Friday May 21, 2021

Based out of WarnerMedia Studios in Atlanta, the show’s “quick-hitting format will feature leaguewide NBA betting analysis and breakdowns from experts across the industry” with BetMGM’s data feed w integrated and throughout each show. In the second round of the playoffs, NBA.com and the NBA App will feature a new NBABet section, which will include editorial content for fans from content partners such as Action Network, Bleacher Report, and Yahoo Sports, among others. The weekly show will also be available to NBA TV subscribers.

The NBA is also launching a new social media account, @NBABet, which will be programmed by The Action Network. @NBABet will engage NBA fans with video segments, highlights, analysis, insights, trends and more – all from a betting perspective.

PROGRAMMING

Speaking of the NBA, ESPN’s coverage of the Lakers vs. Warriors game on Wednesday generated 5,618,000 viewers, making it the largest audience for an NBA game on ESPN since the 2019 Western Conference Finals, according to Nielsen, with viewership up 190% from the single Play-In game on ABC last season. In addition, ESPN’s early game, featuring the Grizzlies vs. Spurs, delivered an average audience of 2,293,000 viewers, making it the third-most watched NBA game on ESPN of the 2020-21 season.

Around the dial, TNT saw its coverage of the NBA’s State Farm Play-In doubleheader average 2.0 million viewers, up 60% over the network’s 2020-21 regular season average. The Celtics win over the Wizards averaged 2.5 million viewers, surpassing any TNT regular-season telecast since Opening Night, while the Hornets/Pacers averaged 1.4 million viewers.

Elsewhere in ratings numbers, NBC’s Sunday Night Football finished the 2020-21 TV season as primetime’s top TV show in all key metrics for an record 10th consecutive year – adding to its record for the most consecutive years atop the charts, based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen. NBC Sunday Night Football posted a Total Audience Delivery average of 17.4 million viewers in 2020, according to official live plus same day data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Telemundo Deportes, serving as the exclusive Spanish-language home of the Olympic Games in the U.S., introduced its talent lineup for the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Telemundo Deportes will be presenting the most extensive Spanish-language coverage ever with over 300 hours of Olympic content beginning with the kickoff of the soccer competitions on Wednesday, July 21. Telemundo Deportes’ extensive soccer coverage will be led Andres Cantor who will be calling the action of select matches from Japan, alongside Manuel Sol. In addition, legendary Carlos Hermosillo and Copan Alvarez, Sammy Sadovnik and Eduardo Biscayart will also be part of the team calling and analyzing the soccer action. Ana Jurka and Miguel Gurwitz will host Telemundo Network’s live coverage from Tokyo throughout the Olympic Games. Telemundo’s recap show that will air every weekday at 1p and will be anchored by Jessica Carrillo alongside Karim Mendiburu.

Meanwhile, NBC Olympics named its soccer announce team for the Tokyo Olympics, tapping Arlo White, Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, and Tim Howard for its coverage. Julie Foudy will serve as an analyst for U.S. Women’s games and the women’s gold medal match in Tokyo while Marisa Pilla makes her NBC Olympics debut as a reporter for U.S. Women’s games and the women’s gold medal match in Tokyo. Handling men’s and women’s soccer play-by-play from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., will be Lisa Byington, Mark Followill, Jenn Hildreth, and Derek Rae. Soccer analysts based in NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford include Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, Tim Howard, Angela Hucles, Lori Lindsey, and Danielle Slaton.

NBC Sports wraps up the Premier League season with “Championship Sunday,” featuring all 10 matches presented live simultaneously on Sunday at 11a. NBC & Telemundo will deliver Liverpool/Crystal Palace. NBCSN & Universo offer Leicester City/Tottenham, USA Network features Aston Villa/Chelsea with CNBS on deck for Manchester CityEverton. GOLF Channel carries Wolverhampton Wanderers/Manchester United. Peacock will feature all matches taking place that day.

