05/17/17: ESPN’s big pitch

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CynopsisSports

Good morning. It’s Wednesday May 17, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

ESPN hit the Upfront ready to tackle recent questions about its evolution, which included a bevy of staff cuts and the rise of cord cutting. “Let me be up front at this upfront: ESPN is responding to change, and we are making changes from the most dramatic position of strength,” said ESPN President John Skipper to the crowd, per THR, and noted that ESPN’s primetime programming had grown by double digits in the first quarter while its digital products reach 100 million people a month. News items confirmed recent reports that Beth Mowins and Rex Ryan would call the late game of ESPN’s season-opening doubleheader; and that Mike Golic and Trey Wingo would team up to offer a new morning drive show this fall. (Other company news below.)

As part of the presentation, executives debuted n ew weekday lineups on ESPN and ESPN2 for 2018, which will include the debuts of Mike Greenberg’s new morning show on January 1 as well as a new series program co-hosted by Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre the next day, both on ESPN. Starting at 6a, ESPN and ESPN2 will each offer a one-hour reair of late-night editions ofSportsCenter with ESPN showcasing Scott Van Pelt’s edition from midnight while ESPN2 offers a more highlight-driven version. From 7-10a, ESPN offers Greenberg’s new show while a live SportsCenter airs on ESPN2. 10a sees First Take on ESPN until noon, followed by new Jones/Torre series while Greenberg’s show will reair on ESPN2.

ON THE AIR

Elsewhere from the ESPN trenches, the company announced that The 2017 ESPYS Presented by Capital One will be hosted by Peyton Manning on ABC this July 12 at 8p. “It’s an honor to be asked to host The ESPYS, and it’s even more meaningful that it’s the 25th year for this incredible event,” said Manning. “The ESPYS have been a part of my life during my entire career—I can still remember attending my very first show back in 1998 before my rookie season in the NFL. Over the years, The ESPYS have celebrated some of my favorite athletes and sports moments. In addition to recognizing a special year in sports, the 25^th ESPYS will allow us to go down memory lane and pay tribute to those who have played such a huge part in this program’s success.”

SEC Network’s Laura Rutledge will serve as the new host of the national network’s traveling pre-game show SEC Nation, featuring Tim Tebow, Marcus Spears and Paul Finebaum. Rutledge was a reporter on SEC Nation last season and hosted the network’s studio show SEC Now year-round. She will replace the show’s previous host Maria Taylor.

Showtime Sports will offer a second season of ALL ACCESS: Quest For The Stanley Cup starting Friday at 7p on the network. Subsequent eps run weekly on Fridays at 8p. “Showtime has set a new standard when it comes to behind-the-scenes, unscripted sports programming. Our network sets itself apart from the competition by offering unprecedented access to the players and coaches when the stakes are at their highest,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Showtime Sports.

In ratings news, TNT’s coverage of the Celtics/Wizards Game 7 handed the channel with an average of 6.8 million viewers to rank as the channel’s most-viewed non-Conference Finals telecast since 2012. Overall, TNT is delivering its most viewed NBA Playoff coverage since 2014, averaging 3.8 million viewers; up 6% to-date vs. 2016 with gains across all key demos.

Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals delivered a total live audience of 8,311,000 viewers (on ABC plus streaming), according to Nielsen. That figure is up 50% over the total live audience of ESPN’s Conference Finals coverage in 2016. Through Western Conference Finals Game 1, the 2017 NBA Playoffs on ABC and ESPN is averaging a total live audience of 4,296,000 viewers, up 8% from 3,977,000 viewers in 2016.

Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming looks for his second jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday at 5p on NBC. Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference Final will air on NBC immediately following the Preakness Stakes. Coverage from Pimlico Race Course begins on Friday at 3p.

TSN inked a deal with CONCACAF to become the official broadcaster of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. Coverage begins July 7 with Canada/French Guiana at 7p in TSN5. Soccer United Marketing negotiated the agreement.

IMG’s 24/7 live inflight and cruise line sports channel Sport 24 announced plans to feature live coverage of the 35th America’s Cup on its two channels for the first time. The platform will offer action both Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra, culminating with the America’s Cup Match presented by Louis Vuitton on June 17-18 and 24-27.

SiriusXM hits the Preakness Stakes with programming throughout the day from Pimlico offering listeners pre-race analysis, and interviews with jockeys, trainers and owners. On site coverage airs on SiriusXM Rush, channel 93 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.

Coverage begins with a special edition of SiriusXM’s Down The Stretch, hosted by track announcer Dave Johnson and Bill Finley at 10a.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

ESPN is partnering with humor and entertainment website theCHIVE for new advertising partnership and the creation of a first-of-its-kind charity ‘Pick it to Give it’ campaign that will “positively impact the way fans will watch the game.” Throughout the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals, fans will be able to place fun prop bets on theCHIVE site for charity (ie. will Draymond Green get a triple double?). And for each correct answer, there will be a $1 donation made to Chive Charities.

