| NASCAR revealed the final installment of events in the revised 2020 schedule, including the full Playoffs schedule for all three national series. In the NASCAR Cup Series, all 10 playoff venues and dates will keep the original 2020 schedule, with the postseason kicking off at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6 on NBCSN, and culminating with the crowning of a champion for the first time at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 8 on NBC. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, one new venue, Talladega Superspeedway, has been added as the second race in the opening round of the playoffs Oct. 3 while Bristol Motor Speedway moves to the regular season finale on Sept. 18. The Playoffs will now begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 26. The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will visit two new venues during the series’ playoff run – Kansas Speedway on Friday, Oct. 16 and Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 25.
PROGRAMMING
The College Football Playoff is changing plans and will ow release its final rankings of the 2020-21 season on Dec. 20, with the top four teams participating in the Playoff Semifinals on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl while the national championship game will be played Jan. 11, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Meanwhile, the Mountain West Board of Directors agreed today on an adjusted 2020 fall sports structure for football, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country. The current plan is for Mountain West sponsored fall sports to begin competition no earlier than the week ending September 26 with the football season comprised of an eight Conference game schedule with an option for each member to play two non-conference opponents, if they choose to do so. Potential dates for the 2020 Mountain West Football Championship Game include December 5, December 12 or December 19. Fall Olympic Sports competition will consist of Conference-only play.
Peacock and NBC Sports announced that Rich Eisen will continue his Los Angeles-based The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN starting Aug. 17. Beginning on Oct. 5, the show will stream exclusively on Peacock.“My entire career I have taken pride in being at the forefront of new ventures, from the NFL Network to my own show,” Eisen said. “Now streaming on Peacock, I am proud to be hosting and producing the next chapter of sports talk.”
FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association detailed television coverage for Saturday’s Runhappy Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course. For the second consecutive year, the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers will be televised live on FOX as part of a 1 ½ hour telecast from 5:00-6:30p on Saturday. An expanded Runhappy Travers Day edition of Saratoga Live, presented by America’s Best Racing, Runhappy and Claiborne Farm will air nationally on FS1 beginning at 11:30a.
The National Lacrosse League announced that the 2020 Entry Draft will be held on September 17 at 7p. For the first time in league history, the Entry Draft will be done virtually and will transmit live feeds to B/R Live, NLL’s YouTube channel, and Facebook. “As a league that always thinks digital-first, we are excited to be able to use state-of-the-art technology to hold the 2020 Draft online for all fans to watch and participate in,” said Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. “As we continue to wade through the challenges, we are all facing today we would have liked to offer the newest rising stars a live experience. But we know that the entire event and team, player, and fan experience will be first-class.”
The Washington Football Team locked in a new content strategy, unveiling Unfiltered, a new multi-media experience for the 2020 season. Under the direction of new SVP of Media & Content Julie Donaldson, a series of new shows will be launched under the Unfiltered umbrella taking fans behind the scenes of franchise. Unfiltered will air on the Washington Football Team’s website and YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, with limited content being teased through Instagram.
This month’s edition of We Need To Talk runs Saturday at 3p on CBS, leading into CBS Sports’ primetime coverage of the 102nd PGA Championship. Panelists Tracy Wolfson, Swin Cash, Amanda Balionis and Dottie Pepper will break down the first two rounds of PGA Championship action and preview CBS’ Saturday and Sunday coverage. They will be joined by winner of five LPGA titles, Michelle Wie West, and President of the PGA of America, Suzy Whaley.
As Serena Williams returns to the court next week, Tennis Channel serves up complete, live coverage of the WTA’s inaugural Top Seed Open in Lexington from Aug. 10-16 – the first WTA event in the United States since the advent of the global pandemic. Tennis Channel’s multi-camera, multi-court coverage of the Top Seed Open will utilize similar technologies and techniques it used during tennis exhibitions this summer. This includes robotic and jib cameras, enhanced slow motion and the “Simply Live” facilities.