ESPN Events has revealed the teams slated to participate in six of its 11 owned and operated college basketball events. After a brief hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic, Myrtle Beach Invitational, NIT Season Tip-Off, ESPN Events Invitational (formerly Orlando Invitational), Paycom Wooden Legacy and Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will return in the 2021-22 season, and are expected to be played during ESPN’s Feast Week, with the Diamond Head Classic taking place Christmas week. Matchups, times and network designations will be released this summer. Each eight-team men’s college basketball tournament will feature 12 games through three days, with the NIT Season Tip-Off and Paycom Wooden Legacy each featuring four teams and four games.

BELLATOR MMA announced plans to welcome back fans in attendance to watch live events beginning with BELLATOR 260: Lima vs. Amosov on June 11. Both events will be televised live on SHOWTIME. To amplify the anticipated return to fan-attended events, BELLATOR has tapped Elevate Sports Ventures to support sponsorship, premium and ticket sales strategies for the internationally renowned mixed martial arts brand.

Kevin Negandhi will host the Scripps National Spelling Bee when ESPN2 airs the semifinals and finals live in prime time this summer. Negandhi previously hosted the event in 2016 and ‘17. Paul Loeffler will return as expert analyst for a 15th year. In addition, Jen Lada, a reporter and host on a variety of ESPN programs including College GameDay and College Football Live since 2015, will serve as an interviewer and reporter.

ESPN announced its game selection for the June 6 edition of Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Taco Bell picking up the Yankees vs. Red Sox. The game telecast will begin at 7 p.m. ET. Matt Vasgersian, World Series Champion and analyst Alex Rodriguez and reporter Buster Olney will provide commentary on ESPN.

Claressa Shields, a new four-part, all-access series, premiering exclusively on ESPN+ in June, will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at Shields’ quest to become the greatest two-sport athlete of all time. The first episode of the series premiers on June 3. “Claressa has accomplished so much as an athlete already and her life story is both authentic and compelling,” said Brian Lockhart, senior vice president, original content and ESPN Films. “We know she’s just getting started, and this new series is a chance for all of us to join Claressa on her journey and to see up close what drives the ambition of a world champion who is reaching for all-time greatness.”

IMPACT Wrestling locked in an agreement with UTV in Iraq—launching the promotion’s IMPACT! flagship series and the in-depth retrospective IMPACT In 60 on the platform. The partnership further extends IMPACT’s global reach, delivering IMPACT content to 15 territories throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

Former YouTube personality Jake Paul signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports, according to ESPN. The date, venue and opponent for his first fight on Showtime have not yet been released, but are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, according to the report. The move to Showtime means Paul will no longer be fighting under the Triller brand.

The 2021 Camping World Series will see eight telecasts on FOX, including the season-opener in Gainesville. Brian Lohnes and two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon return to the booth for the FOX NHRA broadcast team, with reporting from two-time NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national champion Bruno Massel, Amanda Busick, Jamie Howe, and John Kernan. FOX Sports and NHRA also are scheduling 16 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series broadcasts, and 12 E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service broadcasts across FOX Sports networks.

SESSION SPOTLIGHT: Best Use Cases for Multi-Platform Measurement
Many companies are advancing their own Multi-Platform Measurement solutions. On Tuesday, June 15 at 1:40pm, experts such as Helen Lum (App Science), Jane Clark (CIMM), George Musi (Solve(d) FCB Health Network), Rob Jayson (USIM), + Mariel Estrada (WarnerMedia) will showcase what they’re doing & how it’s working going forward.

REGISTER NOW

IndyCar announced a contract extension with NTT at its title sponsor. “Over the first two years as entitlement sponsor of the series, the dedicated team at NTT has helped IndyCar become more efficient and effective through smart technologies,” said Penske, who became owner of IMS and IndyCar in January 2020. “As our sport continues to grow by connecting with a new generation of fans, NTT helps take us down new roads by creating more engaging experiences through our shared digital platforms.”

FOX Sports announced that Dos Equis be an Official Sponsor of Big Noon Kickoff, FOX Sports’ college football pregame show. The news comes on the heels of Dos Equis’ recent advertising campaign launch, “A Dos of XX” and newly introduced tagline, “Get a Dos”. Starting with the upcoming 2021 football season, Dos Equis will run TV and digital advertisements in every college football game televised on FOX and FS1, with custom weekly Dos Equis feature segments and sponsorship of the FOX College Football Digital Roadshow.

