Finally, SmackDown week hits FOX on Friday, when the long-running WWE property shifts to broadcast television at 8p. The channel is welcoming its new show with a slate of special programming as well as a blue carpet at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the Friday Night SmackDown Kickoff Show at 7:30p, featuring arrivals and backstage access to celebrities and athletes, as well as past and present WWE Superstars to kick off the new era of WWE on FOX.
The move will represent the first time that a WWE property sat within a sports division for its platforms in lieu of an entertainment division. As such, Cynopsis Sports asked Robert Gottlieb, EVP of Marketing at FOX Sports, about the addition, putting his touch on its marketing and what we can expect moving forward.
Gottlieb on marketing a property like SmackDown: It’s a unique marketing challenge because it’s a sports entertainment crossover and lives in two different worlds. You can’t default to the same lens and tactics you’d use for a major sporting event, or the same defaults you’d use to launch a primetime show. That makes it really exciting and fun. WWE has an oversized pop culture imprint, and we have such a broad marketing voice speaking to both sports fans and entertainment fans, so that became a critical element of our strategy. We’re trying to amplify and reflect the pop culture impact of WWE and invite everybody into that party. When you see athletes, celebrities and people of all stripes embracing their inner love of WWE you realize how big that can be, and that became an important part of what we wanted to show.
On new promotional opportunities FOX offers: We were eager to have a unique marketing voice around SmackDown moving to FOX. We were very conscious of the fact that we didn’t want it to look, feel or sound like anything that had been around SmackDown before. Part of the weight and commitment to this property is that our entire promotional machine is heavily in support of it. We’ve had WWE Superstars join the booth at baseball games and do interviews on the sidelines of college football, we even broke the news of the WWE Draft across our NFL broadcasts in Week 2. Our entertainment properties have also gotten involved, from the Masked Singer adding “Smackdown” battles in Season 2, to Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque talking WWE on the Emmys red carpet on FOX. Across the board on FOX you’re seeing an unprecedented volume of marketing and promotion for WWE.
On the motivation behind the “We’re All Superstars” campaign: The notion that everyone, fan or not, has an innate understanding of how cool it might be to be a WWE superstar drove our campaign. The WWE is so a part of our collective psyche – striding into a room with your own walk-in music and pyro, jumping off a bunk bed to piledrive your brother – you don’t need to be a WWE fan to understand these tropes. The idea that we’ve all had those moments fantasizing how cool it would be to be in that ring is what inspired the “We’re All Superstars” campaign. Acknowledging everyone’s inner Superstar was something we thought would really resonate with sports fans and viewers across the spectrum.
On Friday Night SmackDown launch week and other unique activations: We started with the basics. SmackDown is moving to FOX, so let’s literally show the WWE moving to FOX. We built a tricked-out WWE moving truck and had Jeff Gordon kick off the first leg of the road trip. Then we brought Superstars to all these major sporting events and FOX affiliate stations across the country, so that was fun. We’ve also got a new augmented reality filter for Facebook and Instagram that allows fans to swap their face onto WWE video footage in real time to see themselves as various Superstars. It’s unique in that it’s a truly live video experience, so fans can really see themselves as The Rock or The Undertaker and share on social platforms. And starting today, we’re taking over the FOX Plaza at our New York City headquarters with an actual WWE ring. We’ll be featuring Superstars on FOX News’ “FOX & Friends” and FS1’s “First Things First” every day leading up to Friday night’s launch, in addition to other surprises across FOX programming all week long.
Speaking of FOX Sports, Thursday Night Football opened hot for the network and TNF’s other partners, with total viewership drawing 18.6 million viewers across all platforms, up 25% over last season’s average and up 23% versus last year’s Week 4 Thursday Night Football matchup. The Eagles win over the Packers drew 17.7 million in Nielsen-measured audiences and averaged a 10.5 HH rating – up 21% versus the 2018 11-game FOX Thursday Night Football average and up 18% versus last year’s equitable telecast. Digital streaming across Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, NFL digital, FOX Sports digital and Yahoo Sports platforms produced an average minute audience of 1.4 million – the highest digital average minute audience for any regular season NFL game on record. In addition, the TNF match-up averaged 5.6 million out-of-home viewers across Fox and NFL Network, according to Tunity Analytics.
