| The All-Star Game is landing at Coors Field in Denver, with MLB locking in the venue after exiting Atlanta over objections to extensive changes to Georgia’s voting laws. Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998 and this year’s game will be held July 13. “Major League Baseball is grateful to the Rockies, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado for their support of this summer’s All-Star Game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We appreciate their flexibility and enthusiasm to deliver a first-class event for our game and the region. We look forward to celebrating our sport’s best players and entertaining fans around the world.”
PROGRAMMING
The all Pac-12 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball Championship game was a boon for ESPN, which saw a 54-53 Stanford win average 4,077,000 viewers to ranks as the most-viewed women’s championship game since 2014, according to Nielsen. The matchup grew 9% over 2019 numbers, and peaked in the final minutes with 5,927,000 viewers. Overall, Final Four weekend in San Antonio ranked as the sport’s best since 2012. Friday’s two semifinal matchups and Sunday’s championship game averaged 2,850,000 viewers, up 14% over 2019.
While we wait on final Nielsen numbers for the NCAA Men’s Championship Game, Tunity Analytics reports the out of Home viewing to sporting events continues it’s come back. The Baylor/Gonzaga NCAA Final had an average OOH audience of 1,070,000. Monday’s OOH audience was substantial but did not reach the heights of Saturday’s UCLA-Gonzaga thriller which averaged 1.240,000 OOH viewers.”
NBC Sports and Peacock laid out their roadmap to the 2021 NTT INDYCAR Series season, with over 165 hours of coverage on deck across NBC, NBCSN, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms. NBC carries a record nine races, including the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30. Peacock will see exclusive streaming coverage with qualifying and practice sessions as well as coverage surrounding the Indianapolis 500, Indy Lights races, race-day warmups and full-event replays of INDYCAR races in 2021.
TNT brings back live coverage of ONE Championship for a featured primetime event on tonight at 10p with ONE on TNT I. The Main Card event will include six-time ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes vs. former 12-time UFC World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson for a Flyweight World Championship bout. For the first time, the B/R App will live stream coverage of the ONE Lead Card at 8:30p leading up to the TNT telecast of the Main Card event.
CBS Sports will feature cross-platform coverage of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup presented by Secret Deodorant across CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Digital beginning Friday at 8:30p on CBS Sports Network. The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup will consist of 21 matches, with the final airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ on May 8.
The clock is ticking! AEG became the latest sports stalwart to sign on for the Cynopsis Sports & Esports Newfront presentations on April 21-22 as some of today’s hottest properties reveal some of the unique opportunities to brands and agencies to partner for this year and beyond. Brands and media buyers are invited to attend this is a can’t miss event to engage with their elusive demos! Request an exclusive invite to the Cynopsis Sports & Esports Newfront now.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee lined up the first round of competition for June 12. The final rounds of this year’s Bee will be hosted in person at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort on July 8. The finals, featuring 10-12 accomplished spellers, will be broadcast live in primetime on ESPN2.
The Penn Relays locked in a new five-year partnership with FloSports, which will now globally stream more than 350 Penn Relays’ events over 32 hours during the traditional three-day event, which takes place annually during the last weekend in April. The new partnership will extend coverage of the Penn Relays beyond April and the two parties will collaborate to develop additional content throughout the year.
Production is currently underway on the Untitled Pau Gasol Docuseries, a four-episode basketball documentary series directed by Oriol Bosch and produced by PG Productions, RTG Features and THINK450. The series chronicles Gasol, the two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and six-time NBA All-Star, as he winds down his professional career. The series, which has been in production since 2019, is expected to release this fall.
Prime Gaming’s Crown Channel launched WTF: an almost real sports show, a four-part live interactive fantasy sports and video game show starting tomorrow and running weekly on Thursdays, WTF is hosted by gaming personality Erin Ashley Simon and former Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green.
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| GROUNDBREAKER. TRAILBLAZER.
We hear these words a lot. But what do they mean? There are people behind these words who truly are breaking ground and blazing trails. And Cynopsis wants to honor the Top Women in Media deserving of these titles.
Nominations are now open for
Cynopsis’ Top Women in Media Awards so send us your best in marketing, PR, on-air talent, tech, production—including yourselves.
NOMINATE BY 4/6
(sponsored by TurnkeyZRG) |
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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Singapore: ONE Championship is launching a #StopAsianHate x #WeAreONE campaign, a series of initiatives to raise money and awareness for the “Stop Asian Hate” movement and GoFundMe’s “Support The AAPI Community Fund.” The campaign aims to combat the recent surge in hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and all at-risk communities in the United States, with a $1.5 million investment.
