CynopsisSports

Good morning. It’s Wednesday February 27, 2019 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

NBC Sports Network is adding a simulcast of Sky Sports News to its programming lineup every weekday from 11a-noon starting Friday. Sky Sports News highlights include the Premier League, NFL, Olympic sports, golf, auto racing, horse racing, and rugby. Leading into the Sky Sports News simulcast on Friday, NBCSN will present a special four-hour PFT Live with Mike Florio and Chris Simms, live from 7-11a from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Starting March 4, NBCSN’s 9-11a programming block will feature an encore presentation of that day’s episode of PFT Live with Mike Florio. “We look forward to sharing Sky Sports News’ best-in-class coverage and perspective on the world’s most popular sports with our NBCSN viewers each weekday morning,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports & NBCSN. “PFT Live with Mike Florio is the best source of NFL information every weekday, and this new schedule will provide added exposure each morning.”

PROGRAMMING

Saturday night’s 2019 NHL Stadium Series game between the Penguins and Flyers on NBC averaged a Total Audience Delivery of nearly two million viewers, making it the most-watched NHL regular-season game in five years, excluding Winter Classics, according to Nielsen, in addition to becoming the most-streamed Stadium Series game ever. The game averaged a TAD of 1.965 million viewers, the most for a non-Winter Classic regular-season game in five years, since the 2014 Stadium Series game between the Penguins and Blackhawks and was up 76% over the 2018 Stadium Series game between the Maple Leafs and Capitals.

The R&A announced that Royal Liverpool Golf Club will play host to The Open in 2022. Royal Liverpool has hosted The Open 12 times before. This year the tournament will head to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, with Royal St. George's in England hosting in 2020.

NBC Sports Group and Sky Sports announced in a move that will see Sky Sports Golf begin airing GOLF Channel’s Feherty. The announcement follows the recent news of Sky Sports’ continued investment in golf with live coverage of all four men’s and five women’s major championships in 2019.

Speaking of golf, Golf Advisor Living today will begin airing monthly features on GOLF Channel’s Morning Drive. Segments will be hosted by GOLF Lifestyle Correspondent Kira Kazantsev – Miss America 2015 – and will profile the country’s top golf communities, as well as share the latest real estate, apparel and lifestyle trends.

ESPN detailed coverage plans for the NFL Scouting Combine, highlighted by a two-hour special on ABC that will feature live action from the quarterback and wide receiver workouts. Trey Wingo hosts NFL Live: NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, March 2 at with Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay, Louis Riddick, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. Beginning today, ESPN’s coverage of the Combine will include daily, on-site editions of NFL Live with host Wendi Nix, Kiper, McShay, Riddick, Mortensen and Schefter, as well as segments from Indianapolis on Get Up! and multiple editions of SportsCenter. In addition to Saturday’s television coverage on ABC, ESPN will offer a one-hour The NFL Combine Show Live on Twitter, YouTube, and the ESPN App from Bristol.

NBC Sports unveiled its NBCSN schedule for the 2019 season of American Flat Track, which returns to the channel for a third consecutive season in 2019. Coverage from all 18 events will feature flag-to-flag coverage of both racing classes. In addition to the premieres, NBCSN will provide a weekday re-air of each show before they will become available on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. American Flat Track will kick off its 2019 season with the Bigger, Better, and Faster DAYTONA TT on March 14.

Combate Americas announced a world bantamweight championship rematch between Jose “Pochito” Alday and challenger Gustavo Lopez that will run live on DAZN on March 29 at 10p. “This is an incredible rematch that had to happen after these two fought an all-out war for three straight rounds,” said Combate Americas CEO Campbell McLaren. “If their rematch is anything like their first meeting, we will have a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate on our hands.”

