Cynopsis: Sports
10.10.13

Good morning. It’s Thursday, October 10, 2013, and this is your first early morning Sports briefing. 

AOL Inc. and ESPN locked in an agreement that will give AOL’s audience access to the bulk of ESPN’s videos, including news, highlights and analysis. The agreement “significantly boosts” AOL’s sports-related offering with ESPN providing ESPN-branded news, highlights and analysis, including video content seen on SportsCenter and other ESPN programs. AOL will syndicate ESPN video content across both its owned and operated sites (such as AOL.com and The Huffington Post), along with its network of partners that includes 1,700 publishers such as Cox, Gannett, and The Boston Globe, as well as mobile phones, tablets and connected TV devices. Ad sales for this video content will be led by ESPN and revenue will be shared by both parties along with AOL’s syndication partners.

On the Air

TBS continues its hitting streak for the network’s coverage of the MLB Postseason, with Tuesday’s doubleheaders  featuring Oakland/Detroit and Boston/Tampa Bay  delivering a 3.1 household Nielsen Fast Nationals rating and 4.5 million total viewers, up 35% and 32% over the comparable day a year ago. Local highlights includes a 19.7 score in Boston, the second highest-rated MLB game in the market since Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS; a 17.8 in Tampa Bay, the best for an MLB telecast in the market since Game 5 of the 2010 ALDS; and a 19.3 HH rating in Detroit, the top rating of the year for a Tigers game locally.
 
The NFL reports that Sunday’s CBS national telecast anchored by the Broncos and Cowboys ranked as the most watched TV program with 28.3 million average viewers last week. Overall, the game is the second most-watched of the year, behind FOX’s Packers/49ers duel on Sept. 8.

Veteran sports journalist Rachel Nichols debuts her new weekly half-hour show for CNN on Oct. 25 at 10:30p. Unguarded with Rachel Nichols will take “an unfiltered look at the most interesting stories and personalities in sports” via conversations with athletes around the world. In addition, CNN International (CNNI) will simulcast Unguarded with Rachel Nichols on Fridays at 10:30p. Mercedes-Benz USA and United Airlines will serve as launch sponsors for the series.

Time Warner Cable inked a deal with Univision that will bring Univision Deportes, among other channels, to the country’s number two cable operator and Bright House Networks.

NBC Sports Group and the Big Ten Conference laid out plans to broadcast five Big Ten hockey games this season on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. NBCSN’s coverage of Big Ten hockey will feature all six member schools with hockey programs. The network’s coverage of Big Ten hockey’s inaugural season begins on Friday, December 13 at 7:30p with Colorado College/Wisconsin.

Former NBA player and University of Connecticut basketball star Donny Marshall is now part of the YES Network team, where he will serve as a Brooklyn Nets analyst, joining Mike Fratello and Jim Spanarkel as network analysts. Meanwhile, Ian Eagle returns this season as YES’ lead Nets play-by-play man with Ryan Ruocco also handling play-by-play. YES will televise 76 regular season Nets games this season, beginning Wednesday, October 30, at 7p against Cleveland.

The Ohio Valley Conference revealed its slate of Conference games across ESPN platforms for the new basketball season, with seven men’s games that will appear on one of the networks during the season, including the OVC Tournament games. The OVC Tournament championship game will air on ESPN2 at 6p. The action tips off on Jan. 16 with Belmont/Eastern Kentucky at 7p on ESPNU.

The College All-Star Bowl is moving to Valentine’s Day, according to the AP, and will air on Feb. 14 on the CBS Sports Network. The game had originally been set for March.

 A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

JOIN US FOR LUNCH

Sponsorship & Promotion

Mondelez International, the makers of Oreo, Ritz, Trident and Sour Patch Kids, announced a slate of multi-year sponsorship deals that will make the company a prime player in soccer. The company is readying to kick off an integrated marketing campaign launching in 2014 for the sport with Soccer United Marketing, Major League Soccer’s commercial arm. The deal will include a 3-year sponsorship as the Official Snacks of US Soccer (both men’s and women’s teams), a 3-year deal as the Official Snack of Club Deportivo Guadalajara aka Chivas for games played in the US, and individual marketing deals with soccer stars Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC) and Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy).
 