DraftKings will become the first Official Daily Fantasy Sports, iGaming and Sports Betting Partner of 23XI Racing and driver, Bubba Wallace, pending regulatory approval in applicable jurisdictions. The official sponsorship will debut at the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday with the team continuing to sport the DraftKings logo for each race of the 2021 season. While DraftKings is already the Official Daily Fantasy Partner of NASCAR, the agreement with 23XI Racing positions DraftKings to hit a new gear in its motorsports offerings, integrations and entertainment.

GK Elite extended its partnership with Simone Biles, with the duo collaborating on the first-ever athlete-designed competitive leotards that will be available through the Simone Biles Legacy Collection. Biles has been a member of Team GK since 2015, will have her designs featured across a total of three collections: Replica competitive leotards, Signature training leotards and Legacy customizable competitive leotards.

Slinger Bag inked a partnership agreement with Ultimate Tennis Showdown, a tennis league that experiments with different formats and rules with an aim to attract a larger and younger tennis fanbase. As part of the agreement, Slinger Bag will sponsor UTS for its upcoming event, billed The Unpredictables, taking place May 24-25.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

The International Olympic Committee launched the Tokyo 2020 FanZone, an interactive gamification experience on olympics.com and the Tokyo 2020 official website and mobile app to engage and unite fans around the world leading up to and throughout the Olympic Games. “The Tokyo 2020 FanZone will bring the Olympic experience to life and connect global communities around the world – and during these unprecedented times, people need this connection more than ever,” said IOC Digital Engagement & Marketing Director Christopher Carroll. “FanZone serves as an important element of our digital efforts for fans to feel they are part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This platform attempts to ignite their competitive spirit and bring us closer together.”

PokerGO announced their partnership with SuperDraft Inc., the daily fantasy partner of Caesars Entertainment. For the first time, fans of the sport will be able to participate in fantasy poker contests around most major professional tournaments. PokerGO® and SuperDraft’s partnership will launch with the U.S. Poker Open on June 3rd, with a free entry contest for a minimum prize pool of $10,000.

The NBA and Viasat locked in a groundbreaking multi-year partnership to make NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service, available to millions of airline passengers while in flight. The partnership will provide a streaming experience in the sky, enabling airline passengers to access live and on-demand NBA games and content on their personal electronic devices at no extra cost when they register for NBA League Pass in-flight. JetBlue will be one of the first airlines to offer NBA League Pass on Viasat-equipped aircraft, with additional airlines expected to be announced.

beIN SPORTS and Amazon are teaming up to deliver Alexa users a unique Copa Libertadores viewing experience. Users are now able to watch Copa Libertadores match highlights in both English and Spanish from now until the Final in November. Alexa will allow users to view highlights from their favorite games throughout the season. To access this experience, customers just need to say, “Alexa pon el resumen de La Copa Libertadores” on any Alexa-enabled screen device to watch highlights from the most important game of the week.

ESPORTS

DreamHack revealed the trailer, graphics and gameplay footage for the free hybrid festival and online multiplayer game, DreamHack Beyond, with the interactive event kicking off on July 24 and offering featuring themed worlds, 20+ festival halls, game demos, hourly tournaments (including Hearthstone and Rocket League), cosplay, live streamed music and screenings, and more. “The goal for all of us at DreamHack is to provide great experiences for our fans, which have traditionally thrived by bringing communities together for these shared and beloved festivals all around the globe,” said Marcus Lindmark, President DreamHack, SVP Project and Event Operations at ESL Gaming.

Blizzard announced that Overwatch 2’s PVP play (and therefor esports presentation) will now feature five versus five instead of six versus six. Compositions will drop a tank, and will now feature two healers, two DPS and one tank role.