FloSports announced a partnership with the Round Rock Express and Corpus Christi Hooks to provide live and on-demand coverage of the Houston Astros Futures Weekend exclusively on FloLive.com. The event will feature a two-game series between the Triple-A Round Rock Express and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks beginning March 30. “We are excited to partner with FloSports to showcase some of the top talent not only in the Houston Astros organization, but in all of Minor League Baseball,” Ryan Sanders Baseball COO J.J. Gottsch said. “We can’t wait to share both Whataburger Field and Dell Diamond with FloSports’ audiences ahead of the Corpus Christi Hooks’ 15th anniversary season and the Round Rock Express’ 20th anniversary season.”

SiriusXM NFL Radio will provide listeners nationwide with extensive coverage of the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis through March 3. The channel will broadcast live each day from the Indiana Convention Center beginning at 8a.

CBS Sports HQ will bring fans news and updates from the Combine starting today with live coverage from the “Pick Six” podcast team. The company will stream “Pick Six at the Combine” shows twice each day (noon-1p and 5:30-6p). Shows will feature interviews with coaches and general managers, and cover all of the big storylines coming from the events.

SportsTime Ohio and FOX Sports Ohio struck a new multi-year television rights deal with Columbus Crew SC and will be producing 33 Crew matches this 2019 season as well as 30-minute pre- and postgame shows. The first Crew match will be on STO this Saturday at 4:30p.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

ESPORTS UPFRONT

Monday, April 15 | New York City

The event is back by popular demand! Cynopsis, along with our friends from Player2 + Esports Ad Bureau, will host decision makers from brands and media agencies in an intimate setting to hear presentations from esports properties. Last year's line-up included: MLG/Overwatch, Counter Logic Gaming / Madison Square Garden, ELEAGUE, Press X, and other industry leaders.

REQUEST YOUR INVITE

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The PGA TOUR revised its regulations toward sponsorships with gambling brands, which can now be considered for Official Marketing Partners for all six tours overseen by the PGA TOUR. In addition, tournaments and players also can seek sponsored deals with such entities. “As the situation with legalized sports betting in the U.S. has evolved since the Supreme Court’s ruling last May, we’ve seen broader acceptance in sports betting and gaming involvement with pro sports,” PGA TOUR Senior Vice President Andy Levinson said. “We felt it was time to look at our policies, given the public perception around gaming, and to update those policies to be consistent with public sentiment.”

Sporting Kansas City and Hallmark locked in a creative new partnership designed to align the brands around “opportunities to put more care into the world by reaching fans, players and families across the soccer community.” The companies will team up on a wide variety of initiatives over the course of the two-year partnership, including support of The Victory Project to help children battling cancer and Sporting Salutes to honor the service and sacrifice of military members and their families, as well as collaboration on social media campaigns and special events.

GLORY entered into a partnership with the Litecoin Foundation in a move that will make Litecoin the official cryptocurrency of the stand-up combat league. As part of the partnership, Litecoin is now accepted as a payment method on GLORYshop.com, GLORY’s online merchandise platform. As a result, GLORY becomes the first professional sports league to integrate Litecoin into the end-to-end fan experience.

DIGITAL, DATA & TECH

International Speedway Corporation announced today a new long-term partnership with Tickets.com for use of its ticketing system ProVenue at all ISC motorsports entertainment facilities. The transition to the Tickets.com platform, which includes mobile ticketing technology, begins at Richmond Raceway and will be implemented at all ISC facilities by year-end 2019.

Major League Soccer launched a new flagship app designed to offer fans with access to highlights, tickets, merchandise and fantasy information ahead of the new season, according to Engadget. The app will also allow users to buy tickets via Ticketmaster and SeatGeek and hosts the MLS store to enable fans to purchase official merchandise. In addition, the league has fully integrated its fantasy platform into the platform. The move marks the first major update for MLS’s mobile experience since it took all of its app development in-house.

The National Basketball Association and BetEasy announced a partnership that will make BetEasy the first official wagering partner of the NBA in Australia. In December, The Stars Group became an authorized gaming operator of the NBA in the US under the BetStars brand. BetEasy will have the right to use NBA assets in marketing materials and will have its products promoted directly to NBA fans in the country. Additionally, BetEasy will become the presenting partner of “NBA Pick‘Em: Weekly 6”, a free-to-play game.

