Nadal, Federer, Zverev and Thiem are in. Four more spots are left for the taking in the ATP Tour Finals.

Catch the top stars LIVE on Tennis Channel as they battle it out for the year end Championship.

Over 150 hours of ATP Tour Finals coverage on Tennis Channel November 12^th – November 19^th.

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Good morning. It’s Tuesday October 17, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

Game 2 of the 2017 National League Championship Series presented by Camping World averaged 6.8 million viewers for TBS to rank as the network’s most-watched LCS Game 2 of all time. The telecast propelled TBS to win the night across all of cable, based on Nielsen metered market numbers with viewership up 162% over last year’s LCS Game 2 coverage airing on the network. TBS’s 2017 NLCS Game 2 coverage also garnered 257% growth among People 18-34 and increases of 252% in Men 18-34, 215% in People 18-49 and 181% in People 25-54 and is up 95% overall through two games.

ON THE AIR

NBC Sports Group and US Figure Skating laid out plans for the 2017-18 broadcast season with NBC Sports Group presenting more than 200 hours of coverage throughout the duration, including nearly 100 hours on NBC and NBCSN. Meanwhile, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will also present more than 100 hours of figure skating coverage. NBC Sports Group will kick off its Grand Prix Series coverage with 2017 Grand Prix Russia from Oct. 20-22 in Moscow. In addition, icenetwork will feature live and on-demand streaming of every skater in every discipline from more than 20 events throughout the season on a subscription basis.

Back to ratings, the NFL on CBS notched its highest rating of the 2017 season on Sunday with an average metered markets overnight household rating/share of 14.0/27, up 7% for the national 4:25p game window pitting Pittsburgh and Kansas City. The 14.0/27 is compared to last year’s 13.1/25 in Week 5, which also was CBS’s third doubleheader window of the season, and featured Dallas at Cincinnati as the high coverage game in 2016.

Meanwhile, NBC’s SNF game between the Giants/Broncos ranked as Sunday’s top primetime show with 10.9/18 overnight (not including digital). That score is up 21% over the 9.0/15 for Colts/Texans OT game in Week 6 of ’16.

In talent news, ESPN locked in former coaches Tom Crean, John Thompson III and Jimmy Dykes, as well as former players Caron Butler and Robbie Hummel to its lineup of college basketball commentators. Crean will serve as as a studio analyst on ESPN and ESPN2 throughout the season and also serve as a game analyst on a number of games. Thompson III will work as a game analyst on a number of men’s college basketball matchups across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. Dykes returns to ESPN and will have a recurring role in studio on SEC Network during the season, with additional appearances on ESPN platforms. Butler joins ESPN’s college basketball coverage as a game analyst as will Hummel.

Speaking of ESPN, the company announced that its weekday morning studio show First Take is hitting the road for NBA Tipoff Shows. Today will see Stephen A. Smith live from the Town Hall Ohio City in Cleveland for the Cavaliers home opener and the whole teams will then head to LA on Oct 19-20 from ESPN Studios in for the Lakers home opener.

Speaking of the NBA, SiriusXM will provide live play-by-play of every game from Opening Night through The Finals, plus daily in-depth talk and analysis on SiriusXM NBA Radio this season starting tonight with a doubleheader featuring the Celtics/Cavaliers at 8p followed by the Rockets/Warriors, at 10:30p. Former players and coaches on the channel this season include Greg Anthony, Antonio Daniels, Brendan Haywood, Eddie Johnson, Tim Legler, Rick Mahorn, Sam Mitchell and Brian Scalabrine. They are joined on air by hosts Mark Boyle, Gerald Brown, Ric Bucher, Tom Byrne, Noah Coslov, Howie Cowart, Brian Geltzeiler, Jared Greenberg, Jonathan Hood, Frank Isola, Jason Jackson, Mitch Lawrence, Joel Meyers, Mark Morgan, Jeff Rickard, Chris Spatola and Justin Termine.

The Cynopsis TV Awards: Looking for the best in TV Programming

Entries Due: Friday, Nov. 10

Winning a Cynopsis TV Award is a symbol of acknowledgement and appreciation from your peers – that your work has risen to the top in entertaining and enriching a broad audience. Honorees will be celebrated at our annual awards reception taking place February 7^th at the Edison Ballroom in NYC.

