Las Vegas continued its run as an American sports capital, formally unveiling plans for the neon lights of the city to serve as the backdrop to a new Formula 1 race that will reportedly take place on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend in 2023. Las Vegas hosted races in 1981 and 1982 but this will be the first time F1 cars will race on the iconic Las Vegas Strip, lining up 14-turn track will run for 3.8 miles with top speeds expected to hit around 212mph over 50 laps.

F1 and Liberty Media will work together to promote the race in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority as well as Founding Partners Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, and Wynn Las Vegas and Presenting Partners MSG Sphere, Resorts World Las Vegas and The Venetian Resort.

The new comes just after Oak View Group picked up 25 acres in Las Vegas that would serve as an upcoming $3 billion entertainment campus — including a $1 billion, 20,000-seat arena

PROGRAMMING

CBS Sports rolled out this year’s Masters plans, lining up production for the 67th consecutive year from Augusta National Golf Club from April 7-10. CBS Sports’ multi-platform coverage is highlighted by 18-hole broadcast coverage on the CBS Television Network and streaming live on Paramount+, beginning with the third round on April 9 form 3-7p and final-round action on April 10 from 2-7p. Jim Nantz, in his 37th consecutive year covering the Masters, serves as host for the 35th time. Three-time Masters champion Sir Nick Faldo joins Nantz in the 18th tower as the lead analyst. They are joined by analyst and hole announcer Ian Baker-Finch, on-course reporter Dottie Pepper, 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, Frank Nobilo, veteran announcer Verne Lundquist, Andrew Catalon, and Amanda Renner, contributing with interviews. Masters Live, featuring live, full-day, streaming video coverage of the Tournament, will offer four channels of golf action available on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports app for mobile devices, and Paramount+.

On ESPN, the Masters will see expanded live coverage and viewing options, including an additional three hours of live play in the Masters Par 3 Contest, the week of April 4-10. ESPN will again televise live play in the first and second rounds of the Tournament from 3-7:30p on April 7-8. In addition, ESPN+ viewers will be able to watch Featured Groups and Featured Holes coverage of Holes 4, 5 and 6, Amen Corner and Holes 15 and 16 all day for all four days of the Tournament. Scott Van Pelt will host ESPN’s telecasts from Augusta National’s Butler Cabin with ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange. Van Pelt, Strange and Michael Eaves.

ESPN tied up two of its staple personalities to multi-year deals. The company reached agreements with senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter as well as Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Throughout the year, Schefter will remain on NFL Live, the network’s daily weekday NFL show, and appear regularly on SportsCenter, Get Up, First Take, and more. The veteran insider will also be part of ESPN’s NFL Draft presentation and Super Bowl coverage, in addition to other major NFL events. Wojnarowski will continue to appear on ESPN’s numerous shows and platforms, including NBA Countdown, NBA Today, SportsCenter, ESPN.com, the ESPN app and the NBA Draft.

ESPN’s exclusive presentation of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship culminates with the “most expansive” production in ESPN history for the NCAA Women’s Final Four from April 1-3. The 2022 championship will air in primetime on ESPN with a full MegaCast presentation across ESPN platforms for both the semifinals and championship game. All televised presentations of the semifinals and championship game will also be simulcast on ESPN+.ESPN’s main telecast, presented by Capital One, will feature play-by-play commentator Ryan Ruocco, analyst Rebecca Lobo, reporter Holly Rowe and sideline analyst Andraya Carter providing insight. Other options include The Bird & Taurasi Show Presented by AT&T 5G with semifinal coverage on ESPNU and ESPN+, and championship action on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Second Spectrum Player Tracking will be available as a MegaCast feed, as ESPN will be able to select from a suite of data-driven visualizations. Additional MegaCast feeds include: Beyond the Rim and On the Rail.

PBR unleashed the PBR Challenger Series, a new competition series that will launch in May 2022 following PBR World Finals, competing from May to November when its Championship is held in Las Vegas. The PBR Challenger Series, consisting of more than 60 events traveling to 27 states across the United States, will run in conjunction with the soon-to-launch PBR Team Series – an eight-team league competing in five-on-five bull riding games July to November 2022.

FOX Sports’ MLB lineup is locked in as with the network revealing its slate of regular season telecasts this year. The action begins April 9 with the Red Sox/Yankees at 4p on FS1. The matchup also marks the start of FOX Deportes’ comprehensive schedule, featuring more than 40 live games. Starting May 28, FOX carries regionalized action on 17 Saturdays in prime time. The network’s signature Baseball Night in America Dodger Stadium plays host to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game on July 19 at 8p while the MLB at Field of Dreams returns on Aug. 11.

