Good morning. It’s Monday, June 13, 2011, and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.
Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of ESPN 3D, a channel considered by analysts as one to watch in driving the success or failure of the 3D boom. From basketball to tennis to soccer, the channel has now pass the curiosity factor, and is settling in for the long haul as distribution of TVs with the format continue to grow. According to reports, sales of 3DTVs hit 1.1 million in 2010 and are expected to increase 67% this year.
Cynopsis Sports talked about the future of 3D with Bryan Burns, ESPN’s VP of Strategic Business Planning and Development, as well as the role of sports in consumer adaption to technology and ESPN’s role in that.
Burns on the impact of 3D on sports: I’ve been around this business a long time, and I didn’t think that after HD, sports television could get better, and I was wrong. I noticed it when we started doing college basketball, and last November I saw on TV, for the first time ever in my life, a reach around foul. I thought, this is really interesting; I never was able to see this on TV before. So I started to think about what more sports fans could see and how they could experience events at home in a way they never could before.
On consumer adaptation to 3D: One of the more important things I’ve learned to watch is the percentage of screens on the shelf at Wal-Mart. For example, we launched HD in 2003, and we looked to see how many sets in the store were HD. They generally had about 55 to 60 screens overall at that time, and at first there were five in HD, and then there were ten, then twenty, and so forth. That’s happening much faster for 3D TVs than HD. The price gap between 2D and 3D has come down considerably this year. 3D shipments to retail will grow fivefold this year over 2010. Consumer replacement cycles are shrinking, meaning we are buying, as a populace, TVs faster.
On ESPN’s future role in the evolution of TV: ESPN has come to understand that we are fundamentally a content company, and we understand that between us and the consumer, other than the magazine, is a device – whether it’s a TV, phone, computer, whatever. So we understand that we have to play in that space and make that content available in that best available screen, wherever you are and however you want to watch. Now, if 3D is the next step in the evolution of TV, we must be there. Sports always drives new technology, always has, always will. It’s so logical for us.
On next steps for 3D growth: I think we had a little irrational exuberance a few years ago about 3D, when a lot of us got a little bit over our skis about how fast this would come. I think now, we are settling to the reality to what replacement cycles are, technology upgrades and so forth and we are now on the verge of having a number of things come together to move this technology along.
A Federal Appeals Court ruled on Friday that the FCC’s decision to prevent cable companies from blocking access to some sports programming was allowable, and struck down a challenge from Cablevision that the FCC lacked authority to do so. The court ruled 3-0 in the decision that withholding sports programming can put competitors at a “serious disadvantage,” the judges said in a 3-0 ruling. Last year, the FCC declared that companies such as DirecTV, AT&T and Verizon were being harmed by not having access to cable-owned sports shows. However, the judges did place one restriction on the rule, saying the FCC can’t simply assume harm without looking at a particular complaint.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals on ABC continued to roll, earning the network a 12.6 overnight rating, according to Nielsen, to mark the second highest rated game five in the last seven years. That number trails only last year’s duel between the Lakers and Celtics, which drew a 12.8 score. In Dallas, the game drew a 31.9 metered market rating, while Miami drew a 32.7. ABC’s pregame show Buick Regal NBA Countdown, spurred a 4.1, up 32% over last year.
The Belmont Stakes first running on NBC Sports since 2005, which saw longshot Ruler on Ice take the race, drew a 4.8 overnight rating for the network and 11 share on Saturday, according to Nielsen. That score was good enough for a 55% bump over last year’s telecast on ABC which earned a 3.1/7 during the race portion of the event. Pre-race coverage on the network drew a 2.6/6. Top markets for the event were led by Ft. Myers, Louisville, Baltimore and Hartford.
With the US Open on deck this week, Golf Channel has locked in its coverage plans for the annual event, and is set to deliver nearly 50 hours of news coverage from Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Programming will begin Monday and continue through Sunday with news and updates throughout the day as well as on Golf Central and Live form the U.S. Open, while network morning show Morning Drive expands from five to seven days for the event. Michael Breed will host a special The Golf Fix from the Congressional driving range.