Meanwhile, Upper Deck announced the company’s first-ever esports spokesperson in conjunction with the global launch of Overwatch League Series 2 Trading Cards. Salome “Soe” Gschwind-Repp, will make her debut in the fourth esports trading card product from Upper Deck. “As a mainstay of the Overwatch League since day one, we are honored to create Soe’s first-ever professional trading card,” said Bubby Johanson, Director of Game Development at Upper Deck.“ Overwatch League Series 2 is a robust product that offers something for every level of collector, from collecting the complete base set to chasing super rare multi-autographed player cards.”

League of Legends: Wild Rift laid out plans for the inaugural League of Legends: Wild Rift: Origin Series that will pit teams from Europe, CIS, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa facing off in a set of monthly, best-of-three double elimination competitions, running across June, July, and August, leading to an offline finals in September 2021.

Spotify announced its newest podcast – in partnership with Riot Games, spotlighting League of Legends. Now available, Rift Reaction will be offered as a weekly podcast that will cover trending news in the world of LoL Esports, including all of the big moments from MSI to Worlds and League of Legends All-Stars. Hosted by Travis Gafford and Emily Rand, the new 40-episode series will “react to the biggest breaking stories — from rule changes, player movement, execution of tournaments, social issues and more. Plus, each week, fans have the chance to join the conversation with interactive polls and Q&A.”

Panda announced the addition of Anthony Delconte to the team as Director of YouTube Channel Management. Delconte was formerly oversaw day-to-day growth and strategy for CNBC’s digital video partnerships, as their new Director of YouTube Channel Management.

INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES

The MLS’s Houston Dynamo and NWSL’s Houston Dash are reportedly being sold to real estate mogul Ted Segal for around $400 million, according to The Athletic.

Excel Sports Management announced the launch of Excel Media, a new media division that marks the agency’s expansion into original programming, media talent representation and branded content development. The first projects by Excel Media include two docuseries highlighting the careers of two of the agency’s legendary clients, Joe Montana and Derek Jeter.

SPORTS BROADCAST JOURNAL w/David J. Halberstam

Quick reads and nuggets beginning with a comparison of ESPN and TNT’s NBA studio shows. Would you rather have had ESPN keep Kenny Mayne and not renew Chris Berman? If yes, the network did the opposite. Good nuggets from across the landscape.
Halby’s Morsels: NBA Studio, ESPN vs. TNT; Mayne, Berman, Tirico, Levy, Hicks, Nantz, Harlan, local voices

A New York icon and a national broadcast legend, Albert will hang it up after Turner’s production of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Albert’s career began in 1963 while a senior in college. He’s seen so much. We take you back.
Marv Albert calls it a day, a month before his 80th birthday; He’ll retire after calling NBA’s Eastern Finals

It’s NBC’s last Stanley Cup and the network isn’t taking any shortcuts. They’ll go out with a flourish! Doc Emrick has retired. Yet the Peacocks are putting their best foot forward. Beginning next season, ESPN and Turner will share the NHL package.
NBC’s last Stanley Cup soirée after 16 dedicated years: Kenny Albert and John Forslund are lead voices

Happy Birthdays:
David Hill, 5/21 Retired, president, Fox Sports
Mike Breen, 5/22 ESPN, Knicks TV
Mitch Albom, 5/23 WJR, Detroit; Author
Lauren Shehadi, 5/23 MLB Network
Dave Johnson, 5/25 Horse racing caller
Brent Musburger, 5/26 Las Vegas Raiders, radio
Cliff Drysdale, 5/26 ESPN
Beth Mowins, 5/26 ESPN
Pat Hughes, 5/27 Chicago Cubs, radio
Sports Broadcast Journal

Check out the importance of single-market media buying in our 12-page report co-produced with our partners from New York Interconnect.

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IN THE KNOW
Name an NBA MVP Award winner who was not drafted in the first round. (Thanks to Aymon for this question!) (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Canadian Clara Hughes competed in an incredible six Olympics across two sports, winning medals in both. What were those sports? Answer: Speed skating and cycling. Kudos: Aymon DeMauro-ADM Media & Marketing/NY; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Jack Neumann, University of Calgary Dinos 5th Quarter Alumni Development/Calgary; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA