03/20/20: As sports hibernates, the Ocho is returning

 

 

Friday March 20, 2020

ESPN8: The Ocho is making an early return and will serve up a full 24-hours of seldom seen sports on Sunday on ESPN2, as the company fills in programming gaps due to the Coronavirus. The lineup will include competition from the Stupid Robot Fighting League, 2019 Jelle’s Marble Runs, Cherry Pit Spitting, Sign Spinning, the 2007 World Sport Stacking Championships as well as the 2019 Death Diving World Championship.

ESPN also delivers a seven-hour programming marathon on Sunday that will highlight Tom Brady’s Championship performances with the New England Patriots over the past two decades. The combination of NFL’s Greatest Games and Super Bowl Highlights specials will feature nine seminal games – including condensed versions of all six Super Bowl victories – from Brady’s time with the Patriots. The seven-hour block begins at 12p with NFL’s Greatest Games: 2001 AFC Divisional Round, Brady’s first playoff game.

PROGRAMMING

WrestleMania, for the first time ever, will be held as a two-night event streaming, running April 4 and 5 at 7p on WWE Network and available on pay-per-view. Rob Gronkowski hosts, with more information available tonight on SmackDown at 8p on FOX. As previously announced, only essential personnel will be on the closed set during the production of WrestleMania.

Major League Soccer announced that it was extending the suspension of league matches and was targeting a return date of May 10. The extension was made in accordance with Sunday’s guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel all mass gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. The league said it remains intent on completing the full 2020 season schedule.

Major League Baseball called off planned regular-season games in Mexico and Puerto Rico as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Diamondbacks and Padres were set to play a two-game series in Mexico City on April 18-19. The Mets and Marlins, meanwhile, were to play a three-game series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from April 28-30.

CBS’ programming plans will now feature re-airs of nine classic NCAA Tournament basketball games on March 21, 22 and 29. Programming begins tomorrow at noon with the 1982 National Championship game between North Carolina and Georgetown.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports Network carries a five-hour marathon on Sunday featuring several key events from the 2020 PBR World Championship race. The action on CBSSN starts at noon with the second Major of the season, the PBR Iron Cowboy presented by Ariat, which took place at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The PBR mini-marathon will conclude with two hours of coverage from the historic closed-to-fans, made-for-TV Gwinnett Invitational from Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia last weekend.

This weekend also sees Premier League programming on NBCSN featuring full event replays of recent memorable Manchester United-Manchester City games, starting at 6a on Sunday. In addition, NBCSN will premiere the documentary, “Klopp’s Promise,” this Saturday at 2p. Narrated by Roger Bennett, the show highlights Liverpool’s journey in the four-plus years under manager Jurgen Klopp.

In addition, PFT Live, hosted by NFL Insider Mike Florio and analyst Chris Simms, returns to NBCSN beginning Monday in its usual weekday timeslot from 7–9a to analyze and discuss the latest news surrounding NFL free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft.

The NHL is opening the doors to access to unique content and archived games. Starting Friday, the NHL will serve fans with an increased offering of video, editorial and digital content on NHL.com, the NHL app and across the NHL’s social channels by providing fans access to an expansive selection of classic NHL games, longform content from the NHL Original Productions’ library and free access to stream full replays of games from the 2019-20 regular season. Starting Friday and through April 30, the NHL and Sportsnet have decided to make full replays of all 2019-20 NHL regular-season games already played available to stream on demand. The NHL will launch the “NHL Pause Binge” on NHL.com and on its official YouTube channel, which will consist of a curated collection of NHL Original Productions content,

NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce appeared on this week’s episode of SHOWTIME Basketball’s video podcast All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Pierce discusses his background, from growing up in Inglewood, Calif. as a Lakers fan, to playing for the college powerhouse Kansas Jayhawks and eventually joining the NBA with the 17-time champion Celtics.

Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures released a new episode of The Boardroom featuring WNBA player & coach and Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman. She sits down with Thirty Five Ventures’ co-founder Rich Kleiman to discuss many topics including the ’74 Women’s Olympic team, her decision of playing for Old Dominion, her relationship with Muhammad Ali, her WNBA discussion with David Stern 13 years before the WNBA began, relationship with Kobe, becoming a businesswoman, becoming a HOFer, and more.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Elk Grove Village is ending its sponsorship of the college postseason Bahamas Bowl after a two-year run, according to the Bahamas Tribune. “Elk Grove Village/Makers Wanted will not be returning as the title sponsor of the Bahamas Bowl,” an ESPN spokesperson told the publication. “We thank them for their support of our game and community over the last two years.”

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

While the baseball season, along with the rest of the sports world, is on hold, Strat-O-Matic is playing out the 2020 campaign daily, beginning with the slate of 15 Opening Day games as originally scheduled for March 26. Using its innovative Baseball Daily product, Strat-O-Matic will allow fans, media and former players to help select the day’s pitchers and lineups, as well as follow the action. Each afternoon at 2p, Strat-O-Matic will announce the results, standings, statistics and key game highlights from that day’s scheduled contests through the website, social channels and multimedia presentations.

The Drone Racing League unveiled DRL Academy, a STEM program, which features online learning opportunities for students studying science, engineering, and unmanned aircraft technology. To immediately integrate DRL Academy into school curriculums nationally, DRL also announced a partnership with educational development group, Eduscape, National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence, and West Valley College, and will be supporting teachers in need of academic content and activities throughout the semester.

ESPORTS

FOX Sports is hooking up with NASCAR and iRacing to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event on Sunday at 1:30p on FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Titled FOX NASCAR iRACING, the 90-minute, simulation-style eSports program includes a cross-section of competitors from the NASCAR CUP SERIES, NASCAR XFINITY SERIES, NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES and a group of NASCAR dignitaries. FOX NASCAR broadcasters Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds call the action from the iRacing virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.

DreamHack Dallas and DreamHack Summer were both rescheduled as a result of the coronavirus. As a result of this change, DreamHack Masters will no longer be co-hosted at DreamHack Summer. DreamHack Dallas (originally slated for May 22-24) will now take place August 14-16 at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. DreamHack Summer (originally scheduled for June 12-14) will now take place August 6-9 at Elmia in Jönköping, Sweden.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

The effects of the cancellations of sports and events as a result of the COVID-19 virus, according to a study from Performance Research, created an economic impact of $6 billion. The agency confined their analysis to major, nationally recognized U.S. events including the NBA season suspension, the NCAA Final Four, NCAA College World Series, SXSW Conference and Festivals, the Miami Open (tennis), NFL Draft, NASCAR and IndyCar races, The Kentucky Derby, and NYC’s famed Broadway Theaters, which are just a portion of affected events. (see table below for full list of events included in this analysis). “The economic impact of this pandemic within the festival, conference and sports industry – and the local economies that host these events – is staggering,” says Bill Doyle, Vice President of Performance Research. “In addition to ticket sales and sponsorship investments, these events support jobs and generate revenue for local businesses by bringing in thousands – sometimes hundreds of thousands – of attendees to the host cities.”

SPORTS BROADCAST JOURNAL w/ DAVID J. HALBERSTAM

No clowns, No circus; No games, it doesn’t matter. Not for national sports talk show hosts. They live on. The talkies were all bailed out this week by big off the field football news, beginning with Tom Brady’s move to Tampa Bay. So the NFL took the spotlight on the shows of Colin Cowherd, Dan Patrick, Golic and Wingo, Dan LeBatard and Jim Rome. There was some NBA talk, nothing of note regarding baseball and no hockey discussion.

Strong comments:
Dan Patrick: – “If Rudy Gobert doesn’t test positive, we are probably playing sports. Gobert is an inadvertent hero.”
Colin Cowherd – The Patriots will go 4-12 or 5-11 without Tom Brady. He thinks they should tank, so they can get Trevor Lawrence in 2021 NFL Draft
Fox which has the NFC package is the winner of the Brady move to Tampa Bay. Lots of Joe Buck and Tom Brady
National talk show hosts survive Monday; The NFL is the common subject after dead weekend

