CBS Sports’ annual Media Day Luncheon saw an influx of NFL Network talent and executives this year, as the companies met with the press to break down expectations, promotion and talent for the coming season of Thursday Night Football. CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus noted that he was pleased with the pairing, comparing it to the company’s relationship with Turner Sports for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. NFL Media EVP Brian Rolapp noted that the resources from the partnership will have a visual impact in the new season and lift up the channel’s brand. Variety reports that CBS is looking for over $500,000 for a 30-second spot for TNF this year, with SBJ writing that the inventory was 80% sold. Lowe’s and Verizon will sponsor the first half-hour and second-half hour of the Thursday pre-game show, while Lexus will sponsor halftime and Mazda takes on the post-game show, according to the reports.

Meanwhile, the two companies firmed up pregame and postgame talent roster for the TNF brand on NFL Network and CBS. Joining host James Brown and analysts Deion Sanders and Bill Cowher will be an additional set featuring host Rich Eisen with analysts Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci. Every Thursday at 6p on NFL Network, Eisen will kick off the NFL week with Irvin, Faulk and Mariucci live from outside the stadium on NFL Total Access Kickoff. At 7:30p, the action shifts with Brown, Sanders and Cowher anchoring NFL Thursday Night Kickoff from inside the stadium. The show will air on CBS and be simulcast on NFL Network during Weeks 2-8 and air exclusively on NFL Network during Weeks 9-12 and 14-16. During halftime, Brown, Sanders and Cowher host the Lexus Halftime Show on CBS and NFL Network.

Time for the US Open. ESPN is lining up 100 hours of this year’s tournament on television and 400 from up to seven courts on ESPN3 stating Aug. 25. Before the action at the year’s final Major begins, ESPN3 will show the draw announcement live on Aug. 21 at noon. ESPN2’s live coverage of the opening Monday night will include a three-song set by Fitz and the Tantrums. During the first week of the tournament, coverage on ESPN begins at 1p each weekday and will continue nonstop until transitioning to ESPN2 at 6p (except Tuesday). Talent includes Darren Cahill, Cliff Drysdale, Chrissie Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Fowler, Brad Gilbert, LZ Granderson, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Chris McKendry, Tom Rinaldi, Pam Shriver, Hannah Storm, and Mike Tirico.

Around the dial, Tennis Channel serves up around 75 hours of live matches from the first day of play through the second Thursday at this year’s two-week US Open, starting Aug. 25. The channel will offer more than 260 hours overall dedicated to the tournament including 60 hours of encore matches, four hours of daily lead-in show Tennis Channel Live at the US Open, and 130 hours of nightly US Open Tonight and daily Breakfast at the Open. Typically, the schedule will see the channel on the air at 10:30a with the half-hour Tennis Channel Live at the US Open with live match coverage at 11a-7p. News and highlight show US Open Tonight airs from 11p-2:30a, Microphone duties will be handled by Lindsay Davenport, Jim Courier, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Brett Haber, Mark Knowles, Bill Macatee, Mary Carillo and more.

Bellator MMA is restructuring its format next year to spotlight superfights and tentpole events instead of tournaments, according to MMAjunkie. New company president Scott Coker said that in 2015, Bellator will move away from its staple format of two 12-week seasons along with Summer Series events and instead focus on one event per month along with the promotion’s four major shows for 16 events per year on Spike TV.

NBA TV will carry the USA Basketball/Dominican Republic game presented by Nike tomorrow evening at 7p. Marv Albert will call the exhibition game with analysts Grant Hill and Steve Smith, both former members of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team, and Matt Winer as sideline reporter. In addition, the network will offer 20 games from the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup starting Aug. 20 at noon.

Universal Sports Network offers a special interview with former professional cyclist George Hincapie in George Hincapie: The Loyal Lieutenant on Friday at 8p. The one-hour special will see the 17-time Tour de France veteran, three-time national road champion and five-time Olympian reflect on his career through an era plagued by performance-enhancing drug use.

