CynopsisSports

Good morning. It’s Friday March 29, 2019 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

The NHL landed their third partner in the gambling space, announcing William Hill US, an “Official Sports Betting Partner. “This new partnership is yet another example of the innovative yet practical approach our League is taking with the emerging sports gaming industry,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “We continue to work directly with stakeholders to cultivate relationships across the sports betting landscape. Partnering with William Hill US, a leader in both the sportsbook and mobile betting marketplace, provides a tremendous opportunity to further fan engagement.”

As an official sports betting partner of the NHL, William Hill will receive promotional media in relevant NHL markets and will leverage branding opportunities in connection with the League’s calendar of marquee events. The NHL previously announced deals with Fan Duel and MGM.

ON THE AIR

FOX Sports finished February 2019 with its 20th consecutive month of overall digital growth in both video views and consumption minutes across authenticated live streaming and partner social platforms. During the 20-month window, the company has recorded an average year-over-year increase of 83 million video views each month. The brand ranks third among 35 measured U.S. sports media in total monthly video views across Facebook and YouTube, according to social media analytics agency Shareablee.

Wednesday’s Mexico-Paraguay match simulcast on UniMás/UDN drew 1.7 million P2+ and 849K A18-49, making it the #1 rated soccer telecast of the year on any network, regardless of language. Last Friday’s Mexico-Chile match on UMA/UDN is ranked a close second (1.6 million/845K).

ESPN Audio conducted a custom live sports audio study with Nielsen that ran from Aug. 30, 2018 to Jan. 17, 2019. During that window an estimated 22.3 million fans listened to live sports on terrestrial ESPN Radio – 9.2 percent of the U.S. population (P12+).

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

The NBA and beIN SPORTS, the official broadcast partner of the NBA in France, announced that the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks will play in the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris on Friday, January 24, 2020 at the AccorHotels Arena. It’s an expansion of the NBA’s European schedule, which has seen growth around their games in London considerably expand brand year over year.

Acuvue announced a partnership with six-time All-Star Bryce Harper to serve as an ambassador for the brand’s new product, ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions,that goes on sale April 1. ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions is a contact lens that automatically adapts to changing light conditions. Harper will wear ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions on and off the field throughout the 2019 season.

Harper also tops the list of MLB’s most popular jerseys. The new member of the Phillies, who ranked 13th in '18, is followed by the Yankees' Aaron Judge, the Red Sox’ Mookie Betts and the Angels’ Mike Trout, based on sales of Majestic jerseys on MLBShop.com since Jan. 1.

The Toronto Blue Jays has agreed to a five-year extension of its partnership with TD Bank. TD has served as the Official Bank of the Blue Jays for 13 years. The relationship will be enhanced from this year as the two parties seek to expand their community footprint through deeper engagement and programming support of Jays Care Foundation initiatives aligned to “The Ready Commitment,” the bank’s new corporate citizenship platform.

TOPPS NOW launched Future cards that offer fans and collectors a chance to win big based on the results of the 2019 season. Future Cards feature a player and possible future moment on the front, and a prize and scratch-off redemption code on the back.

DIGITAL AND STREAMING

The UFC and Toutiao, China’s leading content discovery platform, announced a partnership that will bring MMA fans in China a new touchpoint to access bite-sized UFC content on the go, including sharable localized videos, photos, messages, and graphics. UFC fans can access UFC content on Toutiao on Demand.

Stadium officially announced that “Pooh: The Derrick Rose Story” will premiere on Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m. ET exclusively on Stadium and WatchStadium.com/Live. A production from Stadium Films in conjunction with DMR Enterprises, Cycle, and Wasserman, “Pooh: The Derrick Rose Story” will give a look at the meteoric rise of the young Chicago superstar that faced hardship and fought to regain his identity as a person and athlete.

Who are the most engaged MLB Managers and front office people on social? According to research done by the SET Agency, the Cubs’ Joe Maddon, with over 400,000 followers, is leading the list of only seven MLB skippers who are using social actively to start the season. Maddon is followed by the Yankees Aaron Boone with over 220,000 followers. Only two GM’s are currently mixing it up in the space, the Astros’ Jeff Luhnow, and the Mets’ Brodie Van Wagenen.

ESPORTS

The World Showdown of Esports, a multi-genre, multi-game tournament series and subsidiary of ESP Gaming, has revealed that Avira will be joining WSOE 5: Hearthstone – The Return of Jia as the exclusive cyber-security and gaming optimization partner during the March 30-31 competition, featured in-studio and throughout the broadcast.

Skillz announced that it has raised over $120,000 for Susan G. Komen, the world's leading breast cancer organization. Since the partnership launched in March 2018, more than 25,000 eSports players, primarily between the ages of 18 and 35, participated through the Skillz platform. The total amount raised exceeded the original $100,000 anticipated by more than 20 percent, and included participants from 38 United States as well as over 60 countries.

HyperX announced professional soccer player Raphaël Varane as the latest addition to the company’s international gaming ambassador roster. The French national team player signed a two-year deal that includes being featured in a range of HyperX marketing and branding campaigns.

ROSTER MOVES

Columbia Sportswear elected former Kohl's Chair, CEO & President KEVIN MANSELL to its BOD. Mansell retired from Kohl's in May '18.

Learfield IMG College announced that Andrew Judelson will lead national sales for the newly merged company.

THE MAIN EVENT

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Sweet 16 continues at 7:00 pm on CBS and TBS.

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ON THIS DAY in 1867 future baseball Hall of Famer Cy Young was born in Ashland, Ohio

In the Know: College football is king, even around March Madness. Gonzaga has the chance to be just the third NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion from a school that does not have football. Who was the last one? (Email joefavorito2@gmail.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: The first official Women’s NCAA Basketball Championship was held in 1982. Who was the winner? Answer: Louisiana Tech. Kudos to: Josh Duboff, Thomson Reuters NY, Royce Morris, Amazon, Michael Ritz Northwestern Mutual NY, Synda Kollman Charter Marketing Group, Tom Moore Kalt Productions, Joe Lyons ESPN Dallas, Laura Sandillo, Golf Channel, Andy Pittman TAMU College Station, TX, Mike May, PHIT America, David Westberg SAG•AFTRA Federal Credit Union, Anne Wetting FOX S&P LA and Brian Robin Pechanga Resort Casino.

Later -- Chris

Chris Pursell
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