FOX Sports landed a long-term agreement with South American Football Federation CONMEBOL, the continental governing body of all South American football associations. The new deal begins with the South American tournament CONMEBOL Copa América 2021, and included FIFA World Cup and Olympic qualifiers. FOX Sports will offer more than 1,500 hours of soccer coverage throughout the multiyear deal.

“CONMEBOL is the perfect addition to FOX Sports’ elite slate of international soccer properties,” said Mark Silverman, President, National Networks, FOX Sports. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to grow the game in the U.S. by showcasing some of the best men’s and women’s teams and players from around the world as they suit up for top international competition.”

PROGRAMMING

Lots to write about on the ratings front. NBC Sports’ presentation of the 147th Kentucky Derby handed the company with an average Total Audience Delivery of 14.5 million viewers as the “Run for the Roses” returned to its traditional first Saturday in May date, up 54% over last year’s event, although down slightly from 2019, according to official national data provided by Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. The TV-only average audience of 14.4 million viewers topped all entertainment awards shows for the first time ever and marked NBC’s most watched broadcast since the NFL Divisional Playoffs in January.

Meanwhile, the 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland was seen by an average audience of 6.1 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and digital channels for the three-day event, making it the third most-watched Draft ever. Digitally, the 2021 NFL Draft delivered an AMA of 261K across NFL O&O, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ABC platforms – up 36% vs. 2019.

Around the dial, FOX Sports saw 2,739,000 viewers tune in for the FOX NASCAR Cup Series race from Kansas on FS1, up 26% over 2019 numbers. That ranks as the most-watched FS1 telecast since Game 6 of the 2020 NLCS.

The NTT Indycar Series saw its first four races of the 2021 season deliver spikes. With two races on NBC and two on NBCSN, the series is averaging a TAD of 719,000 viewers, making it the best spring start to a season in four years as well as the best spring start in NBC Sports history; and up 6% over the first four races in 2019, excluding the Indy 500.

The program of the week of April 26th by average minute Out of Home viewing, according Tunity Analytics, was The Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby averaged 1,062,649 OOH viewers. It peaked at 7p with an OOH audience of 2,416,469. The average and peak audiences were up 40 and 49% respectively over the 2020 race. The second and third most watched sports events for the week were both the first night of the NFL Draft. The NFL draft on April 29th averaged 502,735 OOH viewers on ESPN/ABC and 167,020 on NFL Network.

Calling all bright, bold, unstoppable women and the colleagues who want to honor them. The early bird deadline to get your nominations in for the Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards on Thursday! There are categories for every facet of the industry. If you are a top woman in media – or know someone who is – we want to cast a spotlight on someone deserving at our Top Women in Media Awards gala in October.

Amazon and the NFL announced that Prime Video’s recent deal to become the exclusive home to NFL Thursday Night Football will now kick in with the 2022 season instead of the 2023 season, with all games set to air on Prime Video as part of a Prime membership, and ending FOX’s coverage of the franchise, which was elevated when it shifted to the network. In keeping with the NFL’s long-standing commitment to make its games available on free, over-the-air television, each game will also be televised in the participating teams’ home marketplaces.

NBC Sports announced today that Jimmie Johnson will join Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick for its studio coverage of the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at 11a on May 30. NBC. Johnson makes his on-air debut as a Peacock Pit Box analyst alongside NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte. For the third consecutive year, the race will be called by NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst) and Paul Tracy (analyst). Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Kevin Lee will serve as pit reporters.

Season 25 of the WNBA sees the league line up for 100 national telecasts across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network and NBA TV this year in addition to streamed games across Twitter, Facebook Watch, and Oculus from Facebook. Google will be the presenting partner of the WNBA on ESPN, collaborating with ESPN and the WNBA to deliver “25 for 25”, a 25-game schedule of telecasts across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 in celebration of the WNBA’s 25th season. In addition, as part of the commitment of CBS Sports to the WNBA, the network and the league have announced a multi-year extension of their relationship through which CBS Sports will present WNBA regular season games, including 40 contests this season, featuring up to three games on the CBS Television Network that will also stream live on Paramount+.

Univision’s TUDN revealed its multi-platform coverage for the UEFA EURO 2020. Univision’s TUDN will carry all the action from the Euro 2020’s Group Stage on June 11 -July 11. As part TUDN’s exclusive Spanish-language coverage, PrendeTV, Univision’s newly launched, ad-supported streaming service, will stream 40 matches from the competition with the remaining games broadcast on Univision and TUDN, including the pivotal Semi-Final and Final matches. TUDN’s world-class team of sportscasters will feature Luis Omar Tapia, Hristo Stoichkov, Iván Zamorano, Paco Villa, Diego Balado, Tony Cherchi, Marc Crosas, José Luis López Salido, José Hernández and Hugo Salcedo, as well as Daniel Chanona and Cristina Romero reporting on location in Europe.