CBS Sports locked in match analysts and on-site reporters for its coverage of the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, beginning this week. Jermaine Jenas, Jim Beglin and Rob Green have been named match analysts. Jenas will work alongside play-by-play announcer Clive Tyldesley for three matches, including the UEFA Champions League Final, with Green handling the other two matches with Tyldesley. Beglin will team with play-by-play announcer Peter Drury for five matches, including the UEFA Europa League Final. Seema Jaswal, Julien Laurens, Guillem Balague and Raphael Honigstein will serve as reporters.
Hall of Fame broadcasters Joe Garagiola and Harry Caray will be featured on the next two installments of MLB Network’s new series The Sounds of Baseball, co-hosted by Bob Costas and Tom Verducci. The Garagiola program will debut Sunday at 8p with the Caray program running Aug. 16 at 8p. |
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This November…
Let’s Unite Digital’s Leading Innovators
Celebrate the 2020 Cynopsis Digital “It List” Honorees at the 8th Annual Cynopsis Digital Awards, taking place at a virtual awards event this November.
There’s still time to enter! Nominate someone to the “It List.”
Get started, here. |
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| SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
The NBA Board of Governors will contribute $300 million in initial funding to establish the first-ever NBA Foundation dedicated to creating greater economic empowerment in the Black community. The Foundation is being launched in partnership with the National Basketball Players Association. Over the next 10 years, the 30 NBA team owners will collectively contribute $30 million annually to establish a new, leaguewide charitable foundation and look to increase access and support for high school, college-aged and career-ready Black men and women, and assist national and local organizations that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development in NBA markets and communities across the United States and Canada.
Meanwhile, the NFL announced the launch of NFL Votes, a league-wide, nonpartisan initiative that will support and encourage the civic engagement and voting of NFL players, Legends, club and league personnel, and NFL fans from now until Election Day. NFL Votes will focus on three key components of the electoral process: voter education, voter registration, and voter activation. “Today marks the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was meant to ensure the right to vote for all Americans, prohibiting discrimination in voting based on race or color,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Through meeting with players and legends to better understand causes and issues they are passionate about, we found a consensus around the importance of voting. That’s why we’re putting the power of our platform behind NFL Votes, aiming to inspire and encourage people to get educated about the voting process, to get registered to vote, and to ultimately exercise their right to vote.”
Learfield IMG College is drafting “With U” – a nationwide marketing campaign designed to “unite and strengthen the connection between college sports fans and sponsors who share an affinity and passion for their schools.” Promoted through extensive digital marketing touchpoints via web and social,” the campaign will activate with more than 170 schools nationwide, where Learfield IMG College is the athletics multimedia rightsholder.
PitchBook entered into an agreement with Oak View Group and the Seattle Kraken to become an Arena Partner and suite level Sponsor at Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center. As part of the partnership, Climate Pledge Arena’s suite-level will be named “The PitchBook Suites.” Additionally, PitchBook will support the franchise’s expansion and business development initiatives as the Seattle Kraken’s exclusive financial data provider.
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
Facebook, the NHL and Disney Streaming Services partnered to bring hockey fans video content for the NHL’s “Return to Play.” The deal calls for the NHL to share game recaps on Facebook Watch shortly after the conclusion of each contest and fans will also have access to additional NHL content, including compilations of top plays from the week and “best of” moments from NHL history. The deal also sees the NHL launch an NHL Superfans Facebook Group as a place for fans to connect and engage around the league. “I know we speak for many fans when we say we’re thrilled to have the NHL back on the ice. We’re excited for these fans to be able to connect around the latest Return to Play highlights in Facebook Watch and continue the conversation in the NHL Superfans Facebook Group,” said Sidhant Rao, Facebook Sports League Partnerships Lead.
Thirty Five Ventures is partnering with Cadence13 – a leading premium podcast company and part of Entercom’s podcast network – to deliver The Boardroom Podcast Network. The platform launches with two podcasts starting Aug. 12: The Boardroom: Out Of Office with Rich Kleiman and guests; and The Etc’s with Kevin Durant. “The Boardroom has been a primary focus of Thirty Five Ventures and we’re really proud of the platform we’ve built,” said Kleiman. “We’re excited to bring the brand into the podcast space, and we’re looking forward to building a long-term partnership with Cadence13.”
