional baseball career and transition to an investor in the latest and greatest sports tech – there’s definitely no shortage of sports tech startups that have come our way.” said SeventySix Capital’s Ryan Howard. “The more I got to know C.J. and the team, learn about their business and see the Diamond Kinetics products in action, the more excited I became to support what they’re building. From the lens of both a player and a parent, I’m confident that Diamond Kinetics is the future of baseball.”

THE MAIN EVENT

Celtics/Bucks on TNT at 8p.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

JUST ANNOUNCED

Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference

Tuesday, June 11 / 11:30AM – 5:00PM / CNVS, NYC

VIEW FULL AGENDA / VIEW SPEAKER ROSTER / REGISTER YOUR TEAM

ON THIS DAY in 1948: NASCAR is incorporated.

In the Know: In the series Cheers, which position did Sam Malone once play? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Which pitcher is the all-time career wins leader for the San Diego Padres? Answer: Eric Show. Kudos: Michael Ritz-Northwestern Mutual/NY; Bob Dudelson-Leverage Agency/NY; Denis Barry-CBS/NY; Brian Traynor-Endeavor/NY; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Scott Running-Stafford Motor Speedway/Stafford Springs; JT Ward-University of Dayton/Dayton; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Tom Moore -Kalt Productions/LA; Brian Robin-Pechanga Resort Casino/Temecula; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
Diane K Schwartz Senior Vice President Media Communications Group	Roberta Caploe Publisher @robertacaploe	Cynopsis Ad Sales Mike Farina \| 203-218-6480 VP, Sales	Albert Nassour \| 917-545-3129 Director, Strategic Partnerships	Cynopsis Job Listings Sales Trish Pihonak \| 203-899-8459 Director of Operations

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JOB OF THE DAY

MGR. AD SALES PARTNERSHIPS
A+E Networks
NY

Establish the strategy & manage the departmental activities for monetizing network content & assets to drive national ad sales revenue for A+E Networks.

Full Info/Apply: HERE

AD SALES PLANNER/SiriusXM/NYC: Motivated, detail-oriented, organized w/ strong communication skills & displays a willingness to learn and grow in a fast-paced work environment. 3+yrs of exp in media advertising (radio and/or pricing & planning/sales analysis a strong +). Full info HERE (3/7)

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/GLOW/NYC:Help lead a team of Art Dir, Designers & Motion Designers to develop strong visual narratives that unfold over the course of a campaign. 4-6yrs exp (agency preferred; CPG exp a +) Passion for emerging tech & wide-ranging exp w/ classics (Adobe Creative Suite) Full info HERE (3/2)

SR REPRESENTATIVE, GLOBAL PROMOTIONS/Universal Parks & Resorts/NYC: Mng activity for media promotions in top regional US mkts, internat’l business & TV dvlpmnt projects. Oversee daily project management & execution of Global Media Promotions. 4-7 yrs mktg exp req’d; or equivalent combination of education and exp. Full info HERE (3/1)

MGR. AD SALES PARTNERSHIPS/A+E Networks/NY: Establish the strategy & manage the departmental activities for monetizing network content & assets to drive national ad sales revenue for A+E Networks. Full Info/Apply: HERE (2/28)

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR/TV one/New York: Responsible for selling the brand strength of the TV One and Cleo TV to advertisers and agencies. Knowledge of cable industry (particular as it relates to AA demo). Strong verbal, written comm, negotiation and presentation skills. Knowledge of project mgmt methods and techniques. 20-30% domestic travel. FULL info HERE (2/28)

VP, ORIGINAL SCRIPTED/ION Media/New York: Candidates must be able to solicit orig scripted programming and evaluate new submissions. Manage orig dev including review series bible, outlines and scripts. Oversee all stages of production. Candidate must have a min 7 yrs experience in television scripted series dev with either a prod co/network in dev and producing scripted shows for networks, particularly dramas. FULL info HERE (2/28)

DIR, SALES DEVELOPMENT, DIGITAL INDUSTRY/ION Media/New York: Seeking sales prof with a focus on adv sales on ION’s broadcast TV platform to the Digital Tech industry. Responsible for generating new adv accts and rev for ION Television. Must have 10yrs TV selling or related advertising sales experience, with knwl of consumer-oriented tech companies and strong client contacts. FULL info HERE (2/28)

Sr WEB MGR /Vin Di Bona Productions/LA: Manage and grow VDBP portfolio of web properties. Develop and manage VDBP digital products (email newsletters, merch store, apps). 5+ yrs of work exp specifically doing digital creative project/prod management. Full info HERE (2/27)

SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/WSNS Telemundo TV/Chicago: Exp’d & dynamic sales person to negotiate/sell multi-platform solutions incl TV, digital & experiential opps. Min 3 yrs exp work in TV sales or other area of Media Sales incl prospecting new clients & negotiating business proposals/closing deals. FULL info HERE (2/27)

DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SALES RESEARCH/The CW Network/NYC: The CW Network seeks a Director, Digital Sales Research for their Media Sales & Planning team. Must have 6+ years digital research experience. Full info/apply HERE (2/27)

VP, L&BA/A+E/LA: Draft & negotiate agreements relating to the development, licensing, and/or prod of scripted programming for A+E Networks portfolio including A+E Studios. 7+ yrs legal exp with a minimum of 3 yrs at a studio or network. Must have scripted exp and be a member of CA or NY Bar(s). Apply HERE (2/26)

VP, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/Discovery/LA: Handle deal negotiations, provide legal advice/guidance & draft/review agreements for Discovery Studios prog/prod transactions. 8+ yrs exp working in-house at entertainment company. Full info HERE (2/26)

LEGAL ADMIN ASST/Reavis Page Jump LLP/NYC: Exp’d admin asst to work w/our attorneys (incl head of entertainment group) fast-paced high-quality collaborative setting. Fast-thinking take ownership type of person for this role to support 2 partners & 1 assoc. 3-5 yrs solid legal support exp a must. Full info HERE (2/26)

LEGAL ASSOCIATE/Reavis Page Jump LLP/NYC: Exp’d associate to work w/head of Media&ent group. Resp for structuring /reviewing/drafting/negotiating transactions primarily in film, TV & new media. 4-6 yrs legal exp and excellent academic history. Full info HERE (2/23)

MGR, DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY/Viacom/NYC: Lead dvlpmnt/implementation of new products & business models that Viacom &/or its distribution partners can pursue to generate value. 2-3 yrs Corp Strategy/Bus. Dvlpmnt, Investment Banking, or Strategy Consulting. Deep understanding/passion for media mkt trends. Full info HERE (2/23)

SR DIRECTOR, SEARCH & PROGRAMMATIC AUDIENCE BUYING/NBCU/Universal City CA: Resp for the planning and execution of all search and programmatic planning and buying. Min 10yrs exp in media/search/paid digital agency, advertising agency, direct marketing, cable/broadcasting or similar media envir. Full info/apply HERE (2/23)

MGR, SEARCH & PROGRAMMATIC AUDIENCE BUYING/NBCU/Universal City: Assist the Sr. Director, Search & Programmatic Audience Buying in the planning and execution of all search and programmatic efforts for NBC. Min 3yrs exp executing programmatic campaigns. HERE (2/22)

MANAGER, SOCIAL AUDIENCE BUYING/NBC Entertainment/Universal City CA: Assist the Director, Social Audience Buying with the planning and execution of all social planning and buying. Min 3 yrs of exp in media/social/paid digital agency, advertising agency, direct marketing, cable/broadcasting or similar media environment. Full info HERE (2/22)

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