As part of its coverage Golf Channel will utilize a series of new cameras and camera positions at the U.S. Open, including the overhead Action Cam, the Robotic Cam on the 18th green, and Range Cam, which follows players preparing for their rounds of play. David Feherty, Kelly Tilghman, Rich Lerner, Kraig Kann, and Steve Sands, among others, are on deck to handle microphone duties.
Golf Channel has also announced the early guest list for its new series Feherty, which launched on June 20. Early visitors will include Charles Barkley, actor Don Cheadle as well as hall-of-famers Tom Watson and Lee Trevino.
Boise St. may be gone, but The WAC Sports Network continues, announcing its 2011 football broadcast schedule. The WSN debuted last football season and is a product of the Western Athletic Conference and its multimedia rights partner, Learfield Sports.Action begins on Sept. 17 with Nevada at San Jose State. Other games are set to include, subject to ESPN national telecast selections:
- Sept. 24-Fresno State at Idaho
- Oct. 22-Fresno State at Nevada
- Oct. 29-Nevada at New Mexico State
- Nov. 5-Idaho at San Jose State
- Nov. 12-Fresno State at New Mexico State
- Nov. 19-Fresno State at Hawaii
- Nov. 26-Nevada at Utah State
- Dec. 3-Idaho at Nevada
The UFC is looking to make a few changes. Company President Dana White told reporters after the UFC 131 prefight press conference that the promotion will be adding a flyweight division and will be expanding its main event matches. The flyweight class, according to White, will be unveiled before the end of the year. Meanwhile, every main event, after UFC 133, will now be fought in five rounds instead of three.
The Houston Astros paid tribute to veteran broadcaster Bill Brown’s 25 seasons as the club’s primary play-by-play television announcer over the week, with a pregame ceremony on the field that included family members, Astros Chairman and CEO Drayton McLane, broadcast partner Jim Deshaies and FS Houston General Manager Steve McNair. Brown was originally hired in Feb. 1987 on a two-year contract.
The WTA has confirmed that Li Na’s French Open victory has scored as the most watched sporting event this year in China, attracting 116 million viewers to the match. The contest aired live on a pair of CCTV stations, and doubled the total viewers from the 2010 final. The young star’s semifinal against Maria Sharapova scored 34.5 million viewers.
The AP reports that Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie is displeased with the NFL, voicing his unhappiness with the outlet that his state has to pay $4 million for the rights to host the NFL Pro Bowl, calling the fee “stupid.” The event is estimated to have drawn more that $28 million in visitor spending.
Sponsorship & Promotion
Michael Strahan is rejoining the trenches, lending his support for the New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign. Strahan joins Rangers player Sean Avery in the cause, taping a video with his fiancee to help shore up support. The campaign is spearheaded by The Human Rights Campaign, which featured celebrities voicing their support for the initiative.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners are now set to become the fourth team to join the “It Gets Better Project,” which seeks to prevent gay youth form committing suicide. Other teams who have come out in support of the campaign include the san Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox.
MLB is putting its social media reputation on the line, challenging Stephen Colbert in a contest of baseball smarts via Beat the Streak. At stake, Colbert will have complete control over @MLB and its 1.2 million followers on Twitter for a full 24 hours. As part of the challenge, which begins today, Colbert and @MLB will each make one Beat the Streak pick per day and whoever posts the longest streak of correct picks within the three-day span will win the challenge.
The WNBA has launched its 2011 All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile with 60 players included on the ballot. Fans will be able to cast their vote on wnba.com as well as via mobile phones. Voters are asked to select two guards, two forwards, and one center from each conference with voting set to conclude at midnight ET on July 10. Fans will also be able to utilize their Facebook profile information to help create a WNBA.com All-Access account, which will allow them to complete their ballot and share their picks with friends.
The Main Event
Vancouver looks to take the Stanley Cup once and for all against Boston in game six of the NHL Finals on NBC at 8p.
