| YouTube TV tackled a new deal with NFL Network and NFL RedZone just ahead of the 2020 season, with NFL Media and YouTube TV unveiling a new carriage agreement to bring the two channels to the platform’s subscribers. NFL Network will be available on YouTube TV’s base package as of Thursday. NFL RedZone is also available as part of YouTube TV’s new add-on package, Sports Plus, which launched Thursday.
“We are excited to bring NFL Network and NFL RedZone to YouTube TV subscribers, just in time for Kickoff of the NFL’s 2020 season,” NFL Media EVP and chief operating officer Hans Schroeder said. “The opportunity to give NFL Network and NFL RedZone the broadest distribution as possible to our fans remains a top priority for us, so we’re pleased to bring our lineup of exclusive live games, informative shows and award-winning content to the YouTube TV channel lineup.”
PROGRAMMING
Meanwhile, CBS cemented its lineup of NFL announcers, led by Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson who will call CBS’ marquee game each week. Charles Davis joins the No. 2 announce team with Ian Eagle and reporter Evan Washburn. In addition, CBS has created two new teams with Kevin Harlan working alongside Trent Green and reporter Melanie Collins, and Greg Gumbel pairing with Rich Gannon. Other pairings include: Andrew Catalon/James Lofton; Spero Dedes/Adam Archuleta; Tom McCarthy/Jay Feely; and Beth Mowins/Tiki Barber. The NFL Today returns with host James Brown alongside Boomer Esiason, Bill Cowher, Phil Simms and Nate Burleson for their fourth season together. Gene Steratore again serves as NFL Rules Analyst and Jason La Canfora continues to serve as “NFL Insider.”
FOX Sports unveiled its Sunday and Thursday studio lineup for the NFL season. Starting this Sunday on FOX, the network projects the season with a special edition FOX NFL Sunday 2020 Season Preview. Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw anchor the desk alongside FOX NFL analysts Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson (via remote) and FOX NFL insider Jay Glazer. Sept. 13 then sees FOX NFL Sunday make its season debut at noon as Menefee hosts the pregame show along with Bradshaw. Johnson, Long and Michael Strahan. FOX NFL Kickoff immediately precedes at 11a as Charissa Thompson hosts the one-hour pregame show beside Tony Gonzalez, Michael Vick, Dave Wannstedt, Peter Schrager, Colin Cowherd and Cooper Manning. FOX NFL Thursday returns Oct. 8 with Menefee hosting pregame alongside analysts Bradshaw and Gonzalez on a weekly basis. Strahan, Long and Glazer lend their voices and expertise as contributors.
Booger McFarland will return to ESPN’s college football coverage this fall, joining host Kevin Negandhi and analyst Mark Sanchez on ABC as part of the studio lineup for the 2020-21 season. Around the dial, SportsCenter anchor Matt Barrie enters his second season as host of ESPN’s Saturday college football studio coverage, continuing to work alongside analysts Joey Galloway and Jesse Palmer. Kevin Connors will anchor ESPN2’s studio coverage for the second straight year, joined by analysts Jim Mora and Sanchez. Wendi Nix will be the new primary host of College Football Live.
NBC Sports will showcase a number of celebrities and NBCUniversal personalities for their horse picks ahead of the Kentucky Derby this weekend, including John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect franchise, Peacock’s Saved by the Bell), Blake Shelton (The Voice), Mario Lopez (Access Hollywood), Randy Orton (WWE Raw wrestler), and more. Their picks will be revealed across NBC Sports’ social media platforms today and air during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast on Saturday.
Meanwhile, NBC Sports and Atalanta Media kick off a season-long partnership this weekend to present the FA Women’s Super League, highlighted by this Sunday’s U.S. television debut match between Manchester United and defending champions Chelsea at Noon on NBCSN. Through the partnership, NBC Sports will present 50 league matches between September and May across NBC Sports platforms, including at least 12 matches on NBCSN. Jonathan Pearce will call Sunday’s Manchester United-Chelsea match, joined by analyst and former England national team player Sue Smith.