Saturday’s college football numbers saw ESPN continue recent upticks, as ABC televised the two highest-rated games in week 5 ranking at the top in the noon (tied with FOX), late afternoon and primetime game windows. On ESPN, the network was up year-over-year in every applicable game window while College GameDay Built by the Home Depot was also up in overnight ratings for the fourth consecutive week. ABC’s Saturday Night Football, which featured Ohio State over Nebraska, was the highest-rated game of the day in the blowout with a 3.9 overnight score. Clemson at North Carolina at 3:30p earned a 3.1 overnight, and was up 48% increase year-over-year from last season’s similar game. The noon window was network’s telecast of Northwestern/Wisconsin earned a 2.2 overnight. As mentioned, FOX also drew a 2.2 in the window for its Oklahoma/Texas Tech matchup.
Meanwhile, FOX also reports that its 2019 MLB season telecasts averaged 2,442,000 million viewers on the broadcast channel heading into last Saturday’s final game of the regular season for the network. That marks its best season-to-date average score since 2012, and is up 9% over last year’s average numbers.
Rounding out the ratings news, Combate Americas saw ratings for its latest television show and first-ever world lightweight championship event on Sept. 20 draw 530,000 live viewers on Univision and TUDN in its midnight time slot. That ranks as the second most-watched telecast in Combate Americas history, easily winning its timeslot with 47% of viewers in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen.
ESPN+ unveiled its NHL plans for the new season, hitting the ice on Oct. 3 as New York Rangers and the host the Winnipeg Jets at 7p, followed by the Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks at 10p. Overall, ESPN+ will feature 51 games during the month, with every NHL team featured at least twice throughout the month. The Vegas Golden Knights will appear seven times – the most of any team during the month – with the Pittsburgh Penguins appearing six times.In the Crease, the NHL studio show on ESPN+ hosted by Linda Cohn with analysis from Barry Melrose, returns Oct. 3.
NBA Digital and NextVR will once again partner with the NBA, announcing the live VR game slate for the 2019-20 regular season in an extension that will feature weekly immersive, stereoscopic 3D game broadcasts, full game replays, highlights and other on-demand content. The action tips off Oct. 26 with the New Orleans Pelicans vs. the Houston Rockets. “We are delighted to renew our partnership with the NBA as we continue to evolve our VR broadcast to provide the highest fidelity, most immersive NBA experience in VR,” said David Cole, NextVR co-founder and CEO. “This season comes on the heels of our recent launch on Oculus Quest. By capitalizing on new VR headsets with next-generation optics and highly optimized architecture, we’ll be able to deliver higher-fidelity NBA VR than ever before.”
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Gatorade officially unveiled the newest member of its stable, announcing NBA rookie Zion Williamson had signed a multi-year endorsement deal. Williamson announced the news ib Instagram followers with the tagline “Now Let’s Get To Work.” “Gatorade has been in my life and in the locker room throughout my entire life. I’ve seen how important fueling and hydration are to my performance,” Williamson told Forbes. “I like the vision they have for the small things I can do to increase my performance. The smallest things can add up and become something great.”
Bridgestone Americas and the Nashville Predators inked an extension to their naming rights agreement for Bridgestone Arena through 2030. The agreement adds five more years to the partnership that began in March 2010. “Our partnership with Nashville Predators and our association with this world-class arena continue to be great sources of pride and positive exposure for the Bridgestone brand,” said Gordon Knapp, CEO and president, Bridgestone Americas. “Extending our relationship for the next eleven years represents the longest sports partnership commitment in our company’s history, which is a reflection of our belief in the Middle Tennessee community and the incredible vision of our hometown hockey franchise.”
DAZN launched a new fall campaign in the US, titled It’s Fight Season on DAZN with an eye to highlight DAZN’s entire fall fight season of top boxing matchups. DAZN’s new campaign features highlight reels of Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez. Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua who are all poised for big bouts this fall. The athletes are juxtaposed against a track titled “The Impossible Dream” to bring fans “closer to the rawness of the sport.” Dentsu Aegis Network’s 360i created the ads with the 60-second spot debuting last night on Saunday Night Football. The full campaign will subsequently run on linear and digital platforms including Notre Dame Football and English Premier League on NBC, CBS, Turner, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, the History Channel, A&E, Telemundo, Univision, Bleacher Report, Complex, and more.
The Walt Disney Company announced a comprehensive distribution agreement with Sony to continue to deliver Disney’s lineup of sports, news and entertainment content to PlayStation Vue customers. The new agreement includes the newly acquired FX and National Geographic networks as well as ESPN’s newly launched ACC Network. Sony will continue to provide its PlayStation Vue customers with access to ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN College Extra, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, SEC Network, ACC Network, Longhorn Network, FX, FXX, FXM, Fox Life, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, BabyTV, and ABC News Live.
