| Google and Major League Baseball lined up a multi-year collaboration designed to “upgrade MLB’s business processes and support next-level experiences that inspire fans around the world.” Google Cloud will become MLB’s Official Cloud and Cloud Data and Analytics partner, with MLB’s business operations, including Statcast. Additionally, for a third season in a row, MLB will use Google Ad Manager and its Dynamic Ad Insertion feature to power its ads business. MLB will migrate its cloud and on-premise systems to Google Cloud and leverage Google’s industry-leading machine learning, analytics, application management, and data/video storage capabilities to increase reliability and manage governance at scale.
“Every season we work to apply emerging technology to engage and support our fans, clubs and broadcasters in new and exciting ways,” said Jason Gaedtke, MLB’s Chief Technology Officer. “MLB has enjoyed a strong partnership with Google based on Google Ad Manager’s live ad delivery with MLB.tv as well as YouTube’s strong fan engagement during exclusive live games. We are excited to strengthen this partnership by consolidating MLB infrastructure on Google Cloud and incorporating Google’s world-class machine learning technology to provide personalized and immersive fan experiences. We couldn’t have picked a better technology partner across ad delivery, streaming, cloud computing and machine learning.”
PROGRAMMING
The New York Yankees, Amazon Prime Video, and the YES Network are set to live stream 21 New York Yankees games this regular season on Prime Video, with no additional cost to Prime members. The first Yankees game on Prime Video is slated for April 17 with the face the Reds at 7p. Prime members throughout the Yankees home-team footprint, which includes New York state, Connecticut, northeast Pennsylvania, and north and central New Jersey, will have access to all 21 Yankees games on Prime Video this season. These will be simulcasts of games produced by YES for airing on PIX11 and other over-the-air partners for Yankees telecasts. Yankees games on Prime Video will feature Amazon’s exclusive X-Ray technology, which allows fans streaming on Android, iOS mobile, and Fire TV to access live in-game stats, team and player details, and real-time play-by-play information as they watch.
Major League Soccer reports upticks for its opening weekend ratings, including FOX where Atlanta’s win over Nashville drew the best-ever start to the season for MLS on FOX. The telecast hit 756,000 viewers and was up 3% over last year’s season average on FOX. On Univision, the company’s game coverage which was simulcast on TUDN, delivered 558,000 Total Viewers 2+ and 260,000 Adults 18-49 — making it the most watched among Total Viewers 2+ and second most-watched with Adults 18-49 ever on Univision networks. The game was up 57% over last year in total viewers.
Japan’s Olympic minister stated that the Tokyo 2020 Games could be moved from the summer until later in the year as a result of the coronavirus, according to the BBC. In an address to Japan’s parliament, Seiko Hashimoto said Tokyo’s contract with the IOC “calls for the Games to be held within 2020, noting that the wording could be interpreted as allowing a postponement.
Canada’s TSN and RDS cemented a new multi-year media rights extension with Formula 1, to make Bell Media’s sports networks continue to serve as the Canadian home of series through the 2024 season. Under the deal, TSN and RDS subscribers now have access to a lineup of F1 live feeds available through the networks’ digital platforms.
ESPN is reporting that Get Up has now had 12 straight months of rating growth, finishing February up 5% year over year. In addition, the show’s YouTube views are up 117% YoY (224M) and minutes are up 70% YoY (707M). “From the beginning, our whole team at Get Up has been focused on delivering the best show we can for our viewers, and we’re really energized by the steady growth we’re seeing,” said host Mike Greenberg. “It shows we’re evolving in a way that’s connecting with sports fans to give them the insight and information they are looking for, on the current stories they care most about.”
In other ratings news, Sunday’s men’s basketball game between No. 24 Wisconsin and Minnesota averaged 693,272 viewers on BTN to rank as the most-watched regular season game in network history as well as cable TV’s highest-rated college basketball game of the day. BTN’s coverage of men’s conference basketball games is now up 11% year-over-year, averaging 273,985 viewers per telecast.