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic named longtime host, anchor and reporter Chick Hernandez as co-host of SportsTalk Live with Brian Mitchell, the weeknight series that runs at 10p on the channel. Hernandez will officially assume his new role Sept. 1.

Sportsman Channel announced that the network launched on the HD platform of GCI’s Digital Variety package on August 14. “The opportunity to enjoy Sportsman Channel HD content on GCI in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Palmer and Wasilla is a welcome development in the growth surge of the network in Alaska,” said Nory LeBrun, head of affiliate sales for Sportsman Channel. “Sportsman HD brings viewers closer to the action while hunting, fishing and shooting in some of the most interesting and scenic parts of the world. Viewers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Palmer and Wasilla will undoubtedly find Sportsman programs the best in outdoor lifestyle viewing as a result.”

The NHL will hold its 2015 and 2016 NHL Combines at First Niagara Center and HARBORCENTER in Buffalo. “The NHL Combine is an essential event for all of our Member Clubs in advance of the Draft, which continues to grow in importance,” said Colin Campbell, senior executive vice president of NHL Hockey Operations. “The League has pushed to improve the Combine each year and the state-of-the-art facilities in Buffalo will allow us to further enhance the quality of the event for our teams, prospects and media.”

Speaking of the new NFL season, Cam Newton signed on to be the face of Drakkar Essence. Newton will star in a social media campaign to encourage fans to share their power, using the hashtag #showyourpower so consumer can show how “they celebrate their greatest moments and feel their most powerful.” Fans can post, tweet or gram @DrakkarEssence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to take part.

SIDEARM Sports, a Learfield Sports’ company, is reporting record growth, propelled by “enhanced design, technology and innovation,” according to the company. Newly established partnerships with collegiate entities at the brand include the Heisman Trophy, The Citadel, Hofstra, Northern Colorado, Coppin State and Xavier (LA). In addition, SIDEARM Sports has launched a total of 68 new and redesigned collegiate sites for the start of the 2014-15 school year, including Middle Tennessee, UNC Wilmington, Drury, James Madison, the Colonial Athletic Association and the American Athletic Conference.
 
The PGA Tour wants to put a younger face to the sport with help from a new web series pairing professional golfers with YouTube celebs. The show, Clubbed (wt), will be a similar format to Dancing With The Stars, and partner six pros with 12 web stars to mentor and compete in golf games. “PGA Tour has been successful in marketing to the millions of golfers and golf lovers in the over 30 demographic,” Bedrocket CEO Brian Bedol told Cynopsis. “We’re helping the brand reach a younger, untapped audience who shares a similar passion for the sport by creating an original made-for-digital series with YouTube talent young viewers are most interested in.”

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: What number was retired in honor of Larry Bird? Answer: 33. Kudos: Scott Henkle-Westwood One/NY; Jon Latzer-CBS Digital Media/NY; Rick Rosenfelt-ESPN New York/NY; Barry G. Waldman-Vistrada/NY; Mike Antolini-Tiger Woods Foundation/Boston; Larry Kahn-Golf Channel/Orlando; Chris Faulds-Bell Media Digital/Toronto; Christine Ferrara-WBZ-TV/WSBK-TV/Boston; Jay Goslee-Comcast Spotlight/Nashville; Gretchen Brady-KDAF-TV CW33/Dallas; Jeff Timpa-Soul of the South Television/Little Rock; Barbara Spafford-Spafford Creative/Mobile; David Hauptman/Denver; Matt Sautter-OpenTV/Golden; Judie Henninger-Valentine Productions Inc./Santa Monica; Rick Pike-InterMedia Advertising/Woodland Hills; Mary Downey-Mary Downey Casting/Burbank; Paul Gygli-NBCUniversal Television Distribution/Universal City.

Roberta Caploe: Editorial Director @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

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