ESPORTS

G2 Esports locked in a $17.3 million funding round that includes participation from prominent New York investors and a slate of global tech moguls. Joining the lineup are investors such as Seal Rock Partners, Inner Circle Ventures, Al Tylis and Dan Gilbert, who join Parkwood Corporation and Everblue Management to lead the round. Alongside this group, G2 also includes tech and sports entrepreneurs including Yext Co-Founder and President, Brian Distelburger; Doodle Founder, Myke Naef; and Topgolf Media President, YuChiang Cheng; among others. The new capital will be used to accelerate global expansion, fund franchise fees, and continue to invest in world-class business and content operations.

FIFA announced plans to host the inaugural version of the FIFA eNations Cup, running April 13-14 and showcasing a national team competition on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019 for the first time. The event sees 16 national teams representing all of FIFA’s confederations, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, CAF, OFC, AFC and UEFA who will be invited to take part in this event. As one of eight Majors in the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series, the event will offer up to 1,500 Global Series points in addition to the prize money also on offer.

INDUSTRY/ROSTER MOVES

Orange County Breakers owner Eric Davidson has been named World TeamTennis' new Chairman of the Board after acquiring an ownership share in the team tennis organization. Davidson now shares the largest stake of ownership in the league with San Diego Aviators owner Fred Luddy, while league founder and tennis legend Billie Jean King also remains a co-owner of WTT. As WTT Chairman of the Board, Davidson will oversee the general direction of the league, WTT CEO Carlos Silva and WTT's Board of Directors.

Sports media executive Diane Penny was named Senior Vice President and General Manager, NBC Sports Northwest, effective immediately. She will manage the day-to-day operations of the network, including production, digital, ad sales, operations and marketing, as well as the relationship with the Portland Trail Blazers.

THE MAIN EVENT

Real Madrid/Barcelona at 2:50p on beIN SPORTS.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Cynopsis Measurement & Data Conference

June 11 | 11:45AM – 5:00PM | NYC

SESSION SPOTLIGHT > The Lightning Round: What’s New, What’s Next

In a 25-minute speed session to kick off the conference, CIMM & MRC will offer updates on the latest in measurement and data challenges, as well as best practices in multi-touch, multi-platform, and multi-media attribution models.

VIEW FULL AGENDA

ON THIS DAY in 1987: The NCAA cancels SMU's entire 1987 football schedule.

In the Know: Who was the football coach when SMU received the “death penalty” in 1987? (Email chris-sports@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: Which QB won multiple Super Bowls for the Raiders? Answer: Jim Plunkett. Kudos: Pete Gautieri-A&E Networks /NY; Denis Barry-CBS/NY; Jason Newman-Entercom/NY; Robert Starace-RNS Media Barter Consultation/NY; Ken White-Kwtv/Charlotte; Michael G. Hawkins-Francis Marion University/Florence; Matt Sautter-WideOrbit/Harrisburg; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Boca Raton; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Kevin Micklo-Pinnacle Advertising/Chicago; Bill Robertson-WCHA/Bloomington; David Hauptman/Denver; Anne Wettig-Fox Cable Networks S&P/LA; Miriam Aardahl-OMD/LA; Jim Himmel-TCB Media/San Clemente; Larry Hutchings/Nipomo

Later -- Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
Diane K Schwartz Senior Vice President Media Communications Group	Roberta Caploe Publisher @robertacaploe	Cynopsis Ad Sales Mike Farina \| 203-218-6480 VP, Sales	Albert Nassour \| 917-545-3129 Director, Strategic Partnerships	Cynopsis Job Listings Sales Trish Pihonak \| 203-899-8459 Director of Operations

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JOB OF THE DAY

DIGITAL MEDIA SALES, INTEGRATED
WIVB TV
WIVB.com/Buffalo

Resp for generating & growing digital mktg service revenue. Resp for the execution of digital sales, implementation, optimization & reporting of digital campaigns for clients. 2+ yrs outside digital mktg or media sales exp pref’d.