FuboTV is launching a branded content studio for advertisers and showcasing new and returning series from Terrell Owens, Matthew Hatchette and Gilbert Arenas on Fubo Sports Network. Terrell Owens, a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver, and Matthew Hatchette, a veteran NFL wide receiver, will bring their Getcha Popcorn Ready podcast to TV for the first time when the show premieres as a vodcast on Fubo Sports Network this summer. Additionally, Fubo Sports Network will premiere the second season of its popular show, No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, hosted by the three-time NBA All-Star.

NBC Olympics launched The Podium, a weekly podcast series taking listeners inside this summer’s Tokyo Olympics. The first episode of The Podium is available now and is produced by NBC Sports Audio in collaboration with Boombox Group. The Podium, hosted by Lauren Shehadi, explores stories that have come to define past Olympic Games and will ultimately shape the Summer Games in Tokyo. Throughout the 12-episode series, with new episodes dropping each Tuesday in the leadup to the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

WWE is extending its successful localized digital productions into Australia with the launch of WWE Now Down Under, presented in partnership with Australian telco, MATE. Starting this Thursday, WWE Now Down Under will deliver original content tailored for WWE’s large fanbase in Australia via YouTube and Facebook platforms, regional Instagram and Twitter channels, and WWE’s main website.

Measurement & Data Virtual Conference
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Using a Standard Unit of Measure to Pave the Way to Convergence
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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

FanDuel and The Ringer announced a new year-long partnership that makes FanDuel the exclusive sports betting partner of the platform, serving as the exclusive Sportsbook and Fantasy Sports partner across all Ringer assets, including: podcasts, social, newsletters, video & website. As part of this new deal there will be special listener leagues and contests that Bill Simmons, Joe House and a variety of other hosts from The Ringer will participate in.

The Orange Blossom Classic Committee announced Denny’s as the Title Partner for the event, which runs over Labor Day weekend, culminating with the big game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sept. 5. Denny’s and the OBC Committee have collaborated with national influencers, corporate, foundation, and community thought leaders to bring education, empowerment and unique engagement experiences to the local attendees, alumni, sports fans and visitors who will be spending the holiday in South Florida. Other announced partners include The P3 Group, Inc. and Bacardi USA.

Women’s golf-lifestyle apparel brand LOHLA Sport will partner with Stefan Wilson and Andretti Autosport for the 2021 Indianapolis 500 on May 30. The company logo will be prominently displayed as the title partner of the No. 25 LOHLA SPORT Honda, driven by Stefan Wilson. “Taking this cool, market-broadening road to Indy doesn’t happen every day,” says Lisa O’Hurley, Founder and CEO of LOHLA SPORT. “LOHLA SPORT is designed for women who love golf and who are a fan of all sports as our outfits are fit for the course, court, racetrack and everywhere between.”

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

Triller opened a website for anyone who pirated the April 17 Triller Fight Club event to pay the original $49.99 PPV price before June 1, after which the company stated that it would be pursuing individuals for the maximum civil penalty of $150,000 per illegal stream. “VPN firewalls all have to comply and turn over the actual IP addresses of each person who stole the fight in discovery,” said Matt St. Claire, Head of Piracy for Triller. “We will be able to identify each and every person, VPN or not, as each stream has a unique fingerprint embedded in the content. Triller will pursue the full $150,000 penalty per person per instance for anyone who doesn’t do the right thing and pay before the deadline.”

UFC and Chiliz, a blockchain provider for the sports and entertainment industries, announced plans to launch a $UFC Fan Token on fan engagement and rewards mobile app Socios.com. Fan Tokens are minted on the Chiliz blockchain and provide owners with access to exclusive content and opportunities on Socios.com, such as fan voting, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions.

Learfield IMG College and Elevate Sports Ventures announced a new strategic relationship to deliver revenue growth opportunities across intercollegiate athletics leveraging Learfield IMG College’s Fanbase data and analytics platform and Elevate’s Insights service in a move to “provide universities the most comprehensive solutions across naming rights and sponsorship growth; market and benchmark analyses; ticket sales and donor development; premium experiences; and feasibility studies, venue renovations and new construction.”

