Apple signed on with Major League Baseball to present Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader that will include live pre- and postgame shows that will be available to fans in eight countries exclusively on Apple TV+ once the regular season begins. US fans will also receive MLB Big Inning, a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season in addition to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more.

“Just like all baseball fans, we can’t wait for the season to open,” said Peter Stern, Apple’s vice president of Services. “Baseball has a special place in the heart of so many Apple customers — not just in the United States, but in many countries around the world. We’re proud to make Apple TV+ the home for great baseball moments throughout the season.”

“Apple is the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “Following milestones like the launch of At Bat on day one of the App Store in 2008 to the integration of Apple technology in ballparks across the country, this robust new game package is the perfect next collaboration in our long history of offering quality and innovative content to our fans. With national availability and international reach, MLB on Apple TV+ offers an exciting new platform to fans that allows a wider audience to connect with the game.”

PROGRAMMING

Turner Sports and CBS Sports sealed their lineup of announcers for coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, beginning March 15 with the NCAA First Four on truTV. This year’s NCAA Men’s Final Four National Semifinals (April 2) and National Championship (April 4) will be called by Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery and reporter Tracy Wolfson on TBS. Ernie Johnson and Greg Gumbel will again host studio coverage from New York during the first full week of the tournament, joined by Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith and Wally Szczerbiak. Johnson will host studio coverage from Atlanta during the second week of tournament action on Thursday and Friday, while Gumbel will anchor coverage from CBS Studios.

ESPN revealed programming for Fifty/50, a new initiative the showcases the civil rights journey of women across the sports and cultural landscape with elements launching across The Walt Disney Company. The initiative commemorates the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX, and throughout June, the company will present content and experiences that include “37 Words,” a four-part documentary series chronicling the battle of equal rights in education and athletics from award-winning directors Dawn Porter (“John Lewis: Good Trouble”) and Nicole Newnham (“Crip Camp”); “Dream On,” the story of the 1996 United States Women’s Olympic basketball team; and the Fifty/50 Shorts, five short films presented by W. As part of its commitment to girls and women in sports, ESPN also is continuing its long partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sports 4 Life program, which has enabled over 69,000 girls to play since 2013. Fifty/50 is presented by Champion and Google.

Amazon and Universal Tennis announced a media rights deal and investment designed to “drive positive, innovative changes to the sport of tennis. As part of the agreement, Prime Video will become the home of the UTR Pro Tennis Tour events. Launching in 2021, the PTT completed over 185 events and 10,000 professional matches in 15 countries across 4 continents.

NBC Sports takes on the 2022 PLAYERS Championship with nearly 150 hours of coverage across NBC, GOLF Channel and Peacock this week. NBC Sports will leverage over 30 on-air commentators spanning live tournament and studio coverage throughout the week, including lead play-by-play commentator Dan Hicks. Mike Tirico hosts. Live tournament coverage on GOLF Channel begins Thursday and Friday at Noon, with NBC and Peacock carrying exclusive live weekend coverage beginning both days at 1p.

Meanwhile, GOLF Channel will present exclusive live coverage of the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony today beginning at 6p. Tiger Woods headlines this year’s class of inductees alongside Susie Maxwell Berning, Marion Hollins, and Tim Finchem. Features on all four inductees voiced by Rich Lerner will be shown throughout GOLF Channel’s coverage this week and leading into Wednesday night’s coverage of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will be hosted by GOLF Channel’s David Feherty.

The new United States Football League rolled out its regular- and postseason television schedule, running across FOX Sports and NBC Sports, which will combine to present all 43 games live this inaugural season. Overall, there will be 18 primetime broadcasts. For the 2022 USFL season, FOX Sports will carry 22 games split between FOX (14) and FS1 (8), and NBC Sports will present 22 games on NBC (9), USA Network (9), and Peacock (4), which will also stream all games broadcast on NBC.