ESPN re-signed ESPN Radio host Sarah Spain to a new multi-year deal. Spain will continue in her role as a featured reporter and columnist on multiple platforms including espnW and ESPN. She will remain in the regular rotation on Around the Horn and Highly Questionable and will continue her role as host of her “That’s What She Said” podcast. Spain has also reunited with Jason Fitz to co-host the national weeknight ESPN Radio show, Spain & Fitz, weekdays from 7-9p.
In addition, undefeated two-division world champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward agreed to a new multiyear deal with ESPN and will continue to serve as a boxing analyst for Top Rank on ESPN and contribute to content across platforms at the organization. “We are thrilled to have renewed our agreement with Andre,” said Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president, production and remote events. “Andre has proved that his experience in the ring, and wealth of knowledge and passion for boxing, enriches our live boxing coverage. His contributions to boxing across other platforms and programs also makes for a truly unique perspective on the sport for fans.”
The English Premier League scrapped its agreement with its broadcast partner in China, ending a $700 million deal just a year into a three-year deal as a result of a payment dispute. “ PP Sports, the sports broadcasting arm of PPTV, confirmed the termination of the deal in a separate statement, pointing to a dispute over the value of broadcast rights amid the challenges brought by the pandemic.
On the ratings front, ESPN’s telecast of the Rockets/Thunder NBA Playoffs first round Game 7 generated 4,106,000 viewers making it the most-watched 2020 NBA Playoffs game so far across any network, according to Nielsen. ESPN’s coverage continues tonight with Game 1 of the Lakers/Rockets series at 9p.
NBC Sports roars ahead into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this weekend at Darlington Raceway with live coverage of the Cook Out Southern 500 at 6p on NBCSN. Sunday’s coverage begins at 5p on NBCSN with the NASCAR America Pre-Race Show, followed by Countdown to Green at 5:30p.
FOX Sports announced that Brian Lohnes and Tony Pedregon are on the call for an expanded package of live coverage from this weekend’s 66th running of the Denso Spark Plugs U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Highlighted by Sunday’s five hours of live programming across FOX, FS1 and the new FOX Sports app, coverage of the race referred to as “The Big Go” begins Saturday at 2p on FS1, while Sunday’s five-hour Finals coverage begins at 11a on FS1, before moving to the FOX broadcast network at 2p for the final three hours of competition.
SiriusXM announced that Pat McAfee is making SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel the exclusive radio home of his daily The Pat McAfee Show. McAfee will make his SiriusXM debut on Sept. 9, and will host the show live from his studios in Indianapolis, IN every weekday from noon to 3p.
The National Women’s Soccer League revealed the remaining games of the 2020 NWSL Fall Series. Sky Blue FC and Washington Spirit will kick off the series tomorrow at 1p and play will conclude with two matches on Oct. 17, between Orlando Pride and North Carolina Courage, and OL Reign and Utah Royals FC. There will be a televised NWSL Game of the Week on CBS across five weeks, including every Saturday in September and one of the final games on October 17. In addition, CBS Sports Network will televise the NWSL Game of the Week two Saturdays in October. CBS All Access will exclusively stream four games as well as the CBS broadcast coverage. Twitch will exclusively stream seven games globally, including in the United States, and every game internationally.
Bleacher Report and Mandalay Sports Media are giving NFL players the exclusive, unprecedented opportunity to raise their ratings in real time through a new series – Underrated Presented by State Farm. In each of the series’ eight episodes, hosted by B/R’s Adam Lefkoe, one NFL player gets the chance to raise specific skill ratings with official Madden NFL Ratings Adjustor Clint Oldenburg. Underrated Presented by State Farm will premiere Sept. 9, across B/R Gridiron channels on the B/R app and social platforms.