Off the Air
Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick to WSBT AM 960 on the university’s future in media: “There will be a Notre Dame Network, but people sort of envision that in traditional terms of something dramatic and new. You’ll sort of grow into it as you produce more and more digital programming and distribute it more broadly, and we’re committed to that.”
John Wildhack, ESPN Executive VP on Tiger Woods missing the US Open: “Do we wish he was playing? Of course, absolutely. But most important thing is he’s got to get physically where he can play again. When he does, all of us involved in the sport will be thrilled to see him back.”
West Coast Conference Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich on the conference’s new deal with ESPN: “We are elated to reaffirm our long term partnership with ESPN for another eight years. ESPN has played a critical role in helping build and extend our brand as a premier national basketball conference, and this agreement will ensure that more West Coast Conference events will be telecast across more national television platforms than ever before.”
Steve Burke, CEO at NBCUniversal, on winning rights to the next four Olympic Games: “I’m extremely pleased we will be continuing as the IOC’s U.S. media partner. Broadcasting sports events is an important part of our business and the Olympics are obviously a significant part of the portfolio. We have a talented and experienced team in place with a legacy of outstanding Olympics coverage and we are all looking forward to London next year and to Sochi and Rio after that.”
ON THIS DAY in 1996 – The Colorado Avalanche swept the Florida Panthers in four games to win the Stanley Cup.
Answer to Yesterday’s Sports Trivia Question: How many times has Tiger Woods won the US Open? Tiger won three times, in 2000, 2002 and 2008. Kudos: Synda Kollman – Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Kevin Shannon – Charter Media/St. Louis; Erin Forfa-JumpForward/Chicago; John Ward – NBC Sports Group/Chicago; Greg Moloznik – GLM Media Dynamics/Scottsdale; Tom Moore – Kalt Productions/LA
In The Know: Who won the last NFL Pro Bowl Game? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)
Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cyn opsis | Sports
June 13, 2011
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Agree or disagree?
- In My Opinion …
- In spite of their newly-found paydays, recent scandals have only highlighted the growing flaws within the NCAA. The organization is in trouble, and it’s only going to get worse if doesn’t start making a stand and provide proactive leadership, even if the decisions aren’t popular. Passing the buck and blaming the BCS, USC, Pryor, Tressel, the state of Arizona, and so forth isn’t going to make these issues go away. Recently, coaches at some of the BCS schools have been vocalizing support to begin paying players, an idea that sounds terrific on paper, and is perhaps deserved. But when you look at school athletic budgets, you quickly realize that the only universities that are able to afford this are the BCS schools, leaving behind the vast majority of the country’s institutions. If NCAA executives don’t provide the leadership necessary to execute some sort of vision soon, maybe those columnists suggesting a BCS split is in the future will be on to something.
Send in your views for posting here to chris [email protected] under Emails to the Editor …
Chris!
I enjoy reading your opinions on the Cynopsis Sports emails I get… I’ve coached basketball at every level, high school thru the pros and I spend half my time as a sports choreographer/coordinator/consultant on movies, TV and commercials (one of the main reasons why I subscribe to you guys!)
Today’s topic about the NCAA really caught my attention because I agree with you 100%. The NCAA wants to show that they have a firm grip on these programs and try to flex their muscle… what went on at USC and Ohio State is not uncommon, they just happened to punish 2 programs that because of who they are can bounce back fairly quickly. If this happened to other schools such as Georgia State, UTEP or even a school like Hawaii, it would devastate them like no other… SMU had the death penalty in the 1980’s and they had a hard time recovering from that. As for paying players, I personally think that is what they should do but the NCAA would have to subsidize the whole program in order for every school to pay their players… you are right when you say that only the BCS schools can afford it and even then there are some schools that would not be able to stay afloat.
There is no sure way to get this NCAA thing straight, college athletics especially football and for some schools basketball is a BIG money maker, programs and conferences make millions and the rich keep getting richer… Everything is not on an equal playing field and it probably never will!
You have great stuff and always look forward to it…
Hernando Planells
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