08/31/17: Pac-12 looks to do more with less

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PAC-12 NETWORKS

Thursday, August 31^st

TONIGHT on Pac-12 Network

2017 Season Openers

North Dakota vs. Utah – 4:30pm PT

New Mexico St. vs. ASU – 7:30pm PT

Good morning. It’s Thursday August 31, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

The Pac-12 officially opened the doors to shorter football games, detailing a test program designed to “improve the viewing experience for fans in stadium and on-air.” The initiative will kick in at all non-conference games on Pac-12 Networks and offer up a combo of shorter half-times, adjusted commercial formats and earlier kickoff times, with up to 15 games begins affected. “We are committed to exploring new ways to provide our fans with the most enjoyable and engaging entertainment experience,” said Larry Scott, Commissioner of the Pac-12. “The Pac-12 Networks’ unique ownership model provides the conference the flexibility to test new methods in its efforts to produce a better product for Pac-12 fans. We look forward to evaluating the results of this pilot program and discussing with our member universities as a next step following this year’s football season.”

“We are committed to exploring new ways to provide our fans with the most enjoyable and engaging entertainment experience,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “The Pac-12 Networks’ unique ownership model provides the conference the flexibility to test new methods to produce a better product for Pac-12 fans. We look forward to evaluating the results of this pilot program and discussing with our member universities as a next step following this year’s football season.”

ON THE AIR

After announcing plans to move the preseason NFL game between the Texans and Cowboys to Dallas form Houston, the league has now opted to cancel the game outright due to the devastating damage from the hurricane. The move was decided in order to allow members of the Texans to travel home.

NBA TV is set to carry the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on Sept. 8 at 7:30p. The 2017 Hall of Fame class is headlined by Tracy McGrady, Rebecca Lobo, Jerry Krause, George McGinnis, Bill Self and Muffet McGraw. Coverage begins with the 2017 Hall of Fame Red Carpet Show at 6:30p, hosted by Casey Stern with David Aldridge and Rick Kamla. Meanwhile, special Hall of Fame themed programming for the week tips off with a collection of McGrady’s best performances on Sept. 5, at 6:30a.

MLB on TBS hits the mound with three National League West teams fighting for postseason position over the next two weeks, beginning with the Diamondbacks and Rockies on Sunday at 3p. Brian Anderson handles play-by-play and will be joined by analyst Ron Darling to call the full national telecast. The next week sees the Dodgers face the Rockies on the channel at 4p on Sept. 10. Anderson and Darling will call the telecast, which will be available locally in LA.

Canelo vs. Golovkin: Supremecy is coming to select theaters courtesy of a deal between Golden Boy Promotions, GGG Promotions and Fathom Events. The live broadcast of the fight follows Fathom Events’ presentation of Mayweather/McGregor, which grossed more than$2.6 million in cinemas. Theaters will host on Sept. 16 at 8p.

NBCSN serves up a special, three-hour Premier League Live: Transfer Deadline Day show today at 5p. The program will surround the end of the transfer window, which closes at 6p as the team analyzes all 20 clubs’ transfer activity following a busy summer in the Premier League. Rebecca Lowe hosts with Robbie Earle, Kyle Martino, and Robbie Mustoe. The show will be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Meanwhile, ESPN preps coverage of the US Men’s National Team’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match vs. Costa Rica on the channel tomorrow at 6:30p. Overall, ESPN will carry 32 matches across its platforms during the latest FIFA International Match Week. Ian Darke and Taylor Twellman handle microphone duties with sideline reporters Julie Stewart-Binks(covering USA) and Sebastian Salazar (Costa Rica).

We are getting close to a sellout and our lineup of A-grade instructors just keeps getting better. Go deep into the world of gaming influencers with Fidan Gutaj, Tweeday, and Marius, who will take part in teaching the ABCs of esports to our attendees. They will join names from ESL, Twitch, Nielsen, the Esports Ad Bureau and Team Dignitas for a very special Cynopsis Esports Master Class on Sept. 15 in NYC. We will be behind the scenes of ESL One New York as the east coast’s biggest esports event prepares to rumble and you don’t want to miss. Today will be the LAST chance to get tickets with a $100 discount (use the code CHRIS). Space is extremely limited so register today!

The BBC laid out its coverage plans for the 2017-18 NFL season, starting tomorrow with the return of The NFL Show. Mark Chapman will host the shows, which combine the best of the NFL action plus analysis with Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora.

Sportsman Channel is teaming up with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance for Sportsman Channel’s Brotherhood Outdoors Labor Day Marathon on Saturday from 5-8p. The annual marathon, now in its seventh year, will showcase six consecutive episodes chronicling the stories of select Union members as they share their personal histories and experiences.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

CYNOPSIS ESPORTS MASTER CLASS

Friday, September 15 | Barclays Center | BKLYN

Nielsen is launching a new unit focused on esports, offering global research and consulting services for the exploding industry – in 2017, revenue is projected to increase 41% to $696 million, with a 50% growth in global audience, to 191 million. To learn more about how to get in the game, register for the information-packed event with experts in the esports space AND a VIP/behind-the-scenes tour of ESL One.

REGISTER

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Advertising intelligence company Standard Media Index reports a bump of nearly 30% in cable ad spending around sports programming in July, according to Cablefax. The sector was boasted by scheduling, with the X Games taking place in July vs June the year before while Wimbledon was played entirely in July compared to four days of play in June 2016.

MLB announced that for the second consecutive year MLB Clubs will dedicate a special “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” at all ballparks tomorrow in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, MLB and MLB Clubs will raise awareness for the fight against childhood cancer by having all players, coaches, umpires and grounds crew members wear gold ribbon decals and wristbands. Clubs may choose to partner with local nonprofits, including hospital partners or organizations focused on childhood cancer. Clubs and players may also donate tickets, ballpark suites and funds to Stand Up To Cancer and local partner organizations.

The National Hockey League Players’ Association and NHL announced a donation of $200,000 to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity in support of relief efforts in Houston, Texas, and the surrounding areas. The League and the NHLPA also encourage fans to consider contributing via www.redcross.org and www.habitat.org.

UFC and Kitman Labs unveiled a multi-year partnership to deliver an” innovative sports science and medicine program” to all athletes competing under the UFC banner as they visit the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Staff members will use Kitman Labs solutions to gather and consolidate information that will be used to monitor performance and analyze injury trends.

DIGITAL & STREAMING

Facebook is launching is new series about LaVar Ball and family on Aug. 31. The series, titles Ball in the Family, was funded by Facebook and produced by Bunim-Murray Productions. Following the premiere of the first two episodes, new episodes will be available on Sundays starting Sept. 10.

NBCSports.com is giving fans a taste of the new NFL season with a preview of Carrie Underwood’s 2017 SNF show open. The open makes its television debut on Sept. 10 as the New York Giants visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

SendtoNews inked a deal with Tennis Channel in a move that will see the STN video library feature exclusive content from the network including select highlights, analysis, recaps and player interviews. “Our partnership with SendtoNews is a great opportunity to raise Tennis Channel awareness and extend our brand to nearly 200 million viewers a month,” said Neil Roberts, executive director of marketing, Tennis Channel.

Online platform Rep the Squad is launching a new subscription-based club that offers fans a range of officially licensed professional sports jerseys with members able to wear jerseys of multiple players throughout the season for a flat monthly fee of $19.95 for adult and $16.95 for youth sizes. The company is co-founded and led by veteran e-commerce executive Brian Watkins.

ESPORTS

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

BMW hits Legend-ary status
Hacking the secrets of Good Game
EA talks NFL tournament
Nintendo collapses Miiverse
Battlegrounds adds bodies
Gamescom hits hew highs
Gamer Sensei gets guidance

THE MAIN EVENT

Red Sox/Yankees on MLB Network at 7p.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

CTHRA’s HR Symposium to Inspire Disruptive Thinking

October 25-26 · Philadelphia

Embrace brainstorming without boundaries and develop winning strategies for the future by attending THE INDUSTRY’S LARGEST GATHERING OF HR PROFESSIONALS. The HR Symposium will feature a dynamic lineup of sessions and three networking events. Speakers include a futurist, hybrid thinker, social change advocate, big data experts and more. Please join us!

Details and online registration at www.CTHRASymposium.com

ON THIS DAY in 1990: Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. become the first father and son duo to play on the same team at the same time.

In the Know: (Email Chris-Sports@Cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: What Hall of Famer appeared with Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy in the video “Remember the Time”? Answer: Magic Johnson. Kudos: Traci Liner-WME/IMG/NY; Tim Gardner-WME/IMG/NY; Joe Brucia-AMC Networks/NY; Cynthia Thomas-Viacom/NY; Willy Gibson-WTG Consulting/Columbus; Scott Leslie-UPS/Atlanta; Matthew Kern-Nielsen Sports/Stamford; Brianne Maciejowski-Miles/Sarasota; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; John Kukla-KDFW/KDFI/Dallas-Fort Worth; Gretchen Brady-KTVT/KTXA/Dallas; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
Roberta Caploe Publisher @robertacaploe	Diane K Schwartz Senior Vice President Media Communications Group	Cynopsis Ad Sales Mike Farina \| 203-218-6480 VP, Sales	Cynopsis Job Listings Sales Trish Pihonak \| 203-899-8459 Director of Operations

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