FOX Sports released a new podcast titled The People’s Podcast with Mark Titus and Charlotte Wilder. The series “takes a deep dive on one of the biggest sports stories of the week, using it as a jumping off point for going off on wild tangents and down multiple rabbit holes.” Episode 1 begins with the blossoming relationship between Bill Belichick and Cam Newton and ends up looking at some of the worst sports breakups in sports history.
YouTube and Major League Baseball unveiled the September lineup of four games to air as MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube during the stretch run of the 2020 regular season. The four games will begin with the Marlins/Braves on Monday at 1p. Games 1 and 2 will be exclusive to YouTube while Games 3 and 4 also will air on the Clubs’ Regional Sports Networks. |
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| CYNOPSIS TOP WOMEN IN MEDIA AWARDS: DISTINGUISHED COMPANIES
In addition to celebrating individual Top Women in Media, Cynopsis is recognizing two distinguished companies who champion women in media the week of October 13.
We can’t wait to highlight:
Ampersand + Starz
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| SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Multiple new activations announced ahead of the new NFL season.
SNICKERS is bringing back the ‘Hungriest Player’ program for the second consecutive year to reward the league’s hungriest players. The brand collaborated once again with renowned jeweler Ben Baller to unveil the new edition of the SNICKERS chain, featuring more than 31 carats of 2,374 brilliant-cut diamonds, blue sapphires and red rubies. Throughout the program, SNICKERS will reward a different player each week who had a huge game by passing him the chain to wear as a badge of honor that week. The Hungriest Player will show the chain off to his teammates in the locker room and to fans on social media.
Frito-Lay gears up for the season and is rolling out its 2020 NFL Kickoff campaigns, anchored by a star-studded TV commercial, “’Twas the Night Before Kickoff,” and featuring Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Katie Sowers and Marshawn Lynch,
beIN SPORTS revealed that the company reached more than 22 million sports fans this spring through a new campaign, beONE. The campaign was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, while live sports came to a pause, and supported the World Health Organization’s (WHO) #HealthyatHome initiative. “Our global soccer community was, and still is, navigating uncharted waters as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Juan Ochoa, Director of Marketing for beIN SPORTS North America. “When leagues went on hiatus this past spring, the beIN SPORTS team acted quickly to ensure our fans had entertainment options available to them as they were asked to stay at home. Our network of channels reaches millions of people across North America, which makes beIN SPORTS uniquely positioned to support WHO’s #HealthyatHome campaign. We are proud to have joined this effort and will continue to do our part in getting important public health information out to our viewers as the pandemic continues through it’s course.”
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
FanDuel Group unlocked a strategic partnership designating FanDuel as the exclusive Sports Betting, Casino and Horse Racing Partner of sports gambling aficionado Sal Iacono, aka “Cousin Sal,” and Mush Media. The partnership follows the launch of Cousin Sal’s new website and podcast network, Extra Points, which is focused on his three favorite topics: sports, sports betting and comedy. FanDuel will be the presenting sponsor and exclusive sports betting partner and odds provider of the new venture’s flagship podcast, Extra Points, and Against All Odds. FanDuel also announced the expansion of its free to play contests for the start of the upcoming football season. For the first time, FanDuel will be launching free to play Pick’em games with three NFL teams, including the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Football Team.
Nielsen unveiled new enhancements to its Fan Insights platform enabling better visibility into the interests, media consumption behaviors, brand attitudes and purchasing habits of sports fans around the world. The platform now includes data for 26 of the world’s most dynamic sports markets. Newly added are the six largest southeast Asian economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Data for Australia, Canada, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also now available. “In today’s global sports market, data and the insights it provides have the ability to provide a clear competitive advantage,” said Marco Nazzari, Managing Director, International at Nielsen Sports. “Nielsen Fan Insights can deliver an edge in the high-stakes global sports sponsorship and marketing game – one in which a clear understanding of fans is critical.”