The 2021-22 Big Ten women’s basketball season on the Big Ten Network saw its best outing ever, up 41% from the previous mark set in the 2019-20 season, and including the most watched Big Ten women’s basketball tournament in network history. The tournament delivered BTN’s two highest-rated games ever, with Thursday’s quarterfinal between Michigan and Nebraska earning 238,000 viewers in a record-breaking performance, only to be surpassed the following night by Iowa and Nebraska’s semifinal game with 286,000 viewers. In total, the 2022 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Presented by TIAA averaged 120,000 viewers per game, an increase of 76% from the previous record set in 2017. Throughout the entire season, Big Ten women’s basketball on the network averaged 70,000 viewers, up 41% from 2019-20.

ESPN Events announced the tournament fields for five of its 11 owned and operated events during the 2022-23 college basketball season. The Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, Myrtle Beach Invitational, ESPN Events Invitational and Paycom Wooden Legacy will again be part of ESPN’s Feast Week programming this fall, while the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will take place during Christmas week. The eight-team men’s college basketball tournaments (Charleston, Myrtle, ESPN Events and Diamond Head) will feature 12 games through three days, while the Paycom Wooden Legacy will include four teams and four games.

ESPN saw NBA Analyst Doris Burke renew her deal in a multi-year extension. With the deal, Burke will continue her assignments, including ESPN and ABC NBA games throughout the regular season and NBA Playoffs; NBA Finals on ESPN Radio; and NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC

Meanwhile, Tennis Channel is adding former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki to its coverage of the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open, set to begin today at 1p. The 2018 Australian Open champion will provide analysis during both March events, In all, Tennis Channel will provide more than 235 hours of combined live coverage from Indian Wells and Miami, with another 320 hours of encore matches for a total of more than 550 hours.

NBC Sports is becoming the exclusive home of the Women’s Tour de France in the United States on Peacock and CNBC beginning in July. The event, running July 24-31, will be held for the for the first time in 33 years after the previous iteration of the race ran annually from 1984-1989 and cover 751 miles. “I am delighted that NBC Sports is joining the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift broadcasters,” said Marion Rousse, Director of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. “For the two first editions of the event, NBC Sports will provide women’s racing with the know-how it displays each year in its coverage of the Tour de France, and bring the excitement of the race to fans across the United States. NBC Sports thus participates in the birth of possible vocations among young women, in a country where female cycling already occupies an important place.”

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The NHL delivered a new brand identity and logo for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final, unveiling new creative that will be showcased throughout the postseason, including in-arena, on-ice, in game broadcasts, on a variety of official NHL merchandise, at retail, and in digital and social media content. Following an extensive re-design process spearheaded by NHL Creative Services, in collaboration with Fanbrandz Design, the new brand identity and logo system features a “detailed illustration of the Stanley Cup and its engravings, all anchored in the shape of a championship rafter banner.” “This reimagining of the Stanley Cup brand is a culmination of several years of creative work intended to celebrate our symbol of hockey excellence,” said NHL Chief Brand Officer and Senior Executive Vice President Brian Jennings. “This modern brand identity and logo system is being introduced at this exciting time in the NHL’s history where new and historic teams led by a generational group of superstar players compete for the Stanley Cup, the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. All players dream of having their name engraved in immortality and it is every NHL team’s mission to raise a championship banner, and we wanted to visually capture and evoke the majesty of Lord Stanley in a manner that both respects the history and represents of the future of this great game.”

Speaking of brand overhauls, NBC Sports and the PGA TOUR have unveiled the new logo and brand mark for GOLF Channel: Home of the PGA TOUR, which incorporates the GOLF Channel logo with the PGA TOUR “swingman.” “This is an incredible opportunity to bring golf’s iconic brands together,” said Jenny Storms, CMO, NBC Entertainment and Sports. “GOLF Channel is the TV home of golf in the U.S., and the PGA TOUR is home to the best male golfers on the planet. This new GOLF Channel logo represents the strong partnership between NBC Sports and the PGA TOUR and galvanizes the power of these brands.”

The LPGA and LET revealed that Velocity Global, the Official Global Work Platform of both Tours, will sponsor the Velocity Global Impact Award. The honor will celebrate players who have helped to grow the sport of golf and to inspire the next generation of athletes to have a positive impact on the world. The winner will be announced annually on International Women’s Day, March 8.

