Major League Soccer awarded franchise #29 to Sacramento. MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced the league’s newest team Monday, joined by Mayor Darrell Steinberg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom with the club set to begin play in 2022 after the club builds a new, $300 million, 20,100-seat soccer stadium in the downtown Railyards District. “Major League Soccer continues to grow throughout North America and we are so proud to welcome Sacramento as our newest team,” Garber said in a statement. “For many years, soccer fans in Sacramento have passionately supported Republic FC and shown that the club deserves to be competing at the highest level. Thanks to the determined efforts and commitment of new owners Ron Burkle and Matt Alvarez along with the leadership of Mayor Darren Steinberg, Sacramento will join MLS with a world-class soccer stadium that will transform the sport in California’s capital.” PROGRAMMING
Octagon and the National Women’s Soccer League locked in a multi-tier consulting partnership that will see Octagon’s Global Media Rights Consulting and Marketing divisions advise the NWSL on its league media rights, sponsorship, and marketing. Octagon will provide comprehensive media rights valuation, sales strategy services, and work directly with NWSL executives to secure and amplify new media distribution opportunities. In addition, Octagon’s Marketing division will help the league with brand marketing, asset development, sponsorship valuation, and fan engagement insights in a move to generate increases in overall reach and revenue for the league and its teams. With a potential #1 vs. #2 in the cards, CBS Sports selected its SEC on CBS football game for Nov. 9, adding LSU/Alabama to the lineup at 3:30p. Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and reporter Jamie Erdahl will call the action for the game. On the ratings front, the Cowboys’ 37-10 blowout victory over the Eagles on NBC’s Sunday Night Football notched a Total Audience Delivery average of 22.0 million viewers – to rank as the most-watched Week 7 NBC SNF game in five years. That also marks a 35% increase over last year’s Week 7 game, according to fast national data released by Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics. NBC’s SNF is averaging 20.4 million viewers across all platforms this season – the best start for the series through Week 7 (eight games) since 2015, and up 4% from the same point last season. NBC Sports also saw upticks for NASCAR, as Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on NBC averaged a TAD of 3.322 million viewers, up 20% vs. 2018 and delivering NBC Sports’ largest NASCAR year-over-year viewership increase since its current rights agreement began in 2015. Excluding this year’s weather-impacted races at Daytona and Talladega, NBC Sports’ 2019 NASCAR Cup Series coverage has averaged a TAD of 2.545 million viewers, up 4% vs. the comparable races in 2018. The NFL on FOX scored the top-rated telecast of the weekend, however. As its America’s Game of the Week drew a 15.0/32, according to Nielsen, for a rise of 4% over last year’s comparable window. Overall week 7 handed the company with an 11.5/25, up 11% over last year. As we head into the World Series, MLB Network is reporting that its daily studio shows have posted viewership increases this Postseason over 2018, including MLB Central (+2%), High Heat with Christopher Russo (+16%), MLB Now (+4%) and Intentional Talk (+19). MLB Network will have live World Series coverage from Minute Maid Park and Nationals Park before and after every game with Al Leiter, Mike Lowell, Pedro Martinez & Kevin Millar, plus analysts Sean Casey, Mark DeRosa, Carlos Peña, Dan Plesac & Harold Reynolds all part of the coverage. Around the dial, BTN set benchmarks for a trio of top 25 teams in week eight of the college football season to deliver BTN’s largest total audience since October 2016. The Buckeyes and Wildcats Friday night game was BTN’s fourth-most watched ever, averaging 1.636 million viewers, while Saturday’s Badgers and Illini game averaged 1.107 million viewers. Minnesota/Rutgers averaged 563,503 viewers. ESPN will debut SportsCenter with Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday at 7p with the 30-minute show, serving as the pregame telecast for Wednesday NBA games on ESPN that begin at 7:30p. The show will air throughout the regular season and during the NBA Playoffs. SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt will host ESPN’s NBA halftime coverage on Wednesdays every week starting on Oct. 30. SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt will continue to air immediately following ESPN NBA Wednesday doubleheaders. Telemundo Deportes offers exclusive coverage of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 starting Saturday, with Telemundo, Universo and the Telemundo Deportes app all presenting matches