The NBA Foundation announced a total of more than $3 million in grants designed to create employment opportunities, further career advancement and drive greater economic empowerment in Black communities. Organizations include: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, Braven, Center for Leadership Development, City Year, CodeCrew, The Collective Blueprint, NAF, New Heights Youth and Road to Hire.
The Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena and The Clorox Company agreed on a multiyear contract to make Clorox the team’s official cleaning and disinfecting product partner. Clorox will become the sponsor of in-venue cleaning crew named the “State Farm Arena Clean Team”. The cleaning crew will be tasked with disinfecting the venue before, during and after events, wiping down high touch areas around the venue.
MLS squad San Jose Earthquakes secured a ten-year stadium naming rights deal with PayPal. The deal will now see the club’s venue renamed PayPal Park, and is valued at more than $20 million, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Rocket Mortgage announced a new partnership with the 2020 U.S Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, whose driver will now don a new custom Rocket Mortgage-branded headcover and the company’s logo will appear on the star golfer’s left sleeve. “Golf fans are glued to their screens every time Bryson takes the tee. He is an innovator, changing the way people think about the great game of golf, just like we have shifted perceptions about how simple getting a mortgage can be with our digital solutions,” said Rocket Mortgage Chief Marketing Officer Casey Hurbis. “At Rocket Mortgage, whether it is hosting the first-ever basketball game on a live aircraft carrier or creating the largest game of Super Bowl Squares in history, we love being on a big stage and finding opportunities and partners to establish truly epic activations that demonstrate how both Rocket Companies and athletes impact the outcome.”
The University of Miami athletics department selected Legends to oversee marketing partnerships and rights for the Miami Hurricanes. Through this new partnership, Legends will collaborate with Miami to develop a comprehensive sponsorship strategy and establish meaningful, integrated partnerships that connect brands and corporate partners with the Hurricanes’ passionate fanbase.
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
NBC Sports launched a new free-to-play basketball game, “Pick n’ Roll,” exclusively on the NBC Sports Predictor app. Developed with Boom Sports, “Pick n’ Roll” consists of questions, covering multi-player, team and game statistics, as well as game outcomes and margin of victory. NBC Sports Regional Networks will highlight content from “Pick n’ Roll” in NBA game and studio telecasts.
Global mobile game publisher Netmarble Corp launched NBA Ball Stars, puzzle-based, mobile basketball game starring Ja Morant as its cover athlete. “Our partnership with the NBA has been momentous in the creation of a unique genre of game with appeal beyond casual gamers and sports fans to broader NBA culture, within the mobile gaming industry,” said Simon Sim, President of Netmarble US. “Kung Fu Factory’s expertise in the sports action and puzzle space has also been paramount to this project, and we’re proud to debut our first publishing project together, with fresh content and surprises planned for players in the months ahead.”
FanDuel Group announced a new collaboration with MotorCity Casino that makes FanDuel Sportsbook with official gaming partner status with the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings. FanDuel Sportsbook will be prominently featured on static and digital signage at both Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena – including the outfield wall and on dasher boards – and be featured on the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings Radio Networks, which reach fans across the state of Michigan.
DraftKings acquired Blue Ribbon Software Ltd., a Tel Aviv-based leading global jackpot and gamification company that provides platform-agnostic, real-time gamification tools that allow for fully customizable jackpot promotions. “Integrating BlueRibbon’s proprietary, proven technology will enable DraftKings to create dynamic incentives for our users as they engage with our products,” said Paul Liberman, DraftKings co-founder and President, Global Technology and Product. “The team at BlueRibbon brings technical and gamification expertise and broad industry experience to DraftKings, and we are excited to leverage this technology to further differentiate our product offerings and engage customers in new ways.”
 ESPORTS
Riot Games is bringing back its virtual heavy metal band PENTAKILL, and lined up a partnership with guitar manufacturer Jackson. PENTAKILL will perform live at LCS’s Mid-Season Showdown Opening Ceremonies Presented by Mastercard, marking the band’s first performance since 2017. The Mid-Season Showdown will take place on April 11 at the Los Angeles Greek Theatre.
G4 and WWE are tagging up for a video game competition series that will debut on G4 this fall. The program will be hosted by WWE Superstar Xavier Woods and will pit some of the biggest content creators in gaming against each other. “This partnership combines WWE’s sports-entertainment and G4’s competitive entertainment to bring a truly unique offering only these brands can offer,” said Brian Terwilliger, VP of Programming and Creative Strategy for G4. “The format of the show, along with WWE Superstar Xavier Woods AKA Austin Creed’s electric presence on-screen, will make it appealing for gamers, WWE fans, and those new to both as well.”