Score Media and Gaming saw subsidiary Score Digital Sports Ventures receive authorization from Colorado Division of Gaming to offer mobile sports wagering services in Colorado. “We can’t wait to launch theScore Bet in Colorado later this month and showcase our incredible betting product to the passionate sports fans there,” said John Levy, Founder and CEO of theScore. “This regulatory approval is another significant step toward theScore Bet’s multi-state expansion as we roll out our uniquely integrated media and betting experience across the country.”
DraftKings is expanding its daily fantasy sports offerings to include the game variant Best Ball, with snake drafts in addition to a $3 million marquee tournament ahead of the 2020 NFL season, with a $1 million top prize. “As part of a continued commitment to putting our customers first, DraftKings Best Ball is an exciting new feature within our fantasy product that our customers have asked for,” said Paul Liberman, DraftKings Co-founder and President, Global Technology and Product. “Leveraging in-house technology, Best Ball provides our DFS customers with a season-long option, supplementing the wide array of game types available on DraftKings. We look forward to this season of sports as our customers experience and compete under this new offering.”
ESPORTS
Enthusiast Gaming is expanding its reach and entered into a binding share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Omnia Media from Blue Ant Media Solutions Inc. The deal will “create the largest gaming media, esports and entertainment platform in North America by users, with 300 million video game and esports fans monthly,” according to the announcement. “Omnia is a transformational acquisition for Enthusiast Gaming and adds immediate strategic and financial value to our platform,” said Adrian Montgomery, CEO of Enthusiast Gaming. “The addition of Omnia Media positions Enthusiast Gaming as the largest gaming media platform in North America, with more touchpoints to connect gamers to unique content experiences than any other gaming company. The combination is on strategy and has many expected synergies with our existing audience and advertising and distribution partners. We look forward to welcoming and working much closer with the Omnia team in LA to continue delivering on our strategic growth drivers.”
Riot Games will create a global deals council and ethics committee following the controversy it found in a partnership with NEOM, a Saudi Arabian state-backed city development, per ESPN. The establishment of the global deals council features a new internal deal tracker that will provide company-wide transparency for all business development and sponsorship deals occurring in Riot’s global operation. The council will feature representatives from the Global Esports team, Riot’s social impact division Karma, and its legal and diversity and inclusion teams.
INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES
WWE announced that Nick Khan, former Co-Head of Television at Creative Artists Agency, was named President & Chief Revenue Officer, reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “Nick is a seasoned media executive with a deep understanding of our business and a proven track record of generating significant value for sports and entertainment properties,” said McMahon. “While representing WWE at CAA, he was instrumental in transforming our business model by securing domestic media rights increases of 3.6x over our previous agreements. Nick’s management style and personal demeanor are perfect for WWE’s entrepreneurial culture, and he will fit right in with our exceptional management team.”
DAZN Group reshuffled its executive ranks, with changes that include Ed McCarthy, becoming chief operating officer, while John Gleasure, chief business development officer at DAZN, has been appointed to the new role of executive vice-chairman. Paul Morton now becomes chief revenue officer
SPORTS BROADCAST JOURNAL W/David J. Halberstam
On the Turner front, Brian Anderson and Chris Webber haven’t worked any broadcasts yet. The network won’t speculate on assignments beyond what was released today. I suspect that at some point next week we’ll get some update. Anderson has been rumored to succeed Marv Albert, 79, whose contract ends following the 2020-21 season. Webber is generally Albert’s partner. Albert isn’t working games during this NBA Restart due to Covid-19 health precautions
Turner and ESPN NBA voices
ESPN’s popular Scott Van Pelt is covering the PGA this weekend. He told us: “I’m excited to be part of this. For all of my career in TV, golf and particularly the majors have been at the fore of what I’ve been fortunate enough to do, and I just would say preemptively. I don’t know what it will feel like.”