throughout the 19-day event. Coverage will be led by a team that includes Andres Cantor, Carlos Hermosillo, Copan Alvarez, Eduardo Biscayart, Manuel Sol, Miguel Gurwitz and Sammy Sadovnik with the 52-match tournament taking place across three Brazilian cities: Brasilia, Goiania and Vitoria. Next Monday at 8p will see BTN debut The B1G Trip: Nebraska Basketball In Italy, a behind-the-scenes look at the Huskers’ journey abroad All three, 30-minute episodes in the series will air consecutively on Monday night. Tennis Channel will have live matches and comprehensive coverage each day of the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, the exclusive year-end tournament reserved for the top eight singles players and doubles teams in women's tennis from Oct. 27-Nov. 3. Tennis Channel will offer more than 40 hours of live matches. The network's on-air team will feature Lindsay Davenport and Tracy Austin, as well as Jimmy Arias Jan-Michael Gambill and Nicolas Pereira. Veteran announcers Ted Robinson, Leif Shiras and Ari Wolfe will call matches throughout the event. Brett Haber will serve as host for Tennis Channel Live during the week with Davenport, Austin and Arias joining for analysis. ESPN announced that U.S. Olympic medalist Shalane Flanagan will join the broadcast team for the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 3, which will be broadcast live on WABC-TV in the New York City area and on ESPN2 nationwide. Race-day coverage begins with a preview show on WABC at 7a, followed by race-day coverage from 9a-2p. ESPN2 will carry the professional races from 9a-noon. The broadcast will feature 16 commentators, reporters, and analysts. Leading the call will be ESPN’s Sage Steele, serving as the race-day host for the fourth consecutive year, and John Anderson, calling the play-by-play for the seventh consecutive year. Analyst Tim Hutchings and Flanagan will join them in the booth. The NBA and Tabcorp announced a multi-year media partnership that will bring NBA TV - the league’s 24-hour television network - to Tabcorp’s Sky Channel in more than 4,400 TAB retail and entertainment venues across Australia. In addition, Tabcorp will become an authorized sports betting operator of the NBA in Australia and will use official NBA league marks within its platforms. Alex Rodriguez continues to add credits, and will now host a new CNBC series, Back in the Game. Starting Nov. 6 at 10p. The series comes from Michael Strahan’s SMAC Productions and Amber Mazzola’s Machete Productions, with the four episode hour long series seeing Rodriguez mentor notables “who have fallen on hard times and need help getting back on their feet” beginning with Evander Holyfield. SiriusXM takes on the new NBA season, offering live play-by-play of every game from Opening Night through The Finals, plus daily in-depth talk and analysis on SiriusXM NBA Radio. Each weekday, former NBA big man Brendan Haywood and Frank Isola host The Starting Lineup from 7-10a, followed by No Look Pass from 10a-1p, which features a rotating group of hosts that includes Greg Anthony, Caron Butler, Amin Elhassan, Sarah Kustok, Tim Legler, Rick Mahorn, Cheryl Miller, Sam Mitchell, Reggie Theus and Wes Wilcox alongside lead hosts Brian Custer, Evan Cohen and Zach Harper. Rick Kamla also expands his role on SiriusXM NBA Radio this season and will host Give and Go alongside former guard Antonio Daniels each weekday from 1-4p. Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson then host NBA Today weekdays from 4-7p. |
| A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM SEVENTYSIX CAPITAL SPORTS INNOVATION CONFERENCE THE EPICENTER OF SPORTS AND TECH NOVEMBER 6, 2019 • CITIZENS BANK PARK, PHILADELPHIA Join Ryan Howard, David Stern, Ralph Sampson, Ken Shropshire, and many more industry thought leaders focused on sports technology, esports, and sports betting – industries where innovation is moving at an accelerated pace. Click here to register with code CYNOPSIS for 10% off General Admission |
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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
History was made on the NGB front as USA Triathlon became the first U.S. National Governing Body in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement to formalize a partnership with a CBD manufacturer, inking a deal with Pure Spectrum CBD through 2023. “With its athlete-first approach and proven commitment to safety, quality and accuracy, Pure Spectrum is a clear leader in the growing CBD industry,” said Rocky Harris, Chief Executive Officer at USA Triathlon. “We are partnering with Pure Spectrum to help educate triathletes of all levels about CBD and to provide a fully vetted CBD option.” The Pac-12 announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with Opus Bank, which will continue as the official bank of the Pac-12 Conference and the official bank sponsor for all Pac-12 championship