Ander Nickell is heading to UTA as a Brand Partnerships Executive in the esports division. Nickell brings over 15 years of experience working in marketing and business development where he will focus on building innovative brand partnerships for the company’s roster of nearly 100 world-ranked esports athletes, streamers and content creators. Most recently, Nickell served as the Head of Global Partnerships at Activision.
Esports tournament organizer BLAST Premier locked in a partnership agreement with MADMONQ – a health and performance gaming supplement. As part of the deal, MADMONQ will be named Official Health Supplement for the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown and Final.
INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES
John Shea was named as Chief Executive Officer of Octagon Sports and Entertainment Network. Shea, who is currently Global President of Octagon Marketing & Events, will assume day-to-day operating responsibilities of OSEN effective immediately. Rick Dudley, who has been OSEN’s Chairman and CEO for the past 18 years, will remain as Chairman and continue to provide strategic direction and support to OSEN’s Executive Committee.
Sports and entertainment agency Wasserman acquired Riddle & Bloom, a specialized “Ideas and Access” agency that looks to help clients “understand and thoughtfully market to the next generation of consumers: college students, high schoolers, and young professionals.”
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On this Day
1963: Jack Nicklaus wins his first Masters Tournament.
IN THE KNOW
How many times has Jack Nicklaus won the Green Jacket at the Masters? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Which driver boasts the most pole positions in F1 history? Answer: Lewis Hamilton. Kudos: Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Mike Evranian-NASCAR/Richmond; Paul Brewer-TV Talent Agents/North Augusta; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Elizabeth Sampson-Nielsen/LA; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
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MANAGER, BRAND MARKETING
CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS/LA, CA: Responsible for development and management of consumer marketing initiatives including paid advertising, email marketing, and other priorities that create awareness and engagement in support of our key business objectives. 3-5 years of consumer marketing experience within the entertainment industry with prior television experience preferred. Full info HERE (4/20)
DIRECTOR, BRAND MARKETING >>
CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS/LA, CA: Strategy, development and management of consumer marketing initiatives including paid advertising efforts, email marketing, and other projects that create awareness and engagement in support of our key business priorities. 7-10 years of consumer marketing experience within the entertainment industry with prior television experience preferred. Full info HERE (4/20)
SUPERVISOR, CUSTOMER SERVICE >>
SPECTRUM/VANCOUVER, WA: Actively and consistently support all efforts to simplify and enhance the customer and employee experience. Effectively lead a team of representatives utilizing supervisory skills including and monitor individual and team performance. 5-7 Customer service/call center experience required. Full info HERE (4/16)
PR ASST/COOR >>
BABYGRANDE PR/VENICE CA: Support president at boutique PR firm. Work daily with TV/entertainment/corp. clients and media. Looking for detail-oriented, motivated multi-tasker for high-paced, fun environment. Full info HERE (4/15)
VP, CONTENT ACQUISITIONS >>
INSP LLC/CHARLOTTE, NC: Leads on high level negotiations with studios and independent content providers. Initiates and establishes strategic relationships and heads a research team to track and evaluate potential content opportunities. Minimum 5-7 years of cable TV network experience in acquisitions required. Full info HERE (4/14)
MANAGER, INTREGRATED MEDIA >>
FOX SPORTS/Los Angeles: Manage multiple aspects of paid campaigns, assist in monitoring and reporting on paid Digital, Programmatic, Search, and Social performance and provide an active voice communicating optimization opportunities and challenges. 5+ years of work experience in integrated and/or digital media planning/buying required. Full info HERE (4/14)
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR >>
COINDESK INC/NYC/NY: Develop a unique, authoritative voice for CoinDesk products; write and edit quickly, cleanly and succinctly, and they must be a master of shaping copy and social-native content to match the voice of different social networks. 3-5 years of experience managing social media for a media company or comparable organization. Full info HERE (4/13)
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT >>
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION/NYC/NY: Act as liaison between Executives and a wide array of internal and external contacts, screen and direct phone calls, draft and distribute correspondence as needed, and schedule meetings. Arrange travel schedule and organize travel arrangements and manage office supply closet and kitchen. 2-4 years of experience as an Executive Assistant, required. Full info HERE (4/12)
FREELANCE MANAGER, MULTI-PLATFOMR ANALYTICS >>
ViacomCBS – MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC, NY: Apply linear and digital Analytics across the MTV Entertainment Group portfolio to optimize content strategy across platforms and brands. Synthesize insights from every available data source in order to provide expert guidance on where content will best find its intended target. 3-5 years of related experience with Nielsen competence required. Full info HERE (4/12)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >>