NBC Sports’ Premier League studio team of Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe and Tim Howard will travel to the U.K. to host special shows from pitch-side desks next weekend, April 8- 10, leading up to the Manchester City/Liverpool match on Sunday.

FOX Sports serves up live coverage of the Final Draw for the FIFA Men’s World Cup Qatar 2022 today at 11:30a on FS1. The USMNT officially clinched their bid in the tournament last night after earning an automatic spot in CONCACAF qualifying. FOX Sports’ Stu Holden will be live in Doha to get immediate reactions from USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. Host Rob Stone will anchor coverage from the FOX Sports studio in Los Angeles alongside analysts Alexi Lalas and Maurice Edu.

CBS Sports celebrates Black athletes and their impact on college basketball both past and present with a special slate of programming this weekend. In addition to the first-ever HBCU All-Star Game on April 3, CBS Sports will feature four college basketball documentaries this weekend starting with a one-hour version of The Loyola Project on Saturday at 1p. On Sunday, CBS Sports will air Big House, The Pearl & The Triumph of Winston-Salem State at 2p.

ESPN reports that total day viewership in the first quarter of 2022 was up 32% vs. last year to an average of 812,000 viewers with the increase up 40% in to 2.068M viewers. The saw primetime numbers grow 40% to 2.068M viewers. In the target demo of adults 18-49, ESPN was up 23% in total day audience.

Meanwhile, Telemundo Deportes saw its coverage of the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Honduras and Mexico on Sunday deliver a combined 1.8M P2+ and 949,000 adults 18-49 on Telemundo and UNIVERSO, making this the highest rated sporting event of 2022 to date on Telemundo among adults 18-49.

Q2 Stadium was announced as the host venue for Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) new 2022 Championship Weekend. North America’s best male and female rugby athletes, including many Olympians, will compete in Austin on July 30 in what will be Q2 Stadium’s first-ever non-soccer sporting event.

MLB Network announced that two-time World Series Champions Jake Peavy and Hunter Pence have joined MLB Network as on-air analysts appearing across its programming. “Sharing stories and talking about the game a few months ago at MLB Network really excited me for this opportunity,” said Peavy. “I’m looking forward to teaching a few tips I learned along the way while having some fun doing it.”

The United States Football League, NFL Films and FOX Sports are teaming up to produce United By Football: A Season in the USFL, a 13-episode behind-the- scenes pass that will capture the athlete personalities and the circumstances they find themselves in, “as they pursue their dreams in a new professional spring football league.” The one-hour series premiere airs April 16 at 6:30p on FOX leading into the USFL’s inaugural season kickoff game.

Basketball Hall-of-Famer Tracy McGrady unveiled the regional schedule and venues for the launch of the Ones Basketball Association, a first-ever elite competition that will celebrate the top one-on-one players on the planet. The first year of regional competition will take place in seven cities beginning the weekend of April 30 in Houston and concluding in June. The 2022 Finals for the Ones Basketball Association will take place in July.

2022 SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
April 19th @ The NY Athletic Club

Congratulations to All Star Honoree:

Lucy Hartwell, Director of Partnership Marketing, LaLiga

Join your colleages and come celebrate!

$100 off your seat ENDS TONIGHT!

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Major League Baseball continues to add to its partner roster, naming Mattress Firm as the league’s Official Sleep Wellness partner. As part of the deal, the brands will launch a Season of Dreams Sweepstakes that will unlock one-of-a-kind VIP experiences throughout the year for fans. “We always have our fans in mind when we develop new partnerships like this one with Mattress Firm,” said Noah Garden, MLB Chief Revenue Officer. “Launching this creative Season of Dreams Sweepstakes at the outset of our collaboration shows a real commitment to baseball fans across the country. Baseball can provide Mattress Firm a valuable platform to reach millions of new fans and we look forward to working together on these initiatives.

The WTA named Modern Health, a global workplace mental health platform, as its official mental health partner. The multi-year partnership will work with the org to co-produce a five-part digital content series featuring WTA players to help raise awareness about the importance of mental health. Throughout the year, Modern Health will also appear in mental health campaigns that reach the tennis and worldwide audience.

The USFL announced that the University of Alabama at Birmingham Sports & Exercise Medicine, a division of UAB Medicine became a corporate partner and its Official Medical Provider. As part of the agreement, UAB’s Irfan M. Asif, MD, will serve as USFL Medical Director and a member of the League’s official Medical Advisory Committee.

deWiz expanded its roster of global ambassadors with the addition of LPGA star Yuka Saso, As deWiz’s latest global ambassador, Saso is using deWiz as a competitive edge, alongside fellow major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Vijay Singh, Annika Sörenstam, and Henrik Stenson.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

IBM, the official digital partner of the Masters, is touting two technology innovations for the 2022 Masters. New for the 2022 Tournament, the Masters is introducing Projections with IBM Watson, which will create scoring predictions for every player in the field, as well as Player Insights with IBM Watson. The former will use artificial intelligence (AI) models to analyze over 120,000 golf shots, 22 different training factors (weather, previous performance, etc.) and 40+ zones on the course to create daily predictions for each golfer competing in the Masters. The latter serves as AI-generated statistics and media sound bites that will be integrated into each player profile page on Masters.com and the Masters app.