None of the wars of the 20th century jolted sports to the very core. The coronavirus has, in one hideous eye-blinking swoop. It’s stopped games cold, closed down arenas, turned large airports into ghost towns and made theaters feel like haunted houses.
The top 25 disruptions through the last 100+ years that were caused by exogenous events are listed in chronological order in the linked piece. These five forced the greatest number of cancelations or havoc 1) Coronavirus 2) World War I 3) Katrina 4) 9/11 and 5) Los Angeles Riots
Coronavirus has dealt sports its biggest blow ever; These are the top 25 disruptions the last 100 years+

Happy Birthday and many happy returns!
Mike Francesa March 20 Ex-sports talk radio host WFAN, New York
Bob Costas March 22 MLB Network amd ex-longtime NBC Sports host
Todd McShay March 22 ESPN, NFL analyst
Jim Jackson March 23 Philadelphia Flyers, TV play-by-play
Jack Edwards March 24 Boston Bruins, TV play-by-play

Sports Broadcast Journal

Here’s to Top Women in Media!
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Nomination deadline= Thursday, April 16.
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On This Day
1989: Baseball announces that Reds manager Pete Rose is under investigation.

In the Know
What team is the AAA affiliate for the New York Yankees? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Typically, how many points do you need to win an official table tennis game? Answer: 11 (used to be 21 though). Kudos: Michael Ritz-Lenox Advisors/NY; Keith Marder-Halstead Real Estate/NY; Lance Phegley-Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine/Houston; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Larry Hutchings/Nipomo; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

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Job of the day
SENIOR ANALYST, RESEARCH & STRATEGIC INSIGHTS
Bravo, Oxygen and E!
NYC

Partner with Finance, Consumer Marketing, Promo Scheduling, and Development to directly impact content strategy and audience targeting. BA degree & 2+ years of Media research experience at a broadcast or cable network, agency or vendor. Full info HERE (4/2)

SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >>
FETV/NYC:
Seeking a linear TV sales professional to generate new advertising accounts and revenue. Dvlp sales strategies for new bus. development. Bachelor’s degree; 8+ years of television selling or related advertising sales experience. Full info HERE (4/2)

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR (ADVANCED TV)
>>
NBCU/NYC: Play a critical role within our fast-paced advertising sales team. 8+ years of relevant direct selling experience in advertising sales (Advanced TV) Full info HERE (4/1)

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR (ADVANCED TV) >>
NBCU/LA: Play a critical role within our fast-paced advertising sales team. 8+ years of relevant direct selling experience in advertising sales (Advanced TV) Full info HERE (4/1)

MEDIA SALES PLANNER >>
Fuse Media/NYC:
Experienced candidate to join dynamic team developing customized plans and presentations for Ad Sales clients. 2-4 yrs exp media sales co., or advertising agency pref’d w/strong knwldg media math. Exc problem solving & analytical skills. Full info HERE (4/1)

Sr PUBLICITY & COMMUNICATIONS MGR
>>
BABYGRANDE PR/Santa Monica:
Motivated PR exec for Sr mgr or above position to dvlp strategies & implement publicity/comm campaigns for content-creators/producers. 5-7 years minimum of publicity and communications exp. Full info HERE (3/27)

MANAGER, DIGITAL SALES OPERATIONS >>
NBCU/NYC:
Lead a team of Campaign Specialists responsible for setup, trafficking and optimization of Ad sales campaigns across all NBCU News properties. Min 5 yrs ad ops exp. Knwldg industry tools incl DFP, Operative, Canoe and Freewheel. Full info HERE (3/27)

ANALYST SALES OPERATIONS >>
NBCU/NYC:
Help identify, evaluate & dvlp to strengthen the division, expand revenue streams that align with NBCU’s long term convergence strategy between linear & digital operations teams. Min 2 yrs of professional exp in digital advertising. Full info HERE (3/27)

MANAGING DIRECTOR, DIGITAL
>>
Spectrum Networks/NYC:
Lead talented team of journalist ensuring our trusted news networks engage our audience. Manage digital teams in mult locations. 10+ years relevant newsroom management experience in a fast-paced, constantly evolving digital publishing envir. Full info HERE (3/26)