Submit

SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

Lagardere Sports and Entertainment launched Lagardere Plus, a global agency with a mission to “transform traditional brand sponsorships into highly inventive and impactful marketing platforms.” The new agency incorporates Lagardere Sports and Entertainment’s existing global consulting businesses, including agencies akzio! and Zaechel Int. in Germany, and Sponsorship 360 in France, all of which will be rebranded as Lagardere Plus and will see offices in Berlin, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong London, Manchester, Munich, New York, Paris, Singapore, Shanghai, and Tokyo,

Meanwhile, Fanatics announced the formation of Fanatics College, a new division of the company that will focus exclusively on “elevating the comprehensive offerings it now provides for collegiate partners across the country, which include e-commerce, omnichannel arena and stadium retail operations and brand management services.” In addition, Fanatics announced it has acquired the collegiate licensing services practice of Atlanta-based Fermata Partners from CAA Sports.

DIGITAL & STREAMING

NBA League Pass will serve up a variety of new subscription packages for the 2017-18 NBA season with options that include a new premium package with continuous in-arena coverage during all breaks to bring fans footage from team huddles, live entertainment and other experiences from the venue. Additional options include the signature full-season NBA League Pass plan, Team Pass offering, Single-Game selection and virtual reality experience, as well as new monthly pricing options. In addition, NBA Digital and NextVR will offer fans a new season-long virtual reality subscription package – in addition to Single-Game options – with access across Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream and Windows Mixed Reality.

The NBA also announced the launch of the NBA AR app, a new augmented reality experience that allows fans to play virtual pop-a-shot from any point in the world through AR technology, marking the first augmented reality game by a US sports league according to the org. The app captures a player’s surroundings, pins an authentic NBA backboard and court into the real-world environment, and then uses the accelerometer in the iPhone to flick shots at the hoop before the 30-second shot clock expires.

ESPORTS

Another team brand launched for Overwatch League. NRG Esports, which was awarded the san Francisco franchise, announced that the team would be known as the San Francisco Shock, with its name and logo representing the “seismic energy and activity of the region.” The seismograph logo is presented in gold, honoring San Francisco's historic gold rush heritage. The seismograph waveform presents itself as a silhouette of the Bay Bridge. “There is no better market to establish as the epicenter of esports than San Francisco,” said Andy Miller, Founder and CEO of NRG Esports, parent organization of the San Francisco Shock. “We are so excited to bring a hometown esports team to the region that has been central to the growth of gaming in North America.”

ROSTER MOVES

John Fitzgerald is heading back to ESPN Audio team where he will serve as VP, ESPN Audio ad sales. Fitzgerald will oversee all aspects of ESPN Radio national network ad sales, including talk programming, event play-by-play and Audio on Demand, which includes podcasts.

Outdoor Sportsman Group Publishing’s Game & Fish Magazine named John Geiger its new Editor-in-Chief.

THE MAIN EVENT

The NBA season tips off with Celtics/Cavaliers on TNT at 8p.

Registration is open for the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival

March 7, 2018 | New York City

Screen the winning videos chosen by our expert panel of jurors, and enjoy thought-provoking and idea-rich panel discussions with producers, directors, actors, marketers, and more. Panels will address topics including: Building an effective distribution strategy, Monetization for maximum ROI and more. Interested in submitting for the festival? Submit here .

Buy Tickets

ON THIS DAY in 1989: A 6.9 magnitude earthquake shakes the Bay Area before the start of Game 3 of the World Series at Candlestick Park.

In the Know: What movie proclaims that “strikeouts are fascist”? (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 athlete holds the record for most NBA games played in a career? Answer: Robert Parish. (Kareem holds the record for most minutes, not most games.) Kudos: Nate Hammond-JCC/NY; Thomas Steward- Jamestown Community College/NY; Michael Dittelman/NY; John Langermann- WINK-TV/WXCW-TV/Fort Myers; Synda Kollman-Charter Marketing Group/Deerfield Beach; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Lance Phegley-Texas Runner & Triathlete magazine/Houston; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA; David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/Burbank

Later -- Chris

JOB OPENING: DIR, PAID SOCIAL MEDIA/A+E Networks/NY: Develop & manage all paid social media campaigns to drive engagement & increase visibility of programs across the entire portfolio. 5+ yrs. of digital media plng experience. Apply: www.aenetworks.com/career.html (10/24)