Energy drink brand C4 Energy is partnering with former Seattle Seahawks running back, Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is joining the team as the face of the C4 Energy x SKITTLES collaboration campaign.

The National Women’s Soccer League booked Delta Air Lines as the league’s official airline and travel partner. As the first-ever airline sponsor of the NWSL, Delta will work with the league to support its athletes through women’s empowerment programs and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives. The multi-year partnership will also include various opportunities for fan engagement events in addition to programming surrounding empowerment and DE&I.

On the eve of its 10th staging, Tie Break Tens announced that VOSS Water will return as its official bottled water. Tie Break Tens (TB10) tournaments are held over one evening and involve eight players competing in a knock-out format, with each match consisting of a super tie-break to ten points. Following successful tournaments in London, Vienna, Madrid, Melbourne, Madison Square Garden in New York, Indian Wells Tennis Garden and Dubai, Tie Break Tens are heading back to the desert for their second tournament in Indian Wells and their first women’s tournament there, ahead of the BNP Paribas Open.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

ESPN Fantasy is launching ESPN Fantasy Women’s Basketball next month, described as the first full-scale, season-long fantasy game dedicated to a major women’s sport and offering customizable settings for the number of teams per league, scoring formats, player rosters, and public and private league options, as well as ESPN+ Exclusive Leagues.

FITE is expanding FITE 24/7 into FITE’s first FAST channel in partnership with Dooya Media Group. The Free Ad-Supported TV channel will use Dooya’s FASTCast process to provide cable-quality distribution and monetization to traditional cable operators as well as OTT platforms and connected televisions. “FITE’s content is timely and thrilling, and it carries with it a ferociously engaged fan base,” said Dooya CEO John T. Wells. “These elements are a winning combination in OTT, where we can be nimble in programming and advertising, responding quickly to trends in viewers’ interest and in the marketplace overall. We’re extremely excited to jump in the ring with FITE.”

Tennis Channel and Samsung’s free streaming service, Samsung TV Plus are launching a new television channel in the US, titled T2. The new, youth-oriented channel is distinct from Tennis Channel’s linear television network, online platforms and print magazine in its content, tone, look and feel and will include matches from the men’s and women’s professional tennis tours – the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association – as well as select matches from the French Open and International Tennis Federation events.

The Canadian Elite Basketball League is taking its rights to market for a partnership with a sports betting operator. The league has selected ThePostGame, the U.S.-based sports consultancy and content studio, to represent its slate of betting and media rights.

The Pac-12 Conference and WSC Sports jointly announced that the pair are teaming to bring automated video highlights in real-time directly to fans via its social media channels, Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now app. The Pac-12 is currently utilizing WSC Sports to scale up the production of highlights content for its football and men’s and women’s basketball game broadcasts.

ESPORTS

FaZe Clan revealed that Snoop Dogg will become a member of FaZe Clan’s talent network and, upon closing of the previously announced business combination with B. Riley Principal 150 Merger Corp. will join FaZe Clan’s board of directors, representing the team with the official name “FaZe Snoop.” He will co-create content, participate in key business initiatives, and launch merchandise with the brand while appearing across FaZe Clan’s platform. “It only makes sense to partner with FaZe Clan as both a team member and on the Board of Directors,” said Snoop Dogg, Entertainment Icon. “The youth identifies with their brand and that’s something my son Cordell knew, which is why he brought us together.”

Major League Soccer and Electronic Arts rolled out plans for the 2022 eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola. In collaboration with Austin FC, the competition will take place on March 13 as an official event of SXSW. At eMLS Cup, North America’s top 12 competitors – each representing an MLS Club – will compete under the lights on the main stage of ACL Live for the final trophy of the eMLS season. The top three finishers will additionally earn direct invites to the EA SPORTS FIFA 22 Global Series Playoffs. During eMLS Cup, attendees can expect a collection of in-person activations, including customizing limited-edition eMLS kits, printing their own stats on custom EA SPORTS FIFA Ultimate Team-style cards, testing their EA SPORTS FIFA skills in gaming pods, and enjoying a special musical performance on stage.