BTN locked in Buffalo Wild Wings as its presenting sponsor for men’s ice hockey in 2013-14, the inaugural Big Ten Hockey season. BTN’s hockey coverage presented by BWW kicks off with the Big Ten Hockey Preview Show at 7:30p on Oct. 11, ahead of the season opener between Penn State and Army. The sponsorship will also include logo bumps in and out of commercials, billboards and starting lineup features.

While we’re on hockey, the 2013-14 season marks the 15th anniversary of Hockey Fights Cancer, the NHL and the National Hockey League Players’ Association joint charitable initiative dedicated to raising awareness for national and local organizations involved in cancer care and research. This month, the NHLPA and the NHL will mark this milestone with the annual Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Month campaign spanning all 31 days this month, with more than $200,000 in grants to national and local cancer organizations in all 30 NHL markets.

Sports investment bank Park Lane is sponsoring the company’s first Olympic athlete, funding speedskater Elli Ochowicz’s bid to compete in her fourth consecutive Winter Olympic Games in Sochi next year. Sponsorship elements will include a social media campaign (#GoElli) centered around Ochowicz’s bid to compete in Sochi, as well as online, local cable and print. As part of its sponsorship Park Lane is providing Ochowicz with financial support being used toward equipment and travel expenses and will have its logo featured on her racing skin suit during training and competition. The partnership also includes select athlete appearances.
 
La Jolla-based National University will now serve as the title sponsor of this year’s Holiday Bowl, according to local reports, replacing Bridgepoint Education at the helm. The deal is for one year and the 2013 game is scheduled for Dec. 30 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Digital & Technology

Twitter’s new deal with Comcast Corporation and NBCUniversal will see NBC Sports Group in line to be the first company property to participate in the new advertising partnership with Premier League short-form video highlights sponsored by General Electric being delivered to fans on Twitter’s social framework. The new agreement expands the reach of the sport, while also increasing the consumption of NBC Sports video.

The Main Event

Tigers and Athletics close it out on TBS at 9p.

 A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Don’t miss your opportunity to learn from our experts on these highly rated webinars! Register today and receive access to the 90-minute discussion and speaker presentations!

CYNOPSIS DIGITAL: Next Generation Digital Programming Models
CYNOPSIS: Reaching Millennials: New Ways to Activate Viewership & Revenue
CYNOPSIS KIDS: How to (Really) Increase Kid Brand Revenue through Licensing
CYNOPSIS SPORTS: Second Screen: Driving Fan Engagement & Brand ROI

ON THIS DAY in 2004: MLB All-Star Ken Caminiti dies of a drug overdose.

In The Know: Ken Caminiti was the NL MVP while playing for what team? (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.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Which NFL quarterback was the fastest to reach 40,000 yards passing? Answer: Marino and Manning were the most popular answers, but the correct one is Drew Brees. Kudos: Michael Dittelman-SportsOnEarth.com/NY; David Stern-BARD Entertainment/NY; Michele Tierney-COMBE/NY; Shie Gabbai-ESPN/NY;  Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; Judie Henninger-Valentine Productions Inc./Santa Monica.

Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cynopsis | Sports
10.10.13

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

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP Sales & Marketing | 203-218-6480
Classifieds Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations & Content | 888-702-3858

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
To unsubscribe from this edition, click here. Or for further assistance please email [email protected].

 A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here.

JOB OPENING: ALTERNATIVE CONTENT COORDINATOR/Screenvision/NYC: 2+ yrs exp, support programming services, mktg, social media, data base mgmt, theater/project mgmt/interaction. Apply at www.screenvision.com (10/17) 

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL & ADDRESSABLE SALES PLANNER/DIRECTV/NYC: Dig’l & addressable proposals & orders, billing. 2-3 yrs dig’l media exp. 4-yr degree. Knowledge of TVE or digital platforms. Resume to: http://bit.ly/17nfoGS (10/17) 

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL MEDIA SALES CONSULTANT/Comcast Spotlight/DC: 2+ yrs digital exp, agency or media. Devlp digital revenue independently & in conjunction with regional/nat’l sales team. IAB certified pref. Apply HERE (10/17)  

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE DIRECTOR/AMC/NYC: Seeking proven creative and managerial leadership in on-air promotions. Experience at a broadcast or cable network required. Submit CV and link to online reel. Apply HERE (10/17) 