ESPN gets a piece of the PGA, the year’s first major; Curtis Strange, Scott Van Pelt and Andy North opine
At times, while working from his home studio in Michigan, NBC’s NHL Hall of Famer Doc Emrick seemed to have some difficulty tracking the puck and identifying players during a Edmonton Oilers – Chicago Blackhawks game. NBC broadcast review
NBC is hot and heavy into the NHL Stanley Cup
TNT’s Ian Eagle often uses wry New York humor, that’s liked by some, disliked by others and sometimes liked and disliked by some in the same broadcast. When Carmelo Anthony was heard yelling ‘I got it’ while chasing a rebound, Eagle pointed out that Melo “leads the NBA in ‘I got it.’” Stan Van Gundy, the ex-Heat, Pistons and Magic coach has been a hit as a Turner game analyst
TNT/NBA team of Ian Eagle and Stan Van Gundy earn a B
Happy Birthday and many strong returns:
Lee Corso, August 7 ESPN college football analyst –on the pre-game show
Ernie Johnson, Jr., August 7 Veteran TNT host of Inside the NBA
Dewayne Staats, August 8 TV Voice, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Pierre McGuire, August 8 Presides ‘Inside the Glass’ for NBC’s NHL coverage
Gus Johnson, August 10 Fox Sports – Lead voice of college football
Dave Pasch, August 11, ESPN – calls NBA, college football and basketball
Sam Rosen, August 12 TV voice of NY Rangers, also NFL on Fox
David Steele, August 13 TV voice Orlando Magic
Sports Broadcast Journal |
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Cynopsis Sports Media Awards …are going virtual!
HONORING TOP SPORTS PROGRAMS, CAMPAIGNS & PEOPLE
August 12 / 2PM ET / REGISTER FOR FREE >
In addition to award finalists ( see who made the cut), we’ll spotlight this year’s Luminary Award Honorees being recognized for their stand out work in improving the space while executing successful campaigns + initiatives during a time when the sports industry has been turned on its head.
[Sponsored By] Twitch
[Supporters] WWE, BLOK Sports, SiriusXM, NBCSports, Showtime |
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On this Day
2016: Jim Furyk becomes the first golfer to shoot a 58 in PGA Tour history.
In the Know
Which sports franchise has a mascot known as the King Cake Baby? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Alex Rodriguez wore #13 for the Yankees, and what number for the Rangers and Mariners? Answer: #3. Kudos: Denis Barry-CBS/NY; Chris Madigan-BZA PR/NY; Michael Ritz-Lenox Advisors/NY; Miguel Rodriguez-SkyBuzzMedia/North Haven; Patrick Caulfield-ESPN/Bristol; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; John Kukla-KDFW/KDFI/Dallas; Lexi Betcher-Home Team Sports/Chicago; Jack Neumann- University of Calgary Dinos 5th Quarter Alumni Development/Calgary; Dan Weiner- Condé Nast/LA; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Willie Price-American Forces Network/Riverside |
PRODUCER
Newsmax Media
NYC
Responsible for the production of live news & talk show, and recorded video segments for television, and digital platforms. 3+ yrs in TV news and/or talk production. Full info HERE
Reporter >>
Newsmax Media/Washington D.C.: Seeking proven on-air reporter, in possession of an already-developed contact list, including many “who’s who” leaders in Congress, and related government agencies. Min 3 yrs exp with outstanding writing/production skills. Full info HERE (8/19)
SENIOR LINE PRODUCER >>
Newsmax Media/NYC:Responsible for the production and execution of live political news programming, and recorded video segments for television, and digital platforms. 3+ yrs experience line producing. Full info HERE (8/17)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PRIMETIME >>
Newsmax Media/NYC: Responsible for designing and building prime time show, managing show hosts and production team, identifying and integrating guests, overseeing and executing the production of key video & graphic elements. 3+ yrs EP exp or political news & talk programming. Full info HERE (8/17)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER >>
Newsmax Media/NYC: Responsible for designing and building shows, managing show hosts and production team, identifying and integrating guests, overseeing and executing the production of key video & graphic elements. 3+ yrs EP exp or political news & talk programming. Full info HERE (8/17)