ESL Gaming is teaming with Qualcomm Technologies to push mobile esports. The multi-year agreement will see The Snapdragon Pro Series serve as a “comprehensive global mobile esports ecosystem,” with tournaments in North America, Europe, the Middle-East, China, North Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Snapdragon Pro Series will launch a premier global, multi-genre mobile esports competition, culminating in an epic live Masters final event with competitors competing for a share of an estimated $2 million in prize money. “The rapid rise of mobile esports is well-documented, and we’re incredibly proud of the role ESL has played in that to date,” said Rodrigo Samwell, CCO at ESL Gaming. “Our new collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies and its Snapdragon brand will elevate our mobile ecosystem to its fullest potential. We’re excited to transform the future of mobile esports for players and fans around the world, continuing to create a world where everybody can be somebody.”

The Collegiate Sports Management Group announced that ESPORTSU unveiled its plans for the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup. In partnership with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, the NBA G League’s College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta Esports Alliance and Skillshot Media, CECC will run May 6-8, at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. CECC is described as the largest collegiate esports live event ever, and will offer competitors, fans and brand partners an immersive festival experience including food trucks, live music, career fair, professional networking, Cosplay Costume Contest, interactive onsite activations, and competition across Overwatch (the Overwatch Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup), Rocket League, NBA 2K, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Valorant.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

Britni Danielle, formerly of Shondaland.com, has been named senior culture editor of Andscape, a rebranded and expanded version of The Undefeated. In her new role, Danielle will focus on expository features surrounding African-American music, theater, film and fashion, as well as other areas of the entertainment industry.

The Premier Hockey Federation announced that the Toronto Six has been sold by BTM Partners to new owners who represent the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous And People of Color) and Canadian investors in PHF history. The group is led by retired National Hockey League forward Anthony Stewart, joined by Hockey Hall of Famer Angela James, Carnegie Initiative co-chair Bernice Carnegie, and former NHL Coach of the Year Ted Nolan.

Red Knot, a PR and communications agency specializing in sport, sports betting, and gaming announced that Larry Fink joined the company as Vice President of Consumer Public Relations and Communications. Fink will head the company’s West Coast operations from its new Los Angeles office.

The UCAN Company is welcoming former NFL Star QB Alex Smith to the brand as an investor in the company. In addition to his role as an investor, he will serve as a brand ambassador and a member of UCAN’s Fitness Advisory Board.

Media venture studio FAST Studios announced new additions to the board of advisors for the Women’s Sports Network. In her newly appointed role as Chairperson of the advisory board, Carol Stiff will oversee the all-female board. In addition to previously announced advisory board member Sophie Goldschmidt, the board includes Allyson Felix, Kathleen Francis, LaChina Robinson, Lindsay Amstutz, Renata Simril, and Stacey Allaster.

FINALLY: END-TO-END MEDIA WORKFLOW SOLUTIONS DEBUNKED!

Join OpenDrives & Signiant on Thursday, March 24th at 1pm ET and learn how to Empower your teams with customizable, adaptable, streamlined workflows that meet your evolving business needs! Speaking companies include Signiant, OpenDrives and Creative Mobile Solutions.

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ON THIS DAY in
1995: Baseball awards a franchise to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

IN THE KNOW
What was the name of the chimpanzee in Speed Racer? (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 Andre the Giant’s character in The Princess Bride? Answer: Fezzik. Kudos: Holli Sarner-Playfly Sports/Home Team Sports/NY; Marc Goldstein-Marc Goldstein Media Solutions/NY; Michael Dittelman-Dedicated Sports Marketing/NY; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Networks/NY; Heather Allen-WWE Corporation/Stamford; Richard L. Mann-Mann marketing/Dumont; Allison Weiner-MMSI/Warwick; Bill Graff-BeIN SPORTS/Miami; Brianne Maciejowski-Odyssey Studios/Sarasota; Joe Lyons-ESPN/Dallas; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo

Cynopsis Team