Cynopsis: Sports
06.19.13

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 19, 2013, and this is your first early morning Sports briefing. 

Major League Soccer is taking a new approach to media, announcing the launch of MLS+, a new content and distribution group that “brings together top storytellers, producers and digital media partners to create a broad range of soccer programming on multiple platforms.” The announcement was made by MLS CMO Howard Handler at the Cynopsis Digital BIG Monetization Summit in New York yesterday. The initiative will include new television shows, digital series, mini-documentaries, mobile applications, lifestyle features, user-generated content, viral video stunts and more.

One of the first parts of MLS+ will be MLS Insider, a weekly magazine show that launches Friday on NBC Sports Network at 7:30p that will showcase in-depth storytelling on the league by Emmy Award-winning director Jonathan Hock. Additional MLS+ contributors include Prospect who will create mini-documentaries, and Especial, who will create episodic digital entertainment.

On the Air

Monday night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 3 averaged 4.001 million viewers for NBC Sports Network, marking another milestone for the channel and once again scoring as the most-watched NHL game in the network’s history as well as the most-watched Stanley Cup Final game on cable in 11 years, according to Nielsen. That viewership is up 93% versus Game 4 a year ago and delivered NBCSN its best viewership ever among Adults 18-49 (2.047 million) and Adults 25-54 (2.136 million). On the local front, Boston led all markets with a 27.2 household rating, while Chicago drew a 16.8 household rating. All remaining games will now be carried by NBC.

CBS Sports Network and IMG inked a multi-year agreement for the World’s Strongest Man competition on the channel, as part of the Network’s CBS Sports Spectacular series. As part of the deal, CBS Sports Network will carry ten 30-minute episodes from the 2013 competition, culminating with a one-hour finale crowning the winner. Programming begins Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7p. Brent Stover calls the action from Sanya, China, along with Aaron Taylor and three-time World’s Strongest Man Bill Kazmaier.

Kansas Athletics and IMG College, which handles multimedia rights holder for the university, locked in a long-term television partnership with Time Warner Cable Sports that includes regional distribution of more than 300 hours of original Kansas Athletics programming annually, including live games as well as extensive non-game programming focused on the Jayhawks. Programming will be carried by Time Warner Cable Metro Sports in Kansas City as well as on demand.

Tennis Channel extended the network’s deal with Jim Courier to include analyst duties at Wimbledon and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. The multiyear agreement comes just in time for Tennis Channel’s sixth year of coverage in London via the nightly Wimbledon Primetime, which will run from June 24-July 7. The Wimbledon Primetime team will also include Martina Navratilova, Bill Macatee and Mary Carillo. Lindsay Davenport and Justin Gimelstob will return in 2013, and will be joined this year by Rennae Stubbs and Jon Wertheim. Tennis Channel’s coverage starts Monday, June 24 and runs nightly through the final weekend, usually starting at 5p.

On the venue front, Daytona International Speedway is getting a $400 million overhaul, with reports stating that the track will modernize its front stretch in order to enhance the fan experience. Owner International Speedway Corp. has slated the project to start July 5 and be completed by January 2016. When the project is complete, Daytona would have reduced its capacity by 46,000 seats.

Meanwhile, MGM Resorts International and AEG announced that they will build a privately financed 20,000-seat indoor venue on the Las Vegas Strip, according to the AP, with a potential eye to bring a team to the city. In a joint announcement, the companies said that construction on the $350 million arena is slated to being next summer on land that MGM Resorts owns between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts. Completion is expected by spring 2016.

Commissioners, CMOs and Sportscasters, oh my! The annual Cynopsis: Sports Business Summit is set to take place on Aug. 14 in NY, and will feature some of the biggest names driving sports today. In addition, we are holding our Women of Action cocktail event celebrating and discussing the impact women are having in the sports industry on Aug. 13.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Sponsorship & Promotion

Mr. Met will join nine other MLB mascots at the MLB All-Star Game 5K & Fun Run that will benefit Sandy Relief presented by Nike on Saturday, July 13th in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Participants of all ages will make their way through an All-Star themed course inside Prospect Park that will feature appearances by MLB legends, mascots and celebrity guests. The event will count as part of the 9+1 Program to earn guaranteed entry to the ING New York City Marathon for New York Road Runners members who meet eligibility requirements.