Major League Baseball locked in youth baseball & softball partnerships with EL1 Sports (EL1) and Diamond Kinetics (DK) that will aim to increase accessibility to sports training, support diversity-focused grassroots & development programs, and enhance skills through an engaging digital experience. “Major League Baseball is excited to formalize our relationships with both EL1 and Diamond Kinetics, both of whom will be steady presences at our youth and amateur programming,” said Tony Reagins, Chief Baseball Development Officer, Major League Baseball. “Together, these innovative partnerships represent our sport’s commitment to supporting the future growth and accessibility of baseball and softball through engaging and fulfilling experiences for kids, parents and coaches.”

Candy Digital, in partnership with MLB and MLB Players, Inc., announced the upcoming release of its 2022 MLB ICON Leadoff Series NFT digital collectibles For the first time ever, baseball fans can collect NFTs of MLB players – such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Wander Franco, Christian Yelich, Shohei Ohtani – that will have their stats updated daily throughout the season, ushering in a new era of utility for digital sports collectibles.

Speaking of NFTs, Surfing.com, a global water sports lifestyle media network, announced the launch of the Wave Riders Club NFT series featuring 5000 unique Wave Riders Club Sharks, which will be minted on the Stacks Blockchain. The NFT provides lifetime access for the current holder to exclusive surfing content and opportunities, metaverse integrations, and exclusive VIP experiences in the soon-to-be launched United Surfing League.

Panini America and USA Baseball announced the second long-term extension of their trading card agreement that will make Panini the exclusive trading card partner of USA Baseball. The partnership began in 2012 which entail trading cards for Collegiate, 18U and 15U National Teams.

ESPORTS

The ESA is reportedly pulling the plug on an E3 event this year, informing partners that not only would its in-person E3 event get cancelled, but there would be no digital event either, per IGN. The ESA had initially planned for an in-person E3 event this year after having no event in 2020 due to COVID-19 and a digital one in 2021.

ESL’s Snapdragon Pro Series detailed plans for the mobile event, laying out three tiers of competition: Snapdragon Mobile Open, Snapdragon Mobile Challenge, and Snapdragon Mobile Masters. Titles will include Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Free Fire, League of Legends: Wild Rift, PUBG Mobile, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Asphalt 9: Legends and Legends of Runeterra. The Snapdragon Mobile Challenge finals events in the NA, EUR/MENA, and AP regions and the Snapdragon Mobile Masters event are expected to be live and in-person for both fans and competitors.

Wisdom Gaming is teaming with Riot Games to produce an in-person event for the Wild Rift NA Regional Championships Season 1 Championship, taking place in April and May. The top eight WNS teams will participate in the season finals at the Mall of America. Wisdom Gaming will serve as the exclusive broadcast and operations partner for the event.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

MLB unveiled Home Run Derby X, developed with the goal of “attracting a new audience to baseball; creating high-energy live event experiences and opportunities for digital storytelling.” Fans will see some former heavy-hitting Major League All-Stars and World Series champions show off their power including Jonny Gomes, Adrián González, Geo Soto, and Nick Swisher, played on a reduced version of a baseball field, with Home Plate mounted on a stage and the Pitcher’s Mound on a podium. In each game, points are available for both offense and defense. Each batter has one at-bat of 25 pitches. They’ll be swinging for the fences, while two of their opponents patrol the outfield. A Home Run scores one point for the offense and a catch is one point for the defense. In Home Run Derby X there are also additional ways to score, inspired by video games, including Target Hits in the infield and beyond the fence.

MEASUREMENT & DATA CONFERENCE

June 7th @ Edison Ballroom, NYC

Grab the tools you need to effectively take on today’s cross platform challenges. Check out agenda and speaker updates and join us!

EARLY BIRD RATE ENDS TONIGHT!

ON THIS DAY in
1989: A. Bartlett Giamatti replaces Peter Ueberroth as the 7th commissioner of Major League Baseball.

IN THE KNOW
What does SCUBA stand for? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Featuring 300 players, what is the goal in the sport of Bo-taoshi? Answer: To knock over (or prevent from knocking over) a large pole. Kudos: Roger Furman-Sports Marketing Communications/Greentown; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA

Cynopsis Team