04/05/19: BIG3 is CBS bound

Good morning. It’s Friday April 5, 2019 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

BIG3 landed a new home, inking a deal with CBS Sports for the professional 3-on-3 basketball league, founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz, to be carried on CBS and CBS Sports Network beginning with the 2019 season, which tips off on June 22. During the 11-week season, games will air live on CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network on both Saturday and Sunday, with a champion crowned live on CBS on Sept. 1 at 3p. Overall, CBS will carry more than 20 hours throughout the season, with CBS Sports Network set to televise more than 25 hours of additional live game coverage. CBS Sports Network will also showcase the BIG3 Draft live on May 1.

PROGRAMMING

CBS also rolled out plans for The Masters, which the network will carry for the 64th consecutive year from Augusta National Golf Club beginning with the third round on April 13 (3-7p) with final round coverage on April 14 from 2-7p. Additionally, broadcast coverage features highlights of early-round play airing on CBS both April 11-12. For the 34th consecutive year, Jim Nantz will cover the Masters for CBS, his 32nd year as host. and be joined by Nick Faldo. Ian Baker-Finch will describe the action at the 17th hole and join Nantz for the Highlight Shows; with Verne Lundquist at 16th hole; Peter Kostis, 15th hole; Bill Macatee, 14th hole; Dottie Pepper, 13th hole; Frank Nobilo, 11th and 12thholes, while Amanda Balionis contributes with interviews. Meanwhile, Masters Live offers live, full-day, streaming video coverage, and will again offer four channels of golf action on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app: Masters On The Range; Featured Groups; Amen Corner; and 15 & 16.

ESPN’s plans for live play of the first and second rounds of the Masters Tournament, meanwhile, will see Scott Van Pelt host ESPN’s Thursday and Friday telecasts from Augusta National’s Butler Cabin with ESPN golf analyst Curtis Strange. Van Pelt, Strange and Tom Rinaldi, who will conduct player interviews, will join CBS’ golf announcer crew for the telecasts. ESPN also will air the traditional Masters Par 3 Contest on April 10, from 3-5p with a special one-hour lead-in program at 2p across all Masters Digital platforms and on ESPN+.

The Walt Disney Company’s multi-network presentation of the 2019 NFL Draft, running April 25-27 from Nashville, will see Kirk Herbstreit team with host Rece Davis for the for broadcast on ABC on April 25 and 26. Meanwhile, the company announced that Booger McFarland will make his NFL Draft debut on ESPN’s main set for Round 1 on April 25 with Trey Wingo hosting Round 1 for the third year, with NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr, and Louis Riddick. Todd McShay, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and NFL host Suzy Kolber will also contribute to Thursday’s prime-time telecast. ABC’s primetime telecasts will see Davis and Herbstreit joined by analysts Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and David Pollack and reporter Tom Rinaldi, in addition to Robin Roberts, ESPN’s Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor.

A&E Network is partnering with WWE Studios to produce five original two-hour documentaries leveraging the “Biography” banner showcasing WWE Superstars that include “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Booker T, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. Through new and archival interviews and never-before-seen footage, each feature length film will give fans an in-depth look at the early lives, rise to fame and careers of some of the most influential stars in WWE history.

Tiger Woods is reportedly partnering with GolfTV to launch a series of head-to-head matches with Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav announcing the news, noting that the first match is slates to take place Tokyo, while most of the other events will also take place outside the United States with matches slated for GolfTV’s OTT platforms.

ESPN and ESPN2 deliver Women’s Final Four programming starting tonight at 7p with Oregon/Baylor, followed by UConn/Notre Dame. A total of 36 cameras will cover the game, with a backstage/locker room, outdoor jib, and ‘Smack Talk’ feed. Adam Amin, Kara Lawson and Rebecca Lobo, and reporter Holly Rowe return to call all the Final Four action

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and FOX NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip is pumping the brakes on his role with the company in June, when the three-time champion, a member of the original FOX NASCAR broadcast team that debuted at Daytona in February 2001, will retire from his FOX Sports duties at the conclusion of the network’s 2019 season. Waltrip’s final race calling MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES action will be at Sonoma Raceway on June 23. Waltrip steps away from the FOX Sports broadcast booth at the conclusion of the 2019 season after more than 330 races and 1,500 practice and qualifying sessions with the network.

UFC and Media-Telecom today announced the launch of a new dedicated channel which will carry all UFC content in Russia and CIS. The new channel, UFC TV, will be available as part of the basic Rostelecom TV network package, and be entirely devoted to UFC. The channel will carry all UFC events live as well as airing repeats at prime time with hundreds of hours of original programming, archived live events, interviews, and event reviews.

The Association of Volleyball Professionals announced plans to kick off its 2019 season in Huntington Beach, USA on May 3. This year’s eight-stop tour will continue with stops in Austin, New York City, Seattle, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Chicago and conclude the season in Honolulu. New to 2019, the winning team from each non-Gold Series tour stop (Huntington Beach, Austin, Seattle and Hermosa Beach) per gender will automatically qualify for Main Draw entry at the AVP Hawai’i Open Presented by Hawaii Tourism. The remaining open spots will go to the teams with the highest Gold Series ranking, earned from their best two out of three Gold Series points. Fans can catch the action at home on Amazon Prime Video, while one to-be-determined final will air on NBC or NBCSN throughout the season.

BTN is taking its studio crew on the road as Michigan State prepares to play in its 10th Final Four in program history and eighth under coach Tom Izzo. The network’s trip to Minneapolis includes pre and postgame press conferences as well as multiple studio shows featuring Jon Crispin, Mike DeCourcy, Andy Katz and Dave Revsine. Today will see team press conferences air on BTN and the FOX Sports app beginning at 1:30p while Saturday sees B1G Basketball & Beyond will once again air live from Minneapolis at 4p.

NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky serves as the voice for a special E:60 program “Forever Broncos,” telling the stories behind the tragic bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. The result of a year-long collaboration with Canada’s TSN, the program airs Sunday, April 7, at 9a on ESPN.

The American Rally Association and FloSports unveiled an agreement to provide exclusive live and on-demand coverage for the remaining 2019 ARA National Championship events on FloRacing.com. The live and on-demand coverage will begin on April 27-28 at the DirtFish Olympus Rally in Shelton, Wash. Broadcasts will include live interviews, on-stage coverage, results, and more throughout each day of competition.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Cynopsis Sports Media Awards

April 25 | 8:30AM – 10:30AM | NYC

Please join us on Thursday, April 25, for the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards breakfast. This awards program is dedicated to celebrating the work of talented producers, hosts, sponsors, executives and the initiatives that drove audiences and viewers over the past year. Register before April 11 ^th to save $100/ticket. You do not want to miss out on the most anticipated event in the industry!

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The National Hockey League announced that it will open the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a free concert headlined by Cage The Elephant at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa on April 10. The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Party will serve as the first of a series of concerts and musical performances the NHL is planning for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Puma signed on with Formula One in a multi-year partnership that will see the brand become F1’s exclusive merchandise retail partner, with branded stands and superstores slated to take place at 17 of the 21 grand prix in the 2019 season. Puma also picked up rights to design, produce and sell Formula One-branded products trackside. Race fans will be able to purchase F1 and grands prix-related products as well as all 10 teams’ merchandise from on-site Puma stands and superstores during race weekends.

AT&T is activating on multiple fronts during Final Four weekend. In addition to The Chainsmokers and Judah & the Lion performing this evening via live stream across NCAA and AT&T social and digital channels, fans visiting the Final Four Fan Fest at U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend can take part in a Game of Thrones-themed shot contest inside the AT&T Fan Zone and pose for pictures on the famous throne and other set pieces and costumes. Inside the stadium, AT&T will use AR technology to bring fans into the Game of Thrones realm on the stadium’s jumbotron by virtually turning them into a White Walker.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association officially changed its name to the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association (FSGA) following “a mandate from its membership to expand the association’s focus to include sports gaming as well as embrace the rapid legal and technological changes facing the broader sports industry.” The FSGA will continue to serve the fantasy sports industry and its new focus will provide a forum for companies that offer games, services, analytics and content for legal contests of skill, sports gaming and non-sports contests.

ESPORTS

Allied Esports is set to rebrand its European arm, ELC Gaming, which will now operate under the global company’s name and continue business as Allied Esports in Europe. The move follows a September 2018 acquisition in which Allied Esports, which had a majority stake in ELC Gaming, appropriated 100-percent control of the European company. ELC Gaming’s social platforms will be integrated into Allied Esports’ existing channels.

Matcherino, a provider of prize pool management and crowdfunding tools for esports, entered into a strategic partnership with GameStop to “facilitate the growth of esports tournaments and further fuel the passion of the esports community.” The Matcherino platform will be leveraged to drive GameStop online tournaments by including features such as player registration, matchmaking, payouts and crowdfunding. GameStop will also utilize “Sponsor Quests,” Matcherino’s exclusive esports advertising platform to help fund and grow independent, amateur and grassroots.

Newegg and Counter Logic Gaming revealed plans for the upcoming Newegg CLG Fortnite Challenge. The event, set to take place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on April 24 from 7-9p, will feature select members of the CLG Fortnite team, Kevin Knox of the New York Knicks and other guests to be announced shortly. Esports fans will be able to enter the Newegg + CLG Sweepstakes* for their chance to win some of the latest gaming gear. One lucky winner will take home the grand prize package which includes what they need to ‘Game Like a Pro.’

INDUSTRY/ROSTER MOVES

Actress Kate Del Castillo, star of Telemundo drama La Reina del Sur currently filming the feature “Bad Boys for Life,” is making a major move into Hispanic /Mixed Martial Arts sports entertainment franchise, Combate Americas, acquiring an equity stake in the company. Her investment comes as part of a $20 million equity infusion from a group of investors that also includes finance and sports industry leader Joe Plumeri, Ambassador Cliff Sobel and Irving Place Capital CEO John Howard. Del Castillo will now chair the advisory board, continue the company’s commitment to female empowerment and take on an active leadership role in growing the global MMA sports entertainment brand.

THE MAIN EVENT

Final Four action sees Auburn/Virginia tipping off at 6:09p, followed by Texas Tech/Michigan State on CBS on Saturday.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

“2019 is the year the industry comes together around measurement.”

–Laura Molen, President, Ad Sales & Partnerships | NBCU

Come together at the Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference on June 11 in NYC. You’ll come out better informed & armed with actionable insights.

ON THIS DAY in 1973: The NFL adopts a jersey numbering system.

In the Know: Which city (not venue) has hosted the most men’s Final Fours? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: How many NFL teams call their state’s capital city home (at least in name and DC doesn’t count)? Answer: Depends on how you interpreted the question, so either five or seven. Cardinals, Broncos, Falcons, Titans, Colts, Patriots and Vikings all qualify. I’ll be generous with Kudos: Tom Buffolano-LTN Global/NY; Tim Morrison- SendtoNews/NY; Michael Ritz-Northwestern Mutual/NY; Danny Turk-Tough Mudder/NY; Brianne Maciejowski-Miles/Sarasota; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Aimee Clark-Tony Fay PR/Dallas; Gretchen Brady-KTVT/KTXA/Dallas; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; John Baghdassarian-Olympusat/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank; Mindi Sue Black-Back and Blue Star/LA

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
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