The USAA announced that Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has joined the cause to support its military appreciation efforts this year. This agreement supports USAA’s Official Military Appreciation Sponsorship of the NFL and the Washington Redskins and marks USAA’s third year as the Official Military Appreciation Sponsor of the NFL and the NFL Salute to Service initiative. Throughout the season, USAA will honor service members, veterans and their families with special NFL-related events and programs.

Post Fruity Pebbles is expanding its existing partnership with WWE and John Cena with the launch of two new TV commercials, a photo app and an on-pack giveaway. One spot features Cena drives fans to a new interactive mobile app, PebblesPics, that will give them the chance to virtually get in the ring with the record-breaking WWE Champion for a superimposed pic.

Under Armour Basketball today announced the launch of “UA Rebuild,” a digital contest that will allow 10 different Boys and Girls Clubs to “express what their court means to their members and community, and why they would like to see it refurbished by Under Armour.” Selected by the Boys And Girls Clubs of America, the 10 clubs are located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Oakland and San Francisco.

Digital & Production

Goal.com announced a complete rebrand in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014. The site will look to complement its 36 local editions with “dedicated coverage for every nation competing at the World Cup Finals.” Goal will also boast a significant presence on the ground in Brazil. For US readers, Goal will offer coverage of every team in the FIFA World Cup, making it possible for the global community of sports fans interested in this event 36 percent of US sports fans, according to the 2013 Global Sports Media Consumption Report. The new look, includes new headers, navigation and fresh color scheme as well as responsive design optimized for tablet usage.

Roster Moves

FOX Sports named veteran technology leader Ben Gerst as Senior Vice President of Platform Development at FOX Sports Digital where he will play a key role in the redesign and relaunch of FOXSports.com, which will be the digital hub for FOX Sports 1. Gerst joins FOX Sports from the New York Times, where he served as Executive Director of Platform Technologies.

Ryan O’Hara was appointed President of Content, Distribution and Sales at MSG where he is charged with responsibility for the MSG Media division, the company’s overall technology area and its marketing partnership division. In his new role, O’Hara will oversee the management of MSG Media, which includes MSG and MSG+ regional sports networks and Fuse, the company’s national television music network.

The Main Event, the featured game of the day sponsored by Thuuz, real-time sports discovery for mobile & connected TV platforms

Blackhawks vs. Bruins Tonight, 8:00 pm ET. Thuuz rating: 94
The Bruins are two wins away from their second Stanley Cup in three years. On NBCSN.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

ON THIS DAY in 2000: Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open by 15 shots, a record for all majors.

In The Know: Let’s continue the Seinfeld theme. Who did Kramer accidently knock out as the “ball man” at the U.S. Open? (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: In Seinfeld, Newman heckled what player with “Nice game, pretty boy”? Answer: Keith Hernandez. Kudos: Philip Biderman-CME Group/NY; Bill Hirsh-WWE/NY; Seth Mayeri-Evolution Media Talent/NY; Tracey Peale-CBS Sports/NY; David Schaefer-Golf Channel/Orlando; Randy Ingram-WBTW-TV/Myrtle Beach; Patrick Costello-ESPN/Bristol; Tom Erickson-The Cross Agency/Jacksonville; Chuck Gordon-Clear Channel Media/Mobile; Jeff Robbins-WISC-TV/Madison; Kevin Van Housen-Comcast Spotlight/Chicago; Suzy Shoup-Moroch/Dallas; Greg Moloznik-GLM Media/Scottsdale; Eric Burak-Brand Affinity/LA; Alan Perris-The Television Academy/North Hollywood; Sal Cocco-NFL Network/Culver City; Michael Harabin-PAC-12 Networks/San Francisco.

Later — Chris
Chris Pursell for Cynopsis | Sports
06.19.13

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