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER >>
Newsmax Media/NYC: Write for fast paced news and opinion show. You are an exceptional storyteller with a command of political news and cultural trends. At least 3 years of national or large market local news experience. Full info HERE (8/17)
PRODUCER >>
Newsmax Media/NYC: Responsible for the production of live news & talk show, and recorded video segments for television, and digital platforms. 3+ yrs in TV news and/or talk production. Full info HERE (8/17)
DIRECTOR, BRAND PARTNERSHIPS >>
Omnia Media/LA or NY: Seeking individual to sell a portfolio of social and digital ad products, including custom branded content, video spons, programmatic inv and influencer mktg. With a strong grasp of video games/gaming culture, and dig platforms. 4 yrs exp in video content/dig media. Full info HERE (8/14)
VIDEO EDITOR, MARKETING >>
VICE Media/Brooklyn, NY: Seeking experienced editor for cutting trailers, TV campaigns, digital spots/campaigns, special content and in-house reels. Must have 5yrs exp, be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment as well as prioritize on-going assignments. Full info HERE (8/14)
SENIOR MANAGER, GROWTH MARKETING >>
Kanopy/Remote, USA: Seeking multi-disciplinary background candidate with mrktg, business strategy, and data analytics exp. Plus a passion and knowledge of the entire film ecosystem. Min 5yrs dir-to-consumer mktg exp at a subscription-based/video streaming co with a proven record of executing growth mktg strategies. Full info HERE (8/13)
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS >>
The Hive/Knoxville, TN: Seeking highly qualified individual to oversee the orderly day-to-day function of production operations, with a particular emphasis on post prod operations for TN & NY offices and TN facilities management. Reports directly to the Pres and VP of Production. Full info HERE (8/13)
DIR, BRAND MARKETING & STRATEGY PLANNING >>
Nickelodeon/NYC: Seeking a group brand leader responsible for the development of mktg strategies in support of Nickelodeon and any of its related content and sub-brands. Min 7yrs exp in consumer strategy, digital, marketing or media. Full info HERE (8/11)
ASSOCIATE PRODUCE >>
Sesame Workshop/NYC: Oversee the production of 2 consecutive 30-minute animated specials and 20×5-minute animated segments. 5+yrs in Series Animation Production at a Production Co. or Studio preferred. Full info HERE (8/10)
LINE PRODUCER >>
CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ: Responsible for managing line production for 1 hour of a live show. 5+ exp segment producing and/or booking in a live television environment with demonstrated written communication and research skills, Full info HERE (8/10)
SENIOR PRODUCER >>
CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ: Support the executive producer of (show) in helping to lead and drive the editorial vision of the show, the content and management of the staff. 5+yrs exp in live TV (i.e. financial news network, morning shows, cable shows, broadcast TV) Full info HERE (8/9)
SEGMENT PRODUCER >>
CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ:
Developing and producing live and taped guest segments. At least 2 years of experience booking and producing in a live television environment with demonstrated writing, research, and telephone communication skills. Full info HERE (8/9)
WRITER >>
CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ:
Responsible for organizing and crafting accurate, unbiased, and engaging news content aligned with the stated mission of the news program. At least 5 years of general news writing experience at the local and/or national television level. Full info HERE (8/9)
COPY EDITOR >>
CNBC/Englewood Cliffs NJ: Responsible for overseeing spelling, syntax, grammar, style and ensuring consistency for written articles, video copy, graphics and social media posts. Full info HERE (8/9)
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR >>
The Africa Channel/N. Hollywood: Digital-savvy individual, incorporating online tools and in-person networking to create relationships & build the company’s brand both online and off. 2 years’ exp, with at least three years of exp in a communications role. Full info HERE (8/8) |
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