NBC Olympics has officially topped the $900 million threshold in national ad sales for the Winter Games in PyeongChang. “We have surpassed $900 million in national ad sales for PyeongChang 2018, a Winter Games record,” said Dan Lovinger, EVP, Advertising Sales, NBC Sports Group. “Advertisers continue to support the Olympics because they recognize the unparalleled value and reach it provides over 18 days and nights. We look forward to adding to this milestone as the drama of the Games unfolds over the next few weeks.”
College football is getting a new look to celebrate its 150th anniversary complete with the release of the campaign logo. In addition, CFB150 has announced a partnership with The Marketing Arm to assist with all facets of the upcoming anniversary. The first college football game was played on Nov. 6, 1869 – between Princeton University and Rutgers University.
The Ivy League announced a multiyear relationship with Porsche to be an Official Partner of the Ivy League. JMI Sports, the official marketing rights agency of the Ivy League, negotiated the agreement with Porsche Cars North America and Excel Sports Management and the deal will see Porsche activate at major Ivy League events, including the Ivy League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments on March 10 and 11. Leading up to and following the Ivy League Basketball Tournament, Porsche will have a year-round presence at championships and other Ivy League events. As part of the deal, Porsche will also be an Official Sponsor of Penn Athletics.
DRAGONFLi Media has opened its doors, led by a team that includes Adam Comey (MSI and MSI Live CEO/co-founder), Michael Jaquet (U.S. Ski and Snowboard former CMO) along with Adjacency Partners co-founders Bryan Johnston (GoPro, NIKE, UFC) and Tom Arrix (Facebook). The company will look to enable brands to “produce, manage, and distribute video content to targeted or highly-distributed channels.” Additionally, the company provides end-to-end solutions connecting clients with consumers through brand strategy, experiences, and engagement. Dragonfli Media’s array of vertically integrated services and platforms are currently contracted by clients including Facebook, Major League Rugby, Sony, Toyota, Red Bull, Burton, Lexus, and others.
All three of Chicagoland Speedway’s NASCAR races this year will be sponsored by Overton’s, the track announced. This year’s races will include the June 29 Camping World Truck Series race (Overton’s 225), the June 30 Xfinity race (Overton’s 300) and the July 1 Cup race (Overton’s 400).
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott told Sportcal that the league’s platform positioned is poised to pay off as the media landscape continues to change. While the Pac-12 Networks carries a minimum of 850 live events a year, Scott noted that the league will look to take advantage of the rise of media rights players such as Amazon, Facebook and Google moving forward. “There’s a toggle between maximizing your revenue and control. We saw significant non-financial benefits by being able to control our programming and have a distribution platform, and in the future we would develop this know-how, expertise and the relationships so that when our rights do become available [in 2024] and we’re weighing up the different approaches, we are going to be far ahead of the game compared with others that do not own their own content.”
Stadium’s telecast of ODU/LA Tech on Facebook this Saturday will see former Florida State WBB player Angel Gray become the first woman to work as an analyst for Stadium on a men’s basketball event. Gray will join play-by-play announcer Chris Hassel and sideline reporter Laura Britt at 7p on the platform.
The Men’s League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and UNRL are opening the Official WCHA Online Store. The new online shop will offer fans exclusive, co-branded headwear and apparel featuring the logos and colors of all 10 WCHA Men’s League member institutions. “We are extremely pleased to bring the terrific craftmanship and inspired design of UNRL merchandise to WCHA fans,” said WCHA President and Men’s League Commissioner Bill Robertson. “Locally, we have watched UNRL grow and thrive with its ‘State of Hockey’ line. Partnering with them for participant gifts at the 2017 WCHA Championship, we saw how well the UNRL aesthetic resonates with men and women of all ages. Now, it is thrilling to bring their spin on athletic clothing to all of our fans.”
100 Thieves named John Robinson as the team’s first President and Chief Operating Officer. Robinson will be charged with growing monetization capabilities and partnerships for the organization.
ELEAGUE offers fans access to six elite Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams with the debut of ELEAGUE | Road to the Boston Major tonight at 10p on TBS. The five-part documentary series will provide a unique look at player and team dynamics as it follows each squad throughout their training for and competition at The ELEAGUE Major: Boston.
WWE promoted George Barrios and Michelle Wilson to Co-Presidents with both executives appointed to WWE’s Board of Directors. Barrios and Wilson will continue to report directly to McMahon. “The successful transformation of our business model has put us in a position to capitalize on all that the changing global media landscape has to offer,” said WWE Chairman & CEO, Vince McMahon. “I am confident that our executive management team, led by Michelle and George, will achieve continued success across key strategic initiatives and ensure our long-term growth.”
Mike Tirico and Katie Couric host coverage of the Opening Ceremony tonight at 8p on NBC.