JOB OPENING: TEMP PROGRAM RESEARCH MANAGER/WEtv/NYC: Provide comprehensive data w/actionable insight & assessment to programming dept. 5+ yrs. exp. Excellent research systems knowledge. Apply HERE (10/16) 

JOB OPENING: BRAND MKTG ASSOC/NYC: Execute marketing of books & ancillary product for Wimpy Kid brand. 1-3 yrs marketing exp pref with book series or licensed properties. Resume to [email protected] Visit website at www.abramsbooks.com (10/16)

JOB OPENING: COMMUNITY MNGR-DIGI STRATEGY/NYC: Exp in digital, ntwrk, brand strategy. Kwldg of ad, film, tv, music a must. 3 yrs exp pref’d. Must be systematic in seeding ideas for stories & ways to expand brands online. Resumes HERE (10/16)

JOB OPENING: PRGMG OPS COORD & MEDIA MGR/MIA, FL: Asst w/traffic & brdcst func for prog ops, Media mgmt & del of assets. Kwldg of file del methods req. 2+ yrs exp w/traffic or media mgmt. Must spk Engl & Sp. CV: [email protected] (10/15)

JOB OPENING: RSCH ANLYST ENTERTAINMENT/NBCU/NYC: Research Analyst in Entertainment Research of NBCU. Please directly apply on our career page for more information. URL or Email: HERE (10/15) 

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL AD SALES MGR/Food Network/Cooking Channel/NYC: 5yrs dig ad sales mktg, drive custom/off-the-shelf sponsorships, career focused pro w passion to develop career in Digital Ad Sales. www.scrippsnetworks.com #3855 (10/15)

JOB OPENING: SR. WRITER/PRODUCER/AMC/NYC: Proven experience writing and producing outstanding on-air promos at a broadcast or cable network required. Send CV and link to online reel to http://tinyurl.com/pmpzfjs (10/12)

JOB OPENING: PROMO EDITOR/AMC/NYC: Seeking self-motivated Avid editor with extensive experience creating on-air promos or trailers. Send CV and link to online reel to http://tinyurl.com/nc8pc8x (10/12)

JOB OPENING: MARKETING SPECIALIST/Discovery/NY: Client oriented professional to support Integrated Ad Sales Marketing team w/ the development/execution of marketing elements and sponsorship initiatives. 3-5 yrs mktg exp. APPLY HERE (10/12) 

JOB OPENING: SVP RESEARCH/Turner Broadcasting System/ATL: Lead, oversee & manage entertainment research team. 15-20 years media (incl. television) experience required. Resume here (10/12)

JOB OPENING: JR PROD/LA: Mng all aspects of Prod for current titles (dvlpmnt/sched,budgeting) liaising w/ partners & SM teams 3+ yrs exp in animation/ent process, good knwldg of scheduling & budgeting, strong comm, flex team player. Resume to: [email protected] (10/12)

JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/NBC/DC: Exec Asst to support GM of NBC station in Washington DC. Min 5 years admin experience. Must be organized, adaptable to shifting priorities, and thrive in fast pace environ. Apply HERE (10/11) 

EXPERT SERVICES ADS: These ads are for companies or people who offer an expertise in the field of media by way of production, voice over artistry, writing, set development, etc. For information on rates and specs for posting an Expertise Service ad email Trish at [email protected]

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected].

SITUATION WANTED: Non-union reality TV Production Coordinator. 4+ yrs working in LA now relocated to Boston. Specializes in travel, vendors, scheduling, office management, accounting. Contact [email protected]. (10/16)

SITUATION WANTED: REALITY/DOCU-SOAP/COMEDY/PRODUCER/NY-STAMFORD: TV/Digital team leader with proven track record with MTV, HGTV, BET, SHO, TV LAND is available for a new project. Contact: [email protected] (10/15)

SITUATION WANTED: CREATIVE BROADCAST MARKETING EXPERT: 13+ years in advertising, marketing & broadcast companies. Hispanic & GM. Senior Management Experience. OAP Writer/Producer: http://rllera.prosite.com/ Contact: [email protected] (10/11)

SITUATION WANTED: Emmy-nominated TV PRODUCER with two decades worth of experience in news, talk, lifestyle, docu, & other non-fiction. Good with AVID & FCP. Email: [email protected] (10/11)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 888.702.3858 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.

Copyright Cynopsis 2013

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2013