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DIGITAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT MGR/PGA TOUR/Ponte Vedra Beach FL: Train/mng the Digital Operations Support Team. BA/BS degree CS or Management IS. 3+ yrs managing a tech support team, which supported both internal tools (e.g. Content Management System) as well as consumer-facing products. Full info HERE (3/13)

MGR, CORPORATE RESEARCH/Discovery Inc/NYC: Analyze data/trends across media & develop key audience analysis for linear & nonlinear platforms, give insights for internal & competitive networks to senior leadership. Thorough knowledge of Nielsen data & 5+ yrs exp. needed. Full info HERE (3/13)

SR ANALYST, CORPORATE RESEARCH/Discovery Inc/NYC: Support brand and ad sales rsrch teams by analyzing data/trends across media & developing key audience analysis across linear & nonlinear platforms. Thorough knowledge of Nielsen data & 2+ yrs exp. needed. Full inf HERE (3/13)

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CLIENT SOLUTIONS COORD/UP & ASPIRE/NYC: Asst. in dev & execution of sponsorships. Coord upfront & client evnts. Update ad sales pres, videos, photos & keyart. Proj mgt & pres skills req. Mkting/Comm degree pref’d. 2+ yrs cable exp, digital/social a +. Knowledge of PowerPt required. Full info HERE (3/13)

CNN MANAGER, BRAND & MULTIPLATFORM RESEARCH/ATL/NYC: Strengthen CNN brand appeal through qualitative and quantitative work looking at consumer news behavior and its connection to need states, attitudes and values. 5+ yrs exp and proficiency with both TV and digital data.Full info HERE (3/13)

DIGITAL MEDIA SALES, INTEGRATED/WIVB TV/WIVB.com/Buffalo: Resp for generating & growing digital mktg service revenue. Resp for the execution of digital sales, implementation, optimization & reporting of digital campaigns for clients. 2+ yrs outside digital mktg or media sales exp pref’d. Full info HERE (3/12)

SALES ACCOUNT EXEC/WIVB/WNLO TV/Buffalo: Exp’d sale professional w/ 2-3 yrs exp in media sales or outsides sales exp. Proven track record for dvlpng new biz & growing existing business. Able to work successfully in a multi-platform environment selling both TV & Digital products. Full info HERE (3/12)

COUNSEL, DISTRIBUTION & BUSINESS AFFAIRS/PAC-12/LA or SF: Oversight and management of traditional and digital distribution deals including cable, satellite, VOD, and other over-the-top agreements. Full info HERE (3/12)

COMMUNICATION MANAGER/PAC-12/SF: Develop & implement strategic PR initiatives to promote Pac-12 Networks. 4-6 years of relevant experience in media, PR & communications. Thorough understanding of the sports media landscape and a strong network of B2B & B2C national business & and trade media contacts. Full info HERE (3/12)

SALES COORDINATOR/Emerging Networks TV/Remote work from home: New York Seasoned Multicultural Television Rep Firm seeks to hire a professional sales coordinator to book insertion orders, organize wkly pre & post log & facilitate monthly invoicing. Full info HERE (3/12)

BRAND MARKETING MGR/FreeWheel/NYC: Resp for leading Freewheel brand mktg projects from conception to completion thru creative brainstorming session w/smart technology execs. Demonstrable marketing/brand management experience within an enterprise technology environment. 6-9 yrs of exp in a marcomm capacity w/ increased responsibilities. Full info HERE (3/12)

ACCOUNT SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE, AD SALES/NBCU/NYC: Responsible for maintaining all aspects of account management while providing timely and accurate information to the sales team and to the client. Client Service and/or Account Management exp a +. BA degree req’d. Full info HERE (3/8)

DIRECTOR, TALENT RELATIONS/PBS/Arlington, VA: Build a program to recruit and retain the best on-air talent for PBS in all Gen. Audience program genres. 7+yrs of related exp. Full info HERE (3/8)