Strat-O-Matic and Marquee Sports Network announced the continuation and expansion of their partnership to provide data and simulations of past, present and future Cubs-related content for use in various multimedia formats this year. Among the planned simulations are a tournament featuring the top 32 teams in Cubs history and matchups between the all-time greatest Cubs players and the best of each of their 2021 opponents.

Over the course of the three-day NFL Draft, the B/R app drew all-new high benchmarks fueled by the live stream of B/R’s draft coverage with B/R Gridiron Draft Night and B/R Gridiron Draft Wrap presented by Rocket Mortgage. The company reports that engagement was up 118% Y-o-Y, with 32M visits.

AT&T is working with the Chicago Bulls and Nexus Studios to roll out a new fan experience within the Chicago Bulls app that gives fans the ability to see immersive 3D stats during Chicago Bulls’ games, titled AT&T StatsZone. “You can always count on AT&T to provide next-level fan experiences for customers watching their favorite sports teams at home,” said Jay Cary, VP – 5G Product and Innovation of Postpaid Wireless Products, at AT&T. “That’s why we’ve teamed up with Chicago Bulls and Nexus Studios to push the envelope and introduce the AT&T StatsZone experience.”

ESPORTS

DHL and ESL Gaming cemented a multiyear extension of their partnership. DHL has been the Official Logistics Partner to ESL since 2018 and the new agreement will expand to include the full ESL CS:GO Pro Tour, all of ESL’s global Dota 2 properties, and ESL Mobile. As a result, DHL will expand its scope from six tournaments in 2020 to deliver over 20 tournaments. “We are very happy to extend our partnership with DHL in what is an exciting time for our company and the esports community at large”, said Ralf Reichert, CEO at ESL Gaming. “With the addition of ‘ESL Mobile’, we will be able to provide entertainment to fans across the globe and it’s great to continue on this journey with DHL providing an essential business solution as our Official Logistics Partner.”

Learfield IMG College announced the addition of Rocket League as a featured game title for its esports events and league through a direct agreement with Psyonix. The game will be the centerpiece for Learfield IMG College’s upcoming nationwide Level Next Rocket League Spring Showcase Large-scale events, like the Spring Showcase, also will be complemented by year-round content creation and school-specific tournaments. With the move, Unilever joins as a cornerstone Level Next sponsor with significant engagement this spring.

Allied Esports was selected by interactive live streaming platform Trovo to create and produce a new community esports tournament series for gamers in North America, Latin America and Europe that will run throughout 2021. The Trovo Titans program, featuring over 100 events and 280 days of competition through weekly matches and monthly tournaments, will distribute $250,000 in prize pools for participants, plus additional incentives and rewards for viewers.

Call of Duty League revealed two new initiatives with the support of USAA, the League’s Official Insurance and Military Appreciation Partner. Call of Duty League will launch its first-ever Military Appreciation Week and the Call of Duty League Gives Back initiative, aimed at supporting the military community. Timed to Military Appreciation Week, USAA will also be the presenting partner of Call of Duty League Major III, broadcast May 13-16.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

Raina Kelley was promoted to Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of The Undefeated. Kelley will be responsible for the editorial direction and oversight for The Undefeated.

Queensboro FC announced the appointment of Adam Schneider as the club’s Team President. He will be responsible for all the club’s business divisions, including strategy, sales, marketing, and operations.

CYNOPSIS 2021 RESOURCE CENTER
An online asset for media execs looking for the latest in tech, streaming, network offerings, and tools to support their business initiatives.

www.cynopsis.com/resource-center

On this Day
1973: Secretariat wins the Kentucky Derby.

IN THE KNOW
While the NHL’s Western Conference was once known as the Clarence Campbell Conference, what was the Eastern Conference known as? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
In which movie was Cam Neely introduced as Sea Bass? Answer: Dumb and Dumber. Kudos: Scott Jenkins-Gracenote/NY; Paul Brennan-Sony Pictures Television/NY; Rob Casalaina-ITN/NY; Chris Long-DraftKings/NY; Tom Yoon-NBC Sports/Stamford; C.J. Bottitta-Big Picture Productions/Apex; Will Hildebrandt-NBCU/DC; Creed Heilskov-ImOn Communications/Cedar Rapids; Kyle Krebs-Limestone Minerals/Dallas; Lance Davis-Good Karma Brands Milwaukee/Milwaukee; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Brian Lee-Pro Sports MVP/Colorado Springs; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Dominick Latorre- Sinclair Broadcasting Group/Simi Valley

Cynopsis Team