events, including the Pac-12 Football Championship Game and Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. In addition, Opus Bank will also continue to have a significant on-air and digital presence across Pac-12 Networks’ platforms and programming. Three-time NBA champion and international superstar Stephen Curry is jumping aboard the Callaway Golf Company family, entering a partnership that will feature co-produced original content in the spirit of Curry’s endeavors in golf. “I am beyond excited for the opportunity to work with Callaway Golf. Their ability to think outside the box on how we can collectively grow the game of golf is second to none,” Curry said. " I can’t wait to begin rolling out some of our ideas to make golf more accessible to boys and girls around the world.” DIGITAL, DATA & STREAMING
ESPN Digital reached an all-time high 109.3 million unique visitors (up 22% YOY) and 10.2 billion minutes of usage (up 10%) in September, according to the company. Additionally, the ESPN App and ESPN Fantasy App recorded all-time highs in monthly uniques (25.4 million and 10.7 million, respectively) and minutes (each with 2.8 billion).
ESPORTS
The Call of Duty League saw the announcement that its New York franchise will be known as the New York Subliners as the league prepares for a 2020 launch. Owned by Andbox, the Subliners’ name, colors and logo were showcased in the reveal. According to the announcement, “Subliners is born from the grit and chaos of the underground. Like our city, our team is built from the ground up to be a movement that challenges the mainstream and the status quo. Our name resists definition, but it stands for all who subvert the rules and play the game their way. We thrive on high pressure, high stakes, and high intensity.” The University of Kentucky announced a partnership with global esports company Gen.G to build a first-of-its-kind global gaming and esports program. The partnership will emphasize access to opportunities for all University of Kentucky students and they will look to develop wholly new pathways for student recruitment, classroom and internship opportunities; research avenues for scholars across a variety of colleges; and professional development for alumni. Super League Gaming is partnering with ggCircuit, a leading cloud-based software solutions company for gaming centers, for a slate of Fortnite Squads and Solo tournaments featuring Fortnite Chapter 2. The alliance will see the organizations offer the largest activations in Super League history, with a total of $130,000 in prizing. A squads “Weekend Showdown” will begin on October 25, with $50,000 in prizing available to players in five key regions: Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America East, and North America West. Then, starting on October 28, the companies will be running weekly Fortnite solo tournaments called Manic Mondays, also across the five key regions, with $10,000 of prizing being available each week. THE MAIN EVENT
Nationals/Astros on FOX at 8p.
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| Mix and Mingle With Digital’s Elite The 7th Annual Cynopsis Digital Awards NOV 8 | 8:30 – 10:30AM | NYC
Change is the only constant when it comes to digital media, which is probably why there’s never enough time to applaud the developments spearheaded by these trailblazing companies (view finalists here). The Cynopsis Model D and Digital “It List” Awards are dedicated to making sure their accomplishments are recognized. Register before OCT 28 and be in the room as winners are announced.
REGISTER BY OCT 28
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ON THIS DAY in 1972
Oakland A’s win the World Series. In the Know
What is the name of the official mascot of the Oakland Athletics? (Email cpursell@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your company and city). Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question
Which two chess pieces are involved in castling? Answer: King and Rook. Kudos: Rob Casalaina-ITN/NY; Marc Goldstein-Media Solutions/NY; Brian Traynor-Endeavor/NY; Steve Stander-A+E Networks/NY; Chris McCloskey-NBC Sports/Stamford; Kierra Holroyd-Octagon/Stamford; Larry Kahn-GOLF Channel/Orlando; Matt Deprey-CSPAN/DC; Travis Wacker-Good Karma Brands Milwaukee/Milwaukee; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station; Joe Lyons-ESPN/Dallas; John Tingue-hulu/Chicago; Peter Steckelman-Tennis Channel/Santa Monica; David Westberg-SAG•AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank; Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA
Later~~Chris |
INVENTORY MANAGER
UP/NYC
Support VP, Pricing & Planning. Mng all aspects of channel inventory, oversee flighting & shift requests. Mng day to day bus processes w/sales assistants & sales planners. Provide support for stewardship, deal approvals, and pricing. Strong analytical skills, quick learner and problem solver.