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/NBC- WVIT Telemundo/Hartford, CT: Dynamic candidate to join the NBC CT & Telemundo CT local sales team. Responsible for delivering sales revenue, as well as cultivating and developing new advertisers for the station’s multi-platform properties. 1 yr sales exp. BA Deg or equiv work exp. Full info HERE (3/8)

CUSTOMER SVC REP/Cynopsis/Norwalk CT: Play critical role w/marketing team and be a major support of events & logistics for all events. incl in-bound/out-bound calls with customers, event logistics and communications. comfortable in an "all hands-on deck" enviro a must. MS excel, word, outlook proficient a must. Full info HERE (3/8)

ASST MEDIA MGR, SOCIAL & EMERGING MEDIA/AD COUNCIL/San Francisco: Mng the day-to-day management of accts & assist in evaluating & executing targeted media partnerships for our 40+ campaigns. 2+ yrs professional sales, mktg, or agency (media or acct mnemnt) exp. Full info HERE(3/8)

AD SALES PLANNER/SiriusXM/NYC: Motivated, detail-oriented, organized w/strong communication skills & displays a willingness to learn and grow in a fast-paced work environment. 3+ yrs of exp in media advertising (radio and/or pricing & planning/sales analysis a strong +). Full info HERE (3/7)

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/GLOW/NYC:Help lead a team of Art Dir, Designers & Motion Designers to develop strong visual narratives that unfold over the course of a campaign. 4-6yrs exp (agency preferred; CPG exp a +) Passion for emerging tech & wide-ranging exp w/ classics (Adobe Creative Suite) Full info HERE (3/2)

SR REPRESENTATIVE, GLOBAL PROMOTIONS/Universal Parks & Resorts/NYC: Mng activity for media promotions in top regional US mkts, internat’l business & TV dvlpmnt projects. Oversee daily project management & execution of Global Media Promotions. 4-7 yrs mktg exp req’d; or equivalent combination of education and exp. Full info HERE (3/2)

MGR. AD SALES PARTNERSHIPS/A+E Networks/NY: Establish the strategy & manage the departmental activities for monetizing network content & assets to drive national ad sales revenue for A+E Networks. Full Info/Apply: HERE (3/1)

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR/TV one/New York: Responsible for selling the brand strength of the TV One and Cleo TV to advertisers and agencies. Knowledge of cable industry (particular as it relates to AA demo). Strong verbal, written comm, negotiation and presentation skills. Knowledge of project mgmt methods and techniques. 20-30% domestic travel. FULL info HERE (3/1)

VP, ORIGINAL SCRIPTED/ION Media/New York: Candidates must be able to solicit orig scripted programming and evaluate new submissions. Manage orig dev including review series bible, outlines and scripts. Oversee all stages of production. Candidate must have a min 7 yrs experience in television scripted series dev with either a prod co/network in dev and producing scripted shows for networks, particularly dramas. FULL info HERE (3/1)

DIR, SALES DEVELOPMENT, DIGITAL INDUSTRY/ION Media/New York: Seeking sales prof with a focus on adv sales on ION’s broadcast TV platform to the Digital Tech industry. Responsible for generating new adv accts and rev for ION Television. Must have 10yrs TV selling or related advertising sales experience, with knwl of consumer-oriented tech companies and strong client contacts. FULL info HERE (3/1)

Sr WEB MGR /Vin Di Bona Productions/LA: Manage and grow VDBP portfolio of web properties. Develop and manage VDBP digital products (email newsletters, merch store, apps). 5+ yrs of work exp specifically doing digital creative project/prod management. Full info HERE (2/28)

SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/WSNS Telemundo TV/Chicago: Exp’d & dynamic sales person to negotiate/sell multi-platform solutions incl TV, digital & experiential opps. Min 3 yrs exp work in TV sales or other area of Media Sales incl prospecting new clients & negotiating business proposals/closing deals. FULL info HERE (2/28)

DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SALES RESEARCH/The CW Network/NYC: The CW Network seeks a Director, Digital Sales Research for their Media Sales & Planning team. Must have 6+ years digital research experience. Full info/apply HERE (2/28)