FUTURE TODAY INC/NYC/CHICAGO: Build, maintain and expand a pipeline of sales targets, contacts, and sales opportunities leveraging your relationships. Well-versed in CTV; direct & programmatic. Kids space knowledge preferred. The company is growing and looking for motivated people with experience selling across one or more of these categories: CTV, OTT, OLV, Linear TV. Full info HERE (4/12)
SR DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER >>
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP/ST PAUL, NYC, LA, REMOTE: Manage production and development of new podcasts, creating and commissioning sustainable, high quality shows. Pitch new show ideas, angles on stories, and create plans for how a new show or season will sound and be structured. 5-7 years of media production and/or content development, ideally in audio required. Full info HERE (4/11)
COORDINATOR, BRAND MARKETING >>
CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS/LA, CA: Responsible for supporting the implementation of advertising campaigns, marketing partnerships, promotions, sweepstakes, experiential events, creative development & email marketing initiatives. Min 1yr of marketing exp within the entertainment industry. Full info HERE (4/11)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER APM STUDIOS >>
AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA GROUP/ ST PAUL, NYC, LA, REMOTE: Lead production of APM Studios’ existing tentpole franchises, create and manage budgets and lead recruitment and development of senior staff, including hosts when applicable. 10 years’ relevant experience in content development and audio production, including 3-5 years at management/supervisory level required. Full info HERE (4/11)
FREELANCE ANALYST, CONTENT & BRAND INSIGHTS >>
MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC/NY: Implementation and analysis of owned & syndicated research strategy for Scripted, Comedic & Original Movie content. Monitor, interpret and compile findings from various research sources and disseminate it to key partners. Experience with qualitative and quantitative research techniques required. Full info HERE (4/10)
FREELANCE MANAGER, CONSUMER INSIGHTS ANALYTICS >>
MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC/NY: Analyze marketing efforts, determining promotional planning effectiveness, and providing insights to inform future marketing campaigns. Set up, track, pull and analyze data on multi-platform marketing and promotional planning campaigns and initiatives. 3-5 years of related experience (TV ratings and Nielsen measurement currency) required. Full info HERE (4/10)
DIRECTOR, CONTENT INSIGHTS >>
MTV ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/NYC/NY: Conceptualize and conduct proprietary quantitative and qualitative studies focused on targeted audience needs as well as more general cultural trends. Improve multi-platform performance of key franchises; 7+ years of related research experience, including Marketing, Creative and Content Research required. Full info HERE (4/10)
CURATOR >>
THE PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA/NYC/NY: Develop events, series, festivals, exhibits that are topical, culturally relevant, impactful and inclusive. In depth knowledge of history and current trends to conduct research and generate weekly reports. 8+ years managerial experience of a content collection in a research library, archive, museum, or related setting. Full info HERE (4/9)
DIGITAL MEDIA PLANNER >>
BLUE PLATE MEDIA SERVICES/ SUMMIT NJ: Day-to-day planning, executing and management of Digital and Social Media campaigns. Evaluate digital media, social platforms and advertising products and manage the RFP process. Strong ability to use and interpret analytical data and arrive at sound conclusions. 5+ years Digital and Social Media marketing experience required. Full info HERE (4/9)
VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & PARTNER INSIGHTS >>
ViacomCBS/NY, NY: Partner and liaise with senior sales management on brand strategy and positioning. Measure the efficiency of traditional and non-traditional advertising campaigns and author and present consumer-focused research on brands, generations, trend and categories. 10+ years’ experience in media or consumer research required. Full info HERE (4/9)
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SCHEDULING >>
PBS DISTRIBUTION/ARLINGTON VA: Lead PBSd’s digital scheduling function to support our growing distribution business across VOD, streaming and educational platforms by ensuring accurate, on-time content launches. Direct day-to-day activities of the scheduling team and execute on content release plans. 7-10 years’ experience in Content Scheduling/Programming required. Full info HERE (4/8)
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER, MEDIA & LABOR ECONOMICS >>
SAG-AFTRA/NY or LA: Conduct financial statement and operating analyses of publicly-held companies. Research, analyze and identify the implications for internal clients. Comprehensive understanding of micro- and macro-economics principles and have an understanding and awareness of worker rights impacting SAG-AFTRA members. Full info HERE (4/8)
PROJECT MANAGER, CREATIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS >>
ViacomCBS/NY/CA/REMOTE: Lead and track multiple creative projects and timelines simultaneously, work with agencies and marketing teams to assess initial requests for information, project parameters and priority scheduling. Significant experience working in production management/digital marketing/creative agency and/or professional services/consulting required. Full in HERE (4/8)
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