The NBA 2K League announced that Gen.G will launch an NBA 2K League team from Shanghai that will join the other 22 NBA 2K League teams for the 2020 season. The Shanghai franchise will train at Gen.G’s Los Angeles HQ during the 2020 season and become the first NBA 2K League team outside of North America and the first NBA 2K League team not affiliated with an NBA team. In addition, the pair announced a long-term relationship to grow the NBA 2K League’s global player pool and fanbase. As part of the terms, Gen.G will collaborate with the NBA 2K League on player development and talent identification in Asia, brand development in Asia, and worldwide esports and gaming programming. Gen.G and Hornets Venom GT, the NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, will participate in the NBA 2K League Expansion Draft Lottery on Friday.
Riot Games announced a multi-year partnership with OPPO to serve as the exclusive official global smartphone partner for League of Legends esports international events: The World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Event. The multi-year partnership runs through 2024 will begin at 2019 Worlds scheduled to start Oct. 2 in Berlin and conclude on Nov. 10 in Paris. This deal marks OPPO’s first entry into esports. As the exclusive global smartphone partner for League of Legends esports, OPPO will have year-round activations centered around the sport’s three annual global tournaments, including:
- MVP Presented by OPPO: As the first global presenting partner for the Most Valuable Player award at the World Championship and Mid-Season Invitational, OPPO will celebrate the most winning performance for the most critical matches of the season.
- OPPO Cam: During the broadcasts of the World Championship, the OPPO Cam will bring millions of fans tuning in closer to the biggest competition of the esports season. From cosplay to behind-the-scenes look-ins, the OPPO Cam will allow fans watching from around the world to look in on the live event experience by leveraging OPPO’s unparalleled phone camera technology.
- Welcome to the Rift: OPPO will spotlight teams making their inaugural appearance at Worlds, allowing fans an inside look at the next League of Legend prodigies, the top underdog contenders, and the most dangerous dark horses.
Meanwhile, Totino’s announced their collaboration with the Call of Duty franchise, ahead of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launch. Users will be able to unlock Call of Duty items inside Modern Warfare with the purchase of participating Totino’s products. In addition, the brand has collaborated with Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, Founder & CEO of 100 Thieves, to co-design the in-game content: a calling card, a watch and a charm. “Totino’s and I worked together to create three in-game items: a custom calling card, a charm, and a watch,” said Nadeshot. “The calling card was my favorite element to create, drawing inspiration from my love of anime. Fans will definitely notice my style throughout all the elements.” Fan can unlock the items inside the game with the purchase of participating products, including Totino’s Pizza Rolls, Mini Snack Bites and Multi-Pack Party Pizza,
Gaming management company Loaded is spreading its wings, revealing the signing of actor, singer/songwriter, dancer, choreographer and musician Jordan Fisher to its roster of gaming talent which includes names such as Ninja, TimTheTatman, Anne Munition, DrLupo, Dakotaz, Cloakzy and more. Loaded will now manage a wide array of opportunities for Jordan as it relates to gaming including brand partnerships, endorsements, personal appearances and more.
The NFL and the NFL Referees Association reached a seven-year collective bargaining agreement that will run through May 31, 2026. The current deal was scheduled to expire in May of 2020. The agreement was unanimously approved by the NFLRA Board of Directors and ratified by a vote of NFLRA membership and covers compensation and benefits issues and emphasizes efforts to train and develop world-class officials.
Manchester United/Arsenal on NBCSN at 3p.
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CYNOPSIS JOBS: FOR “US IN THE BIZ”
Save time and find a quality list of targeted media professionals.
“ I interviewed 4 people who applied through Cynopsis – they were all great and I ended up hiring someone who started today! Thank you Cynopsis for a great, targeted job site for us in the biz! ”
– Tina Tung-Barisic. Executive Director of Marketing. The Dr. Oz Show
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ON THIS DAY in 1939 Television’s first college football game pits Fordham vs Waynesburg.
In the Know What is the team name for Fordham’s athletic programs? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your company and city).
Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question Which famed hockey player is credited with the quote “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”? Answer: Wayne Gretzky. Kudos: Michael Doherty-BC Media/NY; Katie Cifarelli-Disney ad sales/NY; Alex Randall-Disney/NY; Rick Ramage-UTA/NY; Kathi Gillin–Comcast Spotlight/Langhorne; Allison Weiner-MMSI/Warwick; Matt Deprey-C-SPAN/DC; Mike May-PHIT America/Wellington, JT Ward/Roesch Library-Dayton; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Derrick Stasica–CBS Austin/Telemundo Austin/Austin; Greg Moloznik-GLM Media/Scottsdale; Rich Wolfe-Lone Wolfe Press/Scottsdale; Dan Weiner-Conde Nast/LA; Rich Greene-Casa Del Verde Productions/LA; Anne Wettig-Fox/Fox Sports S&P/LA; Brian McAloon-The Jim Jefferies Show/LA
Later~~Chris
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MGR, BUSINESS OPERATIONS DISTRIBUTION & BUS DEVELOPMENT Viacom NYC Lead/mng operations for DBD. Focus on bus. solutions & the associated business processes req’d by DBD, Viacom’s linear signal dist, & new media operations, incl project mngmnt of non-linear content delivery to dist partners. Min 4yr industry exp, project mngmnt Full info HERE
VP BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT >> Food Network/NYC: Integrated mktng pro passionate about food content to ideate/execute high-level brand prtnrshp projects. 10+ yrs exp. Full info HERE (10/15)
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MGR, BUSINESS OPERATIONS DISTRIBUTION & BUS DEVELOPMENT >> Viacom/NYC: Lead/mng operations for DBD. Focus on bus. solutions & the associated business processes req’d by DBD, Viacom’s linear signal dist, & new media operations, incl project mngmnt of non-linear content delivery to dist partners. Min 4yr industry exp, project mngmnt. Full info HERE (10/11)
SR VP, BROADCAST ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS >> Newsmax TV/NYC: Oversee plan’g, mngmnt, installation & maintenance of the networks techl infrastructure. Deep understanding of maintaining High Definition brdcst standards & evolving broadcast tech in a dynamic envir. 10+yrs brdcst troubleshooting in a TV network environment. Full info HERE (10/11)
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, BOOKER >> Newsmax TV/NYC: Produce/research segments, book guests and develop and execute prod and logistical show duties. Creative thinking and a passion for news and current events Having familiarity in the control room, edit room is a plus. 2- 3 years of television news exp. Full info HERE (10/11)
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT >> Newsmax TV/NYC: Work directly with producers, senior producers and executive producer to assist in production. Excellent knwldg of history and politics & current events. At least one year of news production exp. Full info HERE (10/11)
SOCIAL MEDIA MGR (TEMPORARY) >> Studio City CA: Work as an integral part of the SM team to support broader strategies, & effectively message current promotions, engage directly with our audience on daily basis. Minimum 3 years’ experience in Social Media Marketing. Full info HERE (10/11)
SALES ASSOCIATE PROGRAM >> NBCU Owned Station Group/LA: An accelerated development experience for early-career sales professionals. This highly competitive program identifies outstanding aspiring media sales professionals who bring diverse backgrounds to the organization. Full info HERE (10/11)
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SALES ASSOCIATE PROGRAM >> NBCU Owned Station Group/Philadelphia: An accelerated development experience for early-career sales professionals. This highly competitive program identifies outstanding aspiring media sales professionals who bring diverse backgrounds to the organization. Full info HERE (10/11)
SALES ASSOCIATE PROGRAM >> NBCU Owned Station Group/West Hartford: An accelerated development experience for early-career sales professionals. This highly competitive program identifies outstanding aspiring media sales professionals who bring diverse backgrounds to the organization. Full info HERE (10/11)
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WEBSITE MGR >> UNC-TV Public Media/RTP, NC: Lead dvlpmnt of design layout and/or build of all web pages, content development across sites. Handle ongoing maintenance & optimization. Work cross-functionally across orgnztn to understand business req’s & translate them into solutions to meet those needs. Min 2 yrs relevant exp. Full info HERE (10/10)
SOCIAL PRODUCER, BRAND STRATEGY >> Madison Wells Media/LA: Candidate must have brand exp to create/deliver high-impact content experiences, community mngmnt & engagement that amplifies the brand & a digital story teller well-versed in SM platforms. Min 3 yrs exp in social media mngmnt, brand mngmnt, cross-team functionality. Full info HERE (10/10)