SiriusXM is on deck to carry games from 26 different NCAA Division I college basketball conference tournaments this postseason, offering live play-by-play of more than 120 men’s and women’s conference tournament games to a nationwide audience. Subscribers will get every Men’s tournament game from the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC, and Mountain West conferences, and every game of the Women’s ACC and SEC Tournaments. SiriusXM will also air the Women’s tournament championship games from the Big East and Pac-12 Tournaments, as well as the Men’s championship games from the American Athletic, America East, Atlantic 10, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial Athletic, Ivy League, MAAC, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Southern and West Coast Tournaments. Conference tournament broadcasts heard on SiriusXM are provided by ESPN Radio, Westwood One, Learfield IMG College, and Compass Media.
The Chicago Fire announced that Arlo White, the lead play-by-play broadcaster for NBC’s coverage of the English Premier League, will join the broadcast team on WGN-TV this season. White will call Fire games during the Premier League offseason and his first match will be sometime in mid-May. He will also work on NBC’s soccer broadcasts during the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
FOX Sports will see heavyweight contender Dominic Breazeale serve as an analyst with host Kate Abdo for the FOX PBC Weigh-In on FS2 on Friday at 1p. Saturday’s FOX PBC Fight Night at 8p sees Joe Goossen and Brian Kenny call the action. |
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Cynopsis Sports Awards Breakfast
April 23, NYAC-NYC | Sponsored by: Twitch
Join your peers as we raise a glass to a year marked with intense competition, historic telecasts and exciting new ways to cover/view the games. Finalists will be announced next week (stay tuned), but we are excited to announced a few of our luminary honorees:
BRAND OF THE YEAR AWARD: Doritos
NAVIGATOR AWARD: Mark Silverman – Fox Sports
SENTINAL AWARD: Titus O’Neil – WWE |
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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Delta Air Lines completed a deal to become the official airline of the 2028 Olympic Games in LA. Delta Air Lines and LA28 committed to an eight-year partnership beginning in 2021, making Delta the inaugural founding partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028 and a supporter of the United States Olympic and Paralympic teams. “Delta is in the business of connecting people, and nothing brings the world together quite like the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “The dreams and big ideas born in Los Angeles inspire us to imagine a better future. Partnering with LA28 is an investment in LA’s future and a commitment to work together to create a more connected, equitable and sustainable world.”
The NHL, Men in Blazers and Jägermeister are teaming up to introduce the new interview series: Men in Blazers On Ice presented by Jägermeister. Every Wednesday at 1p starting today, the show will feature interviews with some of the NHL’s biggest stars, conducted by Roger Bennett and available for viewing on the NHL’s social and digital channels, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Meanwhile, Captain Morgan announced a multi-year partnership to become the official rum partner of MLS Canada. Dealpoints will see the brand build on an existing partnership with Toronto FC, while MLS and Captain Morgan collaborate on a multi-touchpoint marketing campaign. The campaign will extend to MLS venues through field-signage at MLS Canada’s three clubs. Captain Morgan will also be featured in broadcast ads on TSN and TVA sports, as well as MLS digital platforms.
Fashion brand Lilly Pulitzer is partnering with the WTA for a youth empowerment initiative, aimed to inspire “confidence and optimism in future generations” as part of Lilly’s new “Be the Sunshine” campaign. Lilly Pulitzer will also serve as the WTA’s exclusive fashion uniform provider throughout the 2020 season. Beginning this March, Lilly Pulitzer will outfit the WTA corporate courtside team members at tournaments, including chair umpire officials and the sport science and medicine team.
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
Microsoft Corp. and the NFL are expanding their partnership, with a multiyear deal that will look to help the entire NFL, including its coaches and players, be more efficient through enhanced communication and collaboration via Microsoft Surface devices and Microsoft Teams. “Since 2013, Microsoft has helped transform the NFL through technology around our game,” said Renie Anderson, chief revenue officer and executive vice president of NFL Partnerships. “Microsoft Surface has quickly become an authentic tool to the game of football and is vital during all NFL games for coaches, players and NFL Officials. And now by working together to integrate Microsoft Teams across the League, together we aim to improve on communications and collaboration in a modern way.”