MANAGING DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MID-WEST >>
Spectrum Networks/Columbus OH: Lead the pioneering approach on delivering impactful and relevant content to the communities we serve. Manage digital teams in mult locations. 10+ years relevant newsroom management experience in a fast-paced, constantly evolving digital publishing envir. Full info HERE (3/26)

MGR, CHILDRENS TV >>
The Jim Henson Co/LA:
Self-starter w/ability to work under tight deadlines in a fast-paced envir for Creative Affairs dept. Identify new projects & talent, oversee dvlpmnt of series to pitch & sell to the various ntwrks & studios. Min 2 yrs exp as a Coord in children’s TV w/exp in preschool arena. Full info HERE (3/26)

GRAPHIC OPERATIONS MANAGER
>>
PAC-12/SF:
Oversee the building, development and localization of studio-based Chyron package. Minimum of 7+ years in production and technical operations is necessary. Full info/apply HERE (3/26)

MGR, BRAND STRATEGY & COMMUNICATIONS >>
PEACOCK – NBCU/NYC:
world-class strategist who will bring every aspect of our brand to life—from go-to-market planning, to IP, to audience development. 6 yrs brand planning/marketing strategy exp (TV/DTC) from the entertainment, advertising, or consumer products industry. Full info HERE (3/25)

VP PROGRAMMING >>
TLC/New York or Silver Spring MD: Critical thinker to drive audience growth for TLC’s content. Responsible for inventory planning, scheduling, budgeting, and cross-departmental communication. 10+ yrs relevant exp required. Apply Full info HERE (3/25)

MANAGER, CONTENT ACQUISITIONS DILIGENCE
>>
ION TELEVISION/NYC:
Resp for quantitative diligence & analytical support for content acquisitions. Transform data-driven insights into quantitative analysis, financial modeling and presentations. Mng Content Mkt Pipeline, incl exhibition & sales history. Full info HERE (3/25)

SPECIALIST – DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA >>
TLC/Silver Spring MD or NYC:
Create and publish the best digital & social content experiences for TLC and Discovery Life. Implement effective, innovative & influential social media strategies as the brand’s voice. 3+ yrs exp in social media marketing required. Full info/apply HERE (3/25)

MEDIA SALES PLANNER
>>
Fuse Media/NYC:
Experienced candidate to join dynamic team developing customized plans and presentations for Ad Sales clients. 2-4 yrs exp media sales co., or advertising agency pref’d w/strong knwldg media math. Exc problem solving & analytical skills. Full info HERE (3/24)

SOCIAL MEDIA INSIGHTS & ANALYTICS CONSULTANT (PT) >>
A+E Networks/NY:
Part time candidate to provide insight to inform digital monetization team, guide strategy, provide feedback on performance, & identify key opportunities to build A+E’s presence across social platforms & maximize revenue. Full info HERE (3/24)

DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY >>
beIN Sports/Miami FL:
Establish/maintain relationships w/ System level & Sr MSO staffs. Identify & direct mktg opps to ensure maximum revenue potential from accounts. Min 5-10 yrs exp in affiliate mktg or sales within ent/media, pref at a cable TV network w/est’d industry contacts. Full info HERE (3/24)

MANAGER, INVENTORY (TEMP) >>
Crown Media Family Networks/NYC: Mng process of monitoring and tracking all inventory through WideOrbit and Dealmaker reporting systems, while manually updating all ongoing daily changes. 2 or yrs exp in pricing and planning or advertising sales. Full info HERE (3/24)

SR DIRECTOR, INSIGHTS & POSITIONING OLYMPICS >>
NBCU/NYC:
Drive research innovation, measurement opps & forward-thinking sales solutions for the Olympics. Must possess business & analytical acumen necessary to interpret and anticipate client needs & business implications. 10+ yrs exp rsrch, measurement or insights within sports ind. Full info HERE (3/24)

DIRECTOR, PROGRAMMING & PRODUCTION >>
WHYY TV12/Philadelphia PA:
Oversee national & local TV programming on broadcast, cable/satellite, live linear streaming and digital video platforms. Key liaison between Content Prod, Communication & Member Relations, Development and Institutional Advancement. Full info HERE (3/24)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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 (3/23)

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