The National Football League’s Detroit Lions named US online gaming operator BetMGM as the team’s first official sports betting partner. The deal sees BetMGM pick up fan-focused assets such as the presenting sponsorship of Lions Bingo and Lions Perks, as well as team broadcast programming, digital marketing assets, and in-stadium promotions and signage.
Instagram and Facebook sports fans can take on the 16th annual College Colors Day today, courtesy of the Collegiate Licensing Company which teamed up with SportsManias to bring fans and alum of programs back inside the stadiums they’ve called home by way of an immersive SparkAR filter experience. In frame while on mobile, a portal is superimposed into the user’s immediate environment with an arrow prompting the user to walk through, where you can see the stadium through an archway, enticing users to step inside, fully turn 360 degrees to experience the entire stadium from mid-field, as well as changing the camera to self-facing view, allowing users to take a picture of themselves in stadium wearing their own college colors.
ESPORTS
Logic is coming out of retirement, at least one time, to perform at Riot’s LCS Finals Opening Ceremony on Sunday. The artist announced that he’s stepping away from music earlier this summer before signing with Twitch and making a team investment. During the event, the two-time Grammy Award nominee will deliver a unique rendition of “Perfect.” Fans can tune into lolesports.com beginning at 4p ET to catch the 2020 LCS Finals Opening Ceremony presented by Mastercard and subsequent Finals matchup between FlyQuest and the winner of Saturday’s match between Team Liquid and TSM.
PGL detailed plans for the 2020-2021 season of the Quake Pro League. The 2020-2021 season will be split into three stages with players from all across the globe and each stage spanning thirteen weeks of region-based round-robin matches broadcast live from PGL Studios every Sunday and over $500,000 up for grabs.
PlayVS launched a new initiative to increase inclusivity in the esports industry overall, titled PlayVS Game Changers and focusing on a different aspect of diversity and inclusivity each year, but for its first year, this initiative is starting with women in gaming. PlayVS will provide an array of programming, including AMAs, fireside chats, and other formatted events, to shine a light on female voices within the industry and allow students to learn. In addition, the company signed eight ambassadors to mentor students including: Melita N. Moore, M.D., CEO/Founder Levels Unlocked Enterprises; Kelsey Moser, 100 Thieves Academy Director and Head Coach; Summer Scott, Head of Player Development at CLG; Karina Ziminaite, G2 Esports’ Head of Content; Rachel Feinberg, Ateyo Cofounder & CEO; Breanne Harrison-Pollock, Ateyo Cofounder & Chief Creative Officer; Wendy Lecot, Head of Strategic Alliances for HyperX; and Lindsey Migliore, Esports Medicine Physician.
Upper Deck is hunting for the most passionate and dedicated fans of the Overwatch League, and is launching the 2020 Upper Deck OWL Ultimate Fan Program Contest, inviting superfans to showcase their team spirit and share their stories by submitting a nomination describing why they are the ultimate fan. Selected nominations will be posted on Twitter, where fans will be able to vote by “liking” their favorite nominations on Upper Deck’s Twitter account and using the #OWLUltimateFan hashtag. The top 10 overall nominees, as selected by fans, will then have the chance to win prizes including signed player jerseys, autographed Overwatch League trading cards, exclusive Overwatch League Ultimate Fan apparel, and more.
INDUSTRY & ROSTER MOVES
NFL member clubs and the NFLPA Executive Committee revealed new initiatives to drive positive change ahead of the season, with plans that include: all NFL, NFLPA and club facilities closing on Nov. 3 to ensure that every member of the NFL family has an opportunity to vote; the orgs will continue to sponsor non-partisan educational programs to ensure that players, staff, and families know how to register, how to obtain absentee voting material, and are able to vote on Election Day and support efforts in our communities to encourage people to vote. The league will also devote the entirety of our one-hour program on NBC on Wednesday to providing a platform for our players and allies to discuss the work that we are doing together to advance social justice and equality.