Snapchat is reporting that more than 44 million unique viewers in the U.S. watched NBC Olympics-partnered content during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games from PyeongChang, marking growth of 25% over the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The company noted that the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics marks another milestone for the two companies, who will be bringing fans straight to the Games for a third consecutive time. Other stats included noted that the platform reaches 90% of 13-24 year-olds in the US, and 75% of 13-34 year-olds., with the community spending over 30 minutes a day on Snapchat on average.
Major League Baseball announced a new $1,000,000 fantasy game called “The Vault,” allowing fans to submit their predictions on who will lead Major League Baseball in nine statistical categories from 2020-2029. Participants can make their predictions on who will lead the following categories from 2020 through 2029: 1.Home Runs 2.Hits 3.Wins (Pitcher) 4.Strikeouts (Pitcher) 5.Team Wins 6.World Series Titles (Team) 7.MVP Awards 8.Cy Young Awards 9.All-Star Game Appearances.
ESPORTS
Newborn esports league FLASHPOINT unveiled its first sponsor in betting operator Pinnacle, which signed on to sponsor pre-show activities for featured matches and offer match odds for in-play betting in a move “to give CS:GO fans engaging interactivity during the season” beginning with the Pinnacle Open – a LAN qualifier consisting of eight teams competing at FACEIT’s Los Angeles facilities. “We are pleased to partner with Pinnacle who views our dream for a competitive, successful, fan-built CS: GO league.” said Kent Wakeford, co-founder of Gen.G, a founding team in the league. “We are confident that we will have one of the most exciting talent and players in the world.”
WorldGaming Network is powering the 2020 Blackhawks CHEL Tournament. Over the next two weeks, players will take to the ice in online matches to test their skills against the best ‘Chel’ players in the Chicago area. Competition runs march 7-8 for PlayStation 4 and March 14-15 on Xbox One.
THE MAIN EVENT
Villanova/Seton Hall on FS1 at 8:30p. |
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On This Day
1995: George Foreman is stripped of his WBA Championship belt for refusing to fight Tony Tucker.
In the Know
What is the oldest (active) Division I collegiate athletic conference in the US? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Which US President competed in the first two College World Series? Answer: George H W Bush. Kudos: Keith Marder-Halstead Real Estate/NY; Denis Barry-CBS/NY; Mike May-PHIT America/Wellington; Mike Seidel-CSI Sport/Jersey City Christopher Kull-The Nielsen Company/Oldsmar; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; John Ward-Gamut Total/Chicago; Rich Wolfe-Lone Wolfe Press/Scottsdale; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Anne Wettig-FOX/FOX Sports S&P/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank |
MGR, MEDIA RELATIONS
FX
LA
Mng daily implementation of public relations for assigned FX programs. Plan/implement press and PR-related objectives & programs, assisting with the strategic plan’g. 5 yr previous exp publicity at a network or agency pref’’d. Full info HERE (3/18)
SALES COORDINATOR >>
Dish Media/NY: Responsible for the daily account management and support to assigned Account Executives. Support 1-2 Account Executives and planners. Full info HERE (3/18)
MARKETING STRATEGY >>
MGR/Discovery/LA or NYC: Top creative to plan/execute campaigns on/off platforms to build awareness & drive engagement for the Discovery, Animal Planet & Science brands/shows. Analyze audience inside out to dvlp strong campaigns across on-air, cross and paid media 5+ yrs exp req’d. Full info HERE (3/18)
DIRECTOR, PAID MEDIA >>
STRATEGY/Discovery/NYC: Lead effort of all media strategy for a key group of networks, mktg counterparts & internal team to acquire consumers who will watch the Discovery networks on various devices while focusing on top level network analysis and more. 7+ yrs paid media plan’g exp req’d. Full info HERE (3/18)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DR >>
Fuse Media/NYC: Responsible for maintaining/growing our Direct Response business while working closely with internal depts to optimize inventory and maximize revenue to achieve quarterly and annual goals. Full info HERE (3/18)
DESIGNER ANIMATOR >>
A+E/NYC: Highly skilled 2d/3d Motion Designer/Animator to support growing team within Prod Operations. Create compelling, fresh design ideas and typography solutions that will help brand our Networks and be highly adept at broadcast design, branding, on-air & off-air design conventions & post-prod process. Min 5 yrs exp in Broadcast Design with a refined eye for design and extensive knowledge of Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Cinema 4D. APPLY HERE (3/18)
ASST MEDIA MANAGER (AMM) >>
Ad Council/NY: Seeking media strategist who is passionate about using their talent for social good work. The AMM is resp for assting day-to-day management of relats with pro-bono media agencies across all campaigns. Min 2 yrs exp in the media or adv. Must thrive on being organized/detail-oriented in a fast-paced and deadline-driven envir. Full info HERE (4/2)
MANAGER, AD SALES MKTG >>
Dish Media/NY: Looking for a smart, energetic and strategic thinker to drive awareness and rev for Dish and Sling in the advertising marketplace. Min 5 yrs in Advertising Sales or Marketing field with exp managing direct reports. Full info HERE (4/2)
SALES PLANNER >>
Dish Media/NY: Responsible for the overall support to the National Ad Sales, Pricing & Inv, Traffic, Rsrch & Mrkg with roles including creating and revising media plans/packages for clients. Minimum 2 yrs of Advertising Sales or media buying exp required. Full info HERE (4/2)
SUMMER INTERN >>
Dish Media/NY: Is looking the next generation of leaders. Interns will have the opportunity to work in Advertising Sales/ Marketing, Data Analytics/ Market Research, Pricing & Inventory/ Finance. Full time from 6/8-7/31. Plus competitive pay. Full Info HERE (4/2)
VP, SALES DEVELOPMENT >>
ION Media/NY: Looking for a dynamic and exp. sales leader to oversee the development of overall sales strategies in breaking new categories and bringing in new business. Min 10 yrs. of Sales Management exp. with a demonstrated ability to bring in new revenue. Full info HERE EOE (4/2)
DIGITAL MRKTG MGR >>
NBC Universal/Phila, PA: Seeking a superstar to join our high-performance sls team. Ideal candidate must have digital mrktg knowledge, excellent people and communication skills, superior “bandwidth”, and is true team player. Min 5yrs exp with a deep understanding of digital video selling. Full info HERE (4/2)
EMAIL MARKETING MGR >>
UNC-TV/RTP NC: Resp for managing UNC-TV’s email marketing channel incl communicating the brand through email campaigns, promoting shows and other station priorities. BA deg in mktg. Full info apply HERE (3/13)
WEBSITE MGR >>
UNC-TV/RTP NC: Resp for mngng website platform including development/execution of web strategy designed to communicate the brand, promote shows and other station priorities and engage audiences and more. BA Deg 2 yrs relevant exp. Full info apply HERE (3/13)
LEGAL COUNCIL (IN-HOUSE) >>
Glass Entertainment Group/Bala Cynwyd PA: Track and complete all contracts w/networks, talent and clients. Supervise all release materials & prod contracts w/third parties involved in our productions. 5yrs legal exp as well as 1yr of entertainment law experience req’d. Full info/apply HERE (3/13)
SR ANALYST >>
Endeavor/Beverly Hills CA: Using the research from analyzing TV (brdcst, cable, OTT) content, digital & social media to dvlp sales, mktg & prgrmng strategies & materials. 2+yrs work exp @ media co. (TV network, studio, SVOD service or ad agency) or research supplier. Solid knwldg of ad-supported TV. Full info HERE (3/13)
SR RESEARCH ANALYST >>
Sesame Workshop/NY: Resp for focusing on domestic initiatives, incl video, digital & outreach projects for Sesame Street & other properties. Social science rsrch lab & working directly w/preschool-age children exp. 3 yrs exp at non-profit, academic or educationally-oriented institution. Full info HERE (3/12)
VP, COMMUNICATIONS >>
BBC Studios/LA: Design/implement wide-ranging communications plan for BBC Studios production unit. Raise our profile of the business and its executives thru industry PR activities & publicity – incl trade press and award campaigns. Min 6-8 yrs exp in industry and/or field. Full info HERE (3/11)
PAID MEDIA STRATEGIST >>
DISCOVERY/NYC: Proven media strategist to develop plans that are both strategic and data-driven, with the goal of acquiring consumers to watch the various Discovery networks on our emerging direct-to-consumer platforms. 2+ yrs media planning experience required. Full info HERE (3/11)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DR >>
Marathon Ventures/NYC: Maintain/develop our DR acct business while working in collaboration w/internal depts to minimize risk & maximize revenue on current & future business transactions. Success record selling TV inventory to nat’l advertisers in the branding & DR marketplace. Full info HERE (3/11)
CHANNEL BRANDING SYSTEMS COORDINATOR >>
ION/CLW: Assist with design and scheduling of graphics for real-time play-out. 3-5 yrs. exp. in Graphic Design. Organization skills req. Knowledge of After Effects, Photoshop a must, SQL Database a plus. Click HERE to apply. EOE (3/11)
MEDIA DISTRIBUTION DEALS & PARTNER MANAGEMENT >>
NBA/NYC: Focus on deal support & acct mngmnt for numerous NBA media partners. Ability to handle rsrch & analysis of media landscape independently to provide support to team for more complex negotiations. Min 4-6yrs supporting negotiation of media dist deals. Full info HERE (3/11)
TRAFFIC COORDINATOR >>
Ovation/NYC: FT/freelance. Tech-savvy person w/willingness to learn responsible for seeing that all commercials on Ovation air have correct continuity and are dubbed correctly and in time for airing deadlines. Full info/apply HERE (3/11)
CURRENT AFFAIRS PRODUCER >>
HITN/Brooklyn NY: Producer to Write engaging/accurate copy quickly. High-level knowledge of the Adobe Creative Cloud Editing Suite, After Effects, file-based prod workflows, on camera interview techniques, well as camera technology, lighting & audio. 2-3 yrs exp in brdcst journalism. Full info HERE (3/10)
PRODUCER, MARKETING & PROMOTION >>
NBC Sports/Stamford CT: Collaborate on the creation of promotional content for NBC Sports. Candidate should bring an exciting, vibrant approach to the content creation team. Highly qualified story tell w/min 5 yrs brdcst or cable network prod exp. Full info HERE (3/10)
TRAFFIC ASSISTANT >>
NBCU TLM KVDA/San Antonio TX: Maintain accurate local program schedule & formatting in WideOrbit. Min 1-3 yrs exp in Broadcast Traffic and working exp in Broadcast Traffic systems (WideOrbit, OSI etc.) Strong verbal & written communication skills. Full info HERE (3/10)
SR DIRECTOR, CONSUMER MARKETING >>
INSP/Charlotte NC: Support VP & EVP w/dvlpmnt of strategic positioning for new & returning series and films: determine the target audience, and establish marketing objectives and strategies. 7-10 yrs exp entertainment, brand mktg, advertising cable/streaming. Full info HERE (3/10)
ASSISTANT, SUPPORTING 2 VP’S >>
9 Story Media Group/NYC: Assistant to support two VPs in Consumer Products division. Candidate w/take charge attitude, great communication skills and ability to work fast paced envir working w/mult depts. Full info HERE (3/6)
SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST >>
VENN/LA: New 24/7 post-cable network aimed at gaming, esports and entertainment audiences seeks candidate who is fan of gaming & pop culture to develop, plan and execute VENN socials. 3+yrs running brand socials w/exp in paid/organic and editing/photography skills pref’d. Full info HERE (3/6)
SR DIRECTOR, PROGRAM PLANNING >>
HGTV/NYC. Looking for an energetic strong leader with a background in network research, scheduling and programming strategy to develop and execute network strategies. 7-10 years exp. APPLY HERE (3/6)
MGR, PROCUREMENT & ANALYTICS >>
A+E/NY: Provide analytical, coordination & project mgmt support, incl strategic sourcing, category mgmt, supplier relationship mgmt, contract mgmt, compliance & transaction procurement in building a best-in-class procurement function. YOU NEED: Degree in Bus, Finance or Engineering, min 3 yrs relevant exp in procurement, strong PM skills. Full info HERE (3/6) |
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