SOCIAL MEDIA/COMMUNITY MGR >> Madison Wells Media/LA: Create/execute SM strategy & plans across our diverse & growing game portfolio & drive return on mktg investment. Create cutting edge plans, deep post-launch analysis & understand how to create authentic connections w/players. Exp working in games ind & strong background in SM mktg. Full info HERE (10/10)
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING & CONTENT MANAGER >> Discovery/NYC: Strategic mgr to liaise programming/content btwn US & int’l mrkts, oversee US project lifecycle. PowerPoint design skills a plus. 6+ yrs exp req’d. Full info/apply HERE (10/9)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER >> TLC/Maryland: Seasoned producer oversee all aspects of program editorial casting, outlines & cuts. Follow doc exp in female space a must. 10+ yrs prod exp req’d. Full info/apply HERE (10/9)
SR MANAGER, INTEGRATED SALES MARKETING >> ION/NY: Work closely with sales team to dev/execute sponsorships/branded content to leverage ad revenue. 3-4 years marketing/partnerships/television experience. Creative organized multi-tasker. EOE Full info/apply HERE (10/9)
SPECIALIST, AFFILIATE OPERATIONS >> MLB/ Secaucus, NJ: Organize launch authorizations & perform blackout-related activity & responsibilities for MLB & NHL Networks– primary internal liaison & external communicator to affiliates. Min 4-6 yrs exp in cable affiliate sales & mktg, sports media, and/or media operations is req’d. Full info HERE (10/9)
COORDINATOR, PARTNERSHIP MARKETING >> MUSIC CHOICE TV/NYC: Resp for helping business execute partnerships & communication strategies. Dvlp/maintain materials that demonstrate our value propositions that support business strategies to enable growth. 2-4yrs exp in mrktg, research, or business dev. Full info HERE (10/9)
EMAIL MARKETING MANAGER >> UNC-TV Public Media/RTP, NC: Mng email mktg channel. Communicate the brand through email campaigns, promoting shows & other station priorities. Engage audiences through targeted messaging while driving fundraising rev for the orgnztn. 4+ yrs exp managing successful, high performing email mktg programs. Full info HERE (10/9)
ANALYST >> MTV/VH1/CMT/NYC: Deep knowledge & passion for consumer insight within media/entertainment. Keeping a finger on the pulse of happenings in the video content landscape. Secondary to insight 1-2 yrs research exp; qualitative/quantitative research techniques. Temp position-1yr. Full info HERE (10/5)
MULTI MEDIA DESIGNER >> ION MEDIA/NYC: Conceptualize multimedia graphics for print & digital platforms with an emphasis on Sales mktg materials. Graphic projects incl B2B Advertising campaigns, digital assets, and print collateral. proficient in the entire Adobe Creative Production Suite. Min 3-5 yrs exp. Full info HERE (10/4)
SALES RESEARCH DIRECTOR >> ION MEDIA/NYC: Having a hybrid set of skills to oversee the Sales Research team and arm the Sales group with network performance metrics, competitive advantages, and thoughtful research stories. 7-10 years of Sales Research experience within the media industry. Full info HERE (10/4)
HEAD OF SALES ADMIN & TALENT DEVELOPMENT >> ION Media/NYC: Responsible for all administrative aspects of Sales development, which includes building a robust infrastructure to support our strategic revenue growth. 10-15+ years of proven leadership skills overseeing Sales Administration/Operations. Full info HERE (10/4)
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DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS >> OWN/LA: Seasoned comms pro to dvlp press materials, internal comms & message points for execs, maintain press relationships & oversee events. 7+ yrs exp in PR & crisis comms req’d. Full info HERE (10/3)
COORDINATOR, CREATIVE AFFAIRS >> 9 Story Media Group/NYC: Work w/Dir of Prod to help ensure all series prod teams have the resources they need to produce great work. Strong orgnztn’l skills/detail oriented & strong MS Excel skills a must. 1+ yrs previous prod exp req’d. Knwldg of Movie Magic budgeting software a +. Full info HERE (10/3)
TV PROGRAM HOSTS >> QVC and Home Shopping Network (HSN)/West Chester PA & St Petersburg FL: Exp in hosting TV, web broadcasts, news, radio or trade shows & live events or as a brand Spokesperson. A passion about product your selling & comfortable with on-air selling a must. Full info HERE (10/3) SENIOR DESIGNER >> REELZ/Albuquerque: Design and execute on-air graphics, digital/social media and print. 3-5 years of experience with AE, C4D and Creative Cloud is essential. Strong design and collaborative skills desired. Relocation package Full info HERE (10/2)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >> KTLM/McAllen TX: Generate revenue to the station and its web/digital product from both traditional and non-traditional prospects in the Rio Grande Valley market. Minimum 2 years of experience in broadcast media sales, business development and/or direct sales environment. Full info HERE (10/2)
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