05/11/17: ESPN plots college postseason

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CynopsisSports

Good morning. It’s Thursday May 11, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

The college football postseason is locked and loaded for ESPN, with the company announcing dates (and networks) for the lineup of contests. Meanwhile, the CFP semifinals will take place on Jan. 1 at 5p and 8:45p respectively, with the National Championship Game slates for Jan. 8 at 8p. ESPN is on deck to carry more than 35 college football bowl games this upcoming December and January, launching on Dec. 16 with the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl (noon ET) on ABC followed by the Las Vegas Bowl at 3:30p. ESPN carries the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at 1p that day, along with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl (4:30 p.m.) and Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (8 p.m.). Dates/times for the Frisco Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Foster Farms Bowl will be announced at a later date.

Here’s the full slate…

ON THE AIR

The Sports Emmys produced big rewards for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Olympics (garnering four nods) as well as FOX Sports overall, with the company reeling in 18 winners across its brands to top the leaderboard. Coverage of the Summer Games drew wins for the categories of outstanding trans-media sports coverage, outstanding technical team remote, outstanding studio design/art direction and outstanding studio show in Spanish, with other company winners that included Sunday Night Football which was recognized as best live sports series. Meanwhile, FOX Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LI (best production design/art direction and best sound FX) and MLB on Fox (best studio show, limited run and best live event audio/sound) were winners, while its coverage of the World Series was named outstanding live sports special. Sports personality victors included: Bob Costas (best studio host), Don Emrick (play-by-play), Charles Barkley (studio analyst), Bill Raftery (sports event analyst) and the late Craig Sager (sports reporter). Of course, Brent Musburger was honored with the Sports Lifetime Achievement Award. A complete list of winners can be found here , but here are the network tallies for groups with multiple wins.

Network Group/Emmys won

FOX Sports Group 18
NBC Sports Group 15
Turner Sports 9
ESPN 7
HBO Sports 5
CBS 4
MLB Media 4
NFL Network 2
Univision 2

The NHL announced that the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will feature the Sabres/Rangers on Jan. 1, at Citi Field, home of the Mets. The New Year’s Day game will be broadcast live on NBC at 1p. “The Winter Classic made its debut under snowy Buffalo skies in 2008, and we look forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of that landmark event by matching the Sabres with their intrastate rivals, the New York Rangers, in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “With New York City as its host, the renewal of our New Year’s tradition will continue to inspire hockey memories for our clubs, our players and our fans.”

In talent news, Tony Gonzalez landed at FOX Sports, where the former CBS Sports’ analyst will serve as a studio analyst beginning with the 2017 season. Gonzalez will be a fixture on FOX NFL Kickoff on Sundays at 11a during the season.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports announced that HOFer James Lofton will move from radio to TV, joining the NFL on CBS team. Broadcast pairings will be announced in the coming months.

Finally, FOX Sports announced that German soccer staple Lothar Matthaus will join the company as a studio analyst for the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017, which runs June 17-July 2 across the FOX Sports family of networks.

Tuesday night’s Rockets/Spurs Game 5 on TNT averaged 4.7 million viewers for the network to lay claim to the night on cable, according to Nielsen. Overall, TNT’s NBA Playoffs coverage is averaging 3.7 million viewers, up 7% over last year, with increases across all key demos.

Univision Deportes saw the week of May 1 for UDN and its coverage of Liga MX. During primetime, UDN averaged 80,000 viewers among adults 18-49. Overall, Liga MX on Univision averaged its best regular season viewership since 2010 with an average of 555,000 A18-49.

NBA TV tips off its 2017 WNBA game coverage on May 13 at 3p, showcasing the Stars/Liberty as part of a 45 game package that will run throughout the WNBA regular season. NBA TV’s WNBA schedule will include appearances from all 12 WNBA teams, along with extensive coverage of the league throughout the season including highlights and postgame interviews with players and coaches following key WNBA matchups.

Showtime will showcase a split-site, four-fight edition of Showtime Championship Boxing on May 20 on the network at 6p. Brian Custer will anchor the four-fight telecast from Maryland with Mauro Ranallo handling play-by-play at MGM National Harbor with Hall of Famer Al Bernstein and former two-division champion Paulie Malignaggi serving as analysts. From London, John Rawling will handle play-by-play with Richie Woodhall providing the color commentary at Copper Box Arena.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The NBA and Mountain Dew tip off the second DEW NBA 3X tour from Chicago, with stops for the 3×3 competition set for six NBA markets throughout the summer. Winning teams from each city will qualify for the 2018 USA Basketball 3×3 National Tournament. Approximately 32 preselected teams (24 men, eight women) will participate in each, two-day event, with other brand activation that will include the Reese’s Puffs Gaming Lounge hosting an NBA 2K Tournament; New Era provide custom, city-themed hats for all 3X participants and winning teams; and Aquafina presenting private NBA FIT Clinics for regional youth.

Michelob ULTRA and Brooks Koepka are offering fans a round on them, launching at THE PLAYERS “A Round on Brooks.” Play will provide beer-related prizes to fans based on Brooks’ on-course performance throughout the season and, if Brooks makes a hole-in-one at select PGA TOUR events, beverage fans who have opted in to A Round on Brooks will receive 95 cases of Michelob ULTRA. Meanwhile, for every eagle that Koepka makes at the select events, fans who have opted in will get $10 off when they order Michelob ULTRA on Drizly.com.

Jack Daniel’s first NBA-themed TV campaign debuted a new spot will debut during last night’s game on TNT titled “Lynchburg Lights.” The theme sees the brand ask the NBA to bring a team to Lynchburg, even though the town only has 572 residents, showcasing workers at the distillery rolling a barrel of the product and actual residents of Lynchburg pitching their case to the league.

PHIT America is bringing in ASICS America Corporation to partner in helping to create opportunities for children to lead an active lifestyle through sport in US schools through the PHIT America GO! Grants program.

DIGITAL & STREAMING

The NFL and Twitter today are once again partnering, inking a new multiyear deal to deliver “uniquely packaged” official NFL video and other types of content to fans around the world on the platform. The two brands will offer brands the opportunity to advertise on official NFL content created specifically for the Twitter platform that includes live programming and video-on-demand content. Programming includes the NFL producing a 30-minute live digital show that will air on Twitter five days per week during the NFL season as well as live pregame coverage, and a full slate of highlights, breaking news and analysis. “Twitter continues to be an important partner in accessing millions of highly engaged fans on digital media,” said Brian Rolapp, Chief Media and Business Officer for the NFL. “We have every expectation that the new daily live show, produced by NFL Network and featuring some of our top analysts, will quickly become some of the most popular programming on Twitter.”

ESPN3 serves up NBA Sidecast , a unique, second screen digital offering during ESPN’s NBA Playoffs Game 6 coverage today and tomorrow starting at 8p. The presentation will include the ESPN game telecast on one part of the screen, and a rotating cast of NBA commentators in other boxes on the screen discussing the Game 6 action, the top NBA Playoffs storylines and NBA culture.

DGital Media is partnering with lacrosse champion Paul Rabil to launch “Suiting Up,” a new podcast “that spends time with many of the biggest names in sports, business and entertainment talking about how they create, balance and tackle the issues and opportunities of success on the field, in the board room and in the business world.” Patriots coach Bill Belichick and tennis great Venus Williams will be among the first guests with the first ep launching May 15.

ESPORTS

In this week’s edition of Cynopsis Esports & Gaming …

Nielsen breaks down the esports fan
Blizzard’s new MLG ecosystem
Bishop details GG Media Network plans
Overwatch League supply/demand
E3 presentation updates
Hitbox and Azubu move forward
ESL’s air time
Crystal goes Beyond

ROSTER MOVES

Intersport named Tom Buerger as SVP, Strategic Partnerships for the company. Buerger comes from Sports Illustrated and will be charged with looking for opportunities to provide brands with innovative ideas, content and experiences to reach their consumers across sports, entertainment, lifestyle and culinary.

THE MAIN EVENT

Spurs/Rockets on ESPN at 8p.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

“Our research shows that the lines are blurring more than ever between nonprofits and corporations. To succeed today, nonprofits need to think and act more like corporations to grow and innovate, and businesses have a mandate from their consumers to think as much about compassion and purpose as they do about commerce.” – Shelley Diamond, Chief Client Officer, Young & Rubicam and webinar panelist

Register for our May 23^rd Webinar:

How to Program & Market a Winning Social Good Strategy

ON THIS DAY in 1977: Ted Turner manages an Atlanta Braves game.

In The Know : What number is sported by “race car” Herbie the Love Bug? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: 2015 saw this player hit an inside-the-park HR in Game One of the World Series. Who was he? Answers: Alcides Escobar. Kudos: Michael Ritz-BucStar Consulting/NY; Phyllis McQuillan-MSG Media/NY; Ken White-KWTV/Charlotte; Mark Lehman-Atlanta Braves/Atlanta; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Deerfield Beach; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
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