Investors Bank recruited former NFL quarterbacks and broadcasters Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms for an advertising campaign designed to showcase Investors’ customized consumer and commercial banking solutions. The promo s dubbed Experts in the Field and targets businesses in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan markets. In the fall, television commercials will also run on “The NFL Today”, and – as part of the campaign – the WFAN studio where the Boomer & Carton Show is broadcast will be named the Investors Bank Studio.

New Era Cap unveiled the official caps that will be presented to players at next month’s NBA Draft. The will mark the first NBA Draft product that New Era has produced under its new expanded global licensing partnership with the League. The cap is a structured fitted cap featuring innovative elements such as a DualChrome team logo and a Lux Mesh Fabric and will be available for fans to purchase starting on June 8 at retailers such as NBAStore, NewEraCap.com and Lids.

ESPORTS

The cloud is coming to earth, with Barington/Hilco Acquisition Corp. inking a definitive merger agreement with Oomba, Inc., which revolutionizes how people organize sports and games with its cloud-based tournament and league management system for eSports – and GameWorks Entertainment. GameWorks now operates nine locations in large metropolitan areas across the United States. The new entity will now be known as Oomba GameWorks, with plans to continue its recent expansion into esports, which began with the addition of esports arenas in the Seattle, Las Vegas, and Denver locations.

WorldGaming and Cineplex announced that registration is now open for the Northern Fights Canadian Championship Series featuring Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat XL. Gamers will compete for over $65,000 in cash and prizes as well as a trip to EVO in Las Vegas, as well as the Championship Title being awarded at the National Finals in Toronto on June 24.

Gillette added another esports entity to its roster, EDward Gaming – China’s top League of Legends team – as the brand’s first ever global esports team partner. EDG will line up alongside iconic sport franchises FC Barcelona and the New England Patriots to round out Gillette’s portfolio of team partnerships and further highlight its dedication to athletes and teams in their pursuit of precision. “We’ve all read about the incredible growth of gaming, but it wasn’t until we partnered with xPeke and witnessed the thousands of devoted fans who packed the Spodek Arena during the IEM World Championship that we truly understood the incredible passion of the gaming community”

The TCL Chinese Theatre and Hammers Esports announced the formation of Hollywood Esports, designed to serve as a new local Los Angeles “home town team.” The Hammers compete in Overwatch, Vainglory, and Clash Royale, and will now make the TCL Chinese Theatres their new arena. “We are bringing to Los Angeles an exceptional esports franchise to become our local team,” said Robert K. Laity, CEO of the TCL Chinese Theatre. “The esports world deserves a local fan base in addition to a global following in much the same way that other sports like basketball, football, and baseball have strong and close affiliations with fans in major cities across the US. Los Angeles now has its newest team to follow and support.” The Hammers Esports teams will now be known as the “Hollywood Hammers” and will be based out of the TCL Chinese Theatres on Hollywood Boulevard.

ROSTER MOVES

UFC announced the appointment of Peter Stringer as the global brand’s Vice President of Social Media. Stringer brings more than 20 years of experience in digital communications, most recently spending the past 12 NBA seasons as Vice President of Digital Media with the Boston Celtics.

Vincent Cordero and David Torres announced the launch of INVIVO Media Group, described as a 360 brand and business amplification company focusing on live music promotion, talent commercial partnerships and strategic media consulting, with a particular focus on the U.S. Latino and the Latin American marketplaces. Cordero serves as Chief Executive Officer, while Torres is President Live Events. In addition to major music endeavors, INVIVO Media Group provides strategic media consulting for domestic and international sports organizations, involving fan base development, media rights licensing and distribution, sponsorship growth as well as live event expansion in the U.S. and Latin America.

THE MAIN EVENT

Cavs/Celtics on TNT at 8:30p.

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ON THIS DAY in 1998: David Wells pitches a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins.

In The Know: Which sports movie featured the soundtrack release of R. Kelly’s hit “I Believe I Can Fly”? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: The song “You’re the Best,” rose to prominence after being used in what 1984 film? Answer: The Karate Kid. Kudos: Jackie Mahon/NY; Tim Gardner-WME/IMG/NY; Nicole Correnti-Fuse/NY; Chris Bartels-United Entertainment Group/NY; Marc Wollis-Cadent Network/NY; Tom Wetzel-MMSI/Warwick; Doug Boyd-Comcast Cable/Philadelphia; Mark J. Crepeau-Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame/Springfield; Mike Wexler-Moroch/Atlanta; Jonny Codalata-CSM Sport & Entertainment/Zionsville; Kevin Micklo-Pinnacle Advertising/Chicago; Jack Hodgson-Oklahoma State University/Stillwater; Steve Hebel-Milestone Internet/Chicago; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Willie Price-American Forces Network/Riverside; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank; Miriam Aardahl-OMD/LA

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
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