JOB OPENING: LOCAL SALES MGR/WVIT/Hartford CT: Local Sales Manager w/min 5 yrs previous broadcast/radio/print advertising experience to lead a team of Account Execs. Working knowledge of Nielsen audience data. Full info/apply HERE (10/24)

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JOB OPENING: DIR, ACCOUNT MGMT – ADVANCED AD PRODUCTS/FOX/NY: Client-facing role responsible for proposal dev, campaign execution & mgmt of all digital campaigns. Min 7-10 yrs exp in an agency account mgmt role with exp leading a team & providing strategic oversight. Full info/apply HERE (10/24)

JOB OPENING:VP NATIONAL AD SALES/INSP/Open location: Growing nat’l ntwk seeks VP to mng agency relationships w/planners/buyers, dev new business w/clients direct & agency. Must exceed short form revenue; assist sponsorship sales for orig prgming. 3-5 yrs sales exp pref’d. Netwk exp a must. Full info/apply HERE (10/20)

JOB OPENING:VP, SALES/SPORTLOGiQ/Montreal, QC: Bringing a new level of analysis to the sports statistics market using advanced computer vision. Five+ years of exp. in software industry/technology/sales management w/ business degree. Passion for hockey a plus! Full info/apply HERE (10/20)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXECUTIVE/Stage 13/Burbank: Dvlp deep relationships w/clients to deliver against specific sales targets, while delivering exceptional mktg solutions & highest levels of client service w/top tier brand partnerships & prgrms w/in a new premium content. 3-5 yrs’ exp dig media sales. Apply HERE (10/20)

JOB OPENING: LOCAL SALES MGR/ KNSD (NBCUOTS)/San Diego: Manage and develop Account Managers within the Sales Department training & motivating the team to surpass rev targets. Min 5 yrs of previous brdcst/radio/print advertising exp. Full info/apply HERE (10/20)

JOB OPENING: INTEGRATED SALES MARKETING MGR/ KNSD (NBCUOTS)/San Diego: Be both client and intercompany facing, responsible for the hands on development and execution of multi-market integrated sales solutions. Min 3 yrs working in TV or entertainment space. Excellent comm skills. Full info/apply HERE (10/20)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, CONTENT PRODUCTION/EKO/NYC: Pioneer of interactive serial video ent. Manage creative development & prod for all scripted interactive series. Exp developing scripted content or serial content prod. Budgeting/negotiating exp a must. Mng team to achieve goals. Resume HERE(10/19)

JOB OPENING: SR DIGITAL RESEARCH ANALYST/Showtime/NY: Reporting & strategic analysis related to subscription and viewing behavior on SHO digital platforms, including Showtime (OTT) and Showtime Anytime (TVE). Min 2 yrs digital exp. with robust Adobe Analytics skills. APPLY HERE (10/19)

JOB OPENING: VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS/FOX Sports/Playa Vista CA: Identify/analyze business opps, negotiate contracts & follow deals thru completion. Multiple yrs of media/interactive exp w/ad & subscription businesses. Knwlg of internet tech platforms. 7-10 yrs mngmnt exp. Full info/apply HERE (10/19)

JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH ANALYST AD SALES/GSN/NY: 2yrs exp in Media (TV, Digital, Social, CBL) Knowledge/Skill in (Nielsen NPower, Nielsen AdViews, comScore, Rentrak, Wide Orbit, Custom Show & Simmons) Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint & Excel) Detail Oriented. Send res and CL to tvcareers@gsn.com (10/19)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS/BBCWA/NYC: Design/deliver short & long-term strategic plans related to internal comms & events, as well as external corp comm. Apply if you are bright, energetic & enthusiastic about BBC brand values & content. Min 4-6 yrs exp. Full info HERE (10/19)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATION/IFC/Santa Monica: Supervise physical prod & administrate contractual payments for all IFC Originals; Interact w/3rd party prod entities ensuring compliance guidelines. Able to cultivate prod relations w/industry contacts externally & internally. Full info/apply HERE (10/19)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCTION COORD/UP/ATL: Provide creative & admin supprt to SVP, Prod. & Dev.; mgt prod. sched; deliver treatments, scripts, rough cuts, etc.; serve as liaison to Ad Sales Exec & prod. companies; At least 1 yr exp. in T.V. or film prod. Strong verbal, written & org skills. Full info/apply HERE (10/19)