Meanwhile, the NHL on Thursday unveiled a slate of anti-racism initiatives that include mandatory inclusion and diversity training for all players at camp; partnering with the Hockey Diversity Alliance to launch a grassroots program for young players of color in the Toronto area; and developing inclusion committees designed to drive diversity among executives, pro and youth players and fans.
The Pac-12 Conference entered into an agreement with diagnostic test leader Quidel Corporation to implement up to daily testing for COVID-19 with student-athletes across all of its campuses for all close-contact sports. The arrangement with Quidel will provide for frequent testing with rapid results, which had been one of the key concerns in the prior decision by the Pac-12 to postpone sport competition. Quidel’s Sofia 2 testing machines and tests are expected to be delivered to each of the Pac-12’s athletic departments by the end of September 2020.
SPORTS BROADCAST JOURNAL w/David J. Halberstam
Renowned interviewer Roy Firestone, formerly with ESPN, can make subjects cry or pour their hearts out with emotion. In a riveting podcast with Bob Costas, Roy got Bob to open up about his dad, a compulsive gambler who died at age 42. The stories are striking.
Bob Costas opens up about his dad’s gambling addiction in a gripping podcast with Roy Firestone
Sports on TV is a diversion from everyday headaches. BLM’s bold signage on NBA telecasts hits viewers wherever their eyeballs go. Face it. There are lots of people in America who don’t agree with BLM politics. Is it a deterrent to viewers? This, perhaps, and nine other reasons could be why NBA ratings have declined.
After anticipation of the NBA’s return, TV ratings fall; Political messaging is one of 10 reasons why
The voices of the Pac-12 schools and the Pac-12 Networks are losing work assignments and potentially tons of money due to the cancellation of fall sports. These fellows don’t have jobs that pay millions of dollars. We reached out to the Pac-12 announcers to get their thoughts on the postponement and how they’re coping with it.
Pete Arbogast – Voice of USC football: “It’s my ONLY source of income; 13 football games a year, paid by the game. I am now forced to take two very small pensions from AFTRA and my work at the YMCA and hit my social security early or I would be penniless in short order.”
Pac-12 voices open up on cancelled football season; USC voice Arbogast needs the work to make ends meet
Happy Birthday and many wonderful returns:
Hawk Harrelson, Sep 4 Retired longtime TV voice, White Sox
Jeff Brantley, Sep 5 Cincinnati Reds radio
Gerry Sandusky, Sep 5 Radio Voice-Baltimore Ravens
Jenny Taft, Sep 5 Fox Sports
Suzyn Waldman, Sep 7 New York Yankees radio
Andrew Catalon, Sep 7 CBS Sports
Mike Patrick, Sep 9 Retired ESPNer, Voice Sunday Night Football
Joe Theismann, Sep 9 Ex-ESPN football commentator
Jason Benetti, Sep 9 ESPN and White Sox TV
Gary Danielson, Sep 10 CBS Sports, SEC Football
Sports Broadcast Journal |
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Cynopsis Presents: That Big TV [Virtual Experience]
Sept 22-24 | 1-4PM ET
SESSION SPOTLIGHT > THE NEW POWER OF LOCAL NEWS
The increasing popularity of OTT streaming content provides local & regional advertisers with a powerful opportunity to reach a growing streaming audience at scale, and to target their consumers like never before in every DMA. This panel, sponsored by Gamut Total, on Wed. Sept 23, will provide an insider’s look at how the leading players in the OTT space are meeting the growing demand.
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On this Day
1950: Darlington Raceway hosts the Southern 500, the first 500-mile event in NASCAR history.
In the Know
Who is the all-time leading receiver (in yards) for the NY Giants? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
In the 2000 World Series, which pitcher threw at bat at Mike Piazza? Answer: Roger Clemens. Kudos: Keith Marder-Halstead Real Estate/NY; Daniel Laub-Premion/NY; John Lappas-Home Team Sports/NY; Rick Ramage-UTA/NY; C.J. Bottitta-Big Picture Productions/Apex; Mark Lehman-Braves/Atlanta; Art Salisch-Nielsen/NJ; Matt Deprey-C-Span/DC; Matt Sautter-WideOrbit/Harrisburg; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Creed Heilskov-ImOn Communications/Cedar Rapids; Dan Weiner-Condé Nast/LA; Paul Barrere-Home Team Sports/Playa Vista; Aditya Putcha-Autistic Art Critic/LA; Larry Hutchings/Nipomo |
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER >>
GLASS ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/PHILA, PA: Seeking highly motivated, self-starter to work with producers and management on company and show-specific messaging and branding to be promoted online and over social media. Min 3 yrs of social media exp and position can work remotely. Full info HERE (9/18)
DIR, DIGITAL CONTENT & EMAIL MKTG >>
INSP, LLC/CHARLOTTE, NC: Seeking ideal candidate with proven, successful exp in managing creative digital-first content, creating websites and digital prop. Min 5yrs exp in mngmt of a website prop and/or other digital products in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Full info HERE (9/18)
VP, CONTENT >>
MAGNOLIA/NY, KNOXVILLE, AUSTIN: Strong content leader with a mix of linear & digital experience to create & produce original programming for Magnolia alongside Chip & Joanna Gaines. Guide creative & editorial decisions across varying platforms. Min 10 yrs exp req’d. Full info HERE (9/17)
ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER >>
GLASS ENTERTAINMENT GRP/PHILA, PA: Seeking full-time, in-house legal counsel. Must have min 5 yrs of legal exp with 3 yrs of entertainment law exp. Responsibilities include overseeing all legal matters, working directly with the management team on all business legal affairs, as well as tracking and completing all contracts with networks, talent and clients. Full Info HERE (9/17)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE; CTV PARTNERSHIPS >>
FUTURE TODAY INC/CHICAGO, LA, NYC: Seeking salespeople to represent our CTV portfolio spanning kids/family, entertainment and lifestyle content. Ideal candidate will have exp within Retail, Insurance, and/or CPG verticals as well as existing relationships with major agencies. Minne relationships are essential for the IL role. Full info HERE (9/17)
SR. ANALYST, RESEARCH – Freelance >>
NBCUNIVERSAL/NY, NY: Seeking an individual who is looking for the opportunity to learn and grow in an exciting, evolving research environment supporting ELG Research team. Min 2 yrs exp in research, advertising, or media outlet. Prefer exp at a cable network. Full info HERE (9/16)
CHIEF INCLUSION OFFICER >>
TWIN CITIES PBS/ST. PAUL, MN: New, FT position, that will design and implement a holistic and enterprise-wide inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) strategy into all of our programs and business initiatives. Min 10ys exp in IDEA in a nonprofit, educ and/or media preferred. Full info HERE (9/16)
AD SALES PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR >>
GLASS ENTERTAINMENT GRP/Phila, PA: Seeking motivated, self-starter to join our podcast team. This individual will be responsible for securing ad campaigns across our slate of podcasts. Must have podcast, audio or digital ad sales experience. Full info HERE (9/16)
M&A and INT’L PARTNERSHIP COUNSEL >>
A+E/NY: Support Int’l, Corp Dev and Corp Divisions, incl domestic & int’l mergers & acquisitions and general corp matters in addition to support of relationships with int’l channel partners & int’l content sales. YOU NEED: JD, min 7 yrs legal exp at a major law firm or in-house counsel at a media company, exp in an active M&A practice, content licensing exp & strong negotiation & drafting skills. Full info HERE (9/15)
DIRECTOR, CONTENT >>
Magnolia/New York, Knoxville, Austin: CD w/a strong eye to oversee dev of original programming for Magnolia partnering with Chip & Joanna Gaines. Build new talent and concepts across varying platforms. 7+ yrs network/production exp req’d. Full info HERE (9/15) |
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