Full info HERE (11/5)
SALES ASSISTANT >>
UP/NYC: Provide sales support to AEs, Sales Planners & Pricing & Inventory. Establish relationships w/agency buyers. Act as a liaison w/agencies & internal depts. Strong orgnztnl skills, att to detail, ability to work in a fast-paced envir. Prior internship exp in media a +. Full info HERE (11/5) INVENTORY MANAGER >>
UP/NYC: Support VP, Pricing & Planning. Mng all aspects of channel inventory, oversee flighting & shift requests. Mng day to day bus processes w/sales assistants & sales planners. Provide support for stewardship, deal approvals, and pricing. Strong analytical skills, quick learner and problem solver. Full info HERE (11/5)
DIRECTOR, TECHNICAL & DIGITAL OPERATIONS >>
NBC Sports/Stamford CT: Oversee the design, development, deployment, and support of state-of-the-art sports content management systems, web services and API’s. Full info HERE (11/2)
Jr PUBLICIST >>
NBC SPORTS/Stamford CT: Publicize and promote NBC Sports Group programming in accordance with the overall strategy and brand positioning. BA degree. Min 2yrs exp working in PR and/or Sports industry. Full info HERE (11/2)
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT >>
9 Story Media Group/NYC: Provide administrative support to two executives in a collaborative, creative, fast-paced environment working in production of current series and development of new properties. Candidate must be organized, detail oriented and self-directed, with strong verbal and written comm skills. Full info HERE (11/2)
MULTI-PLATFORM MARKETING MGR >>
SNY/NYC: Reinforce/solidify SNY's positioning as the Home for NY sports in a breakout way. Using proper creative and marketing strategies, this position will leverage best practices in marketing, social media, digital promotions, mobile marketing, and technology. Min 5yrs mktg/advertising exp sports/media. Full info HERE (11/2) MGR, DIGITAL CONTENT (NIGHT SIDE) >>
NBC SPORTS/Philadelphia: Mng a team of NBC Sports Philadelphia’s content producers, ensuring that timely, relevant content is properly published to the website, app and social media accts. Min 7yrs working in digital content prod, incl 2-3yrs managing a team or unit. Full info HERE (11/2)
FREELANCE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR >>
Nickelodeon/NYC: Resp for project mngmt/coordinating social media creative for Nickelodeon’s fan-first, adult-targeted social accounts. Understanding of production methodologies across video, graphics/design & social media platforms. 1-2yrs managerial exp. Full info HERE (11/2)
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE >>
NYC-based television production: Work closely with the VP and SVP of Finance in all aspects of production accounting/finance Overseeing production accountants & mngng show cash flows to ensure staying on budget. Min 5 yrs exp cost reporting as a production accountant. Full info HERE (10/29) PROMOTION PRODUCER >>
WTTG/WDCA TV Fox 5 TV/Washington DC: seasoned creative services producer to conceptualize, write and produce dynamic promotional spots that promote our programming while reinforcing and expanding the stations brand and image. 4 yr degree & min 3 yrs brdcst exp in a top 50 market. Full info HERE (10/29)
SR ANALYST, RESEARCH & STRATEGIC INSIGHTS >>
BRAVO/OXYGEN/NBCU/NYC: Support in the creation of presentations designed to educate senior members of the network on consumers’ changing ent & tech. profiles. 2+ yrs Media research experience at a broadcast or cable network, agency or vendor. Full info HERE (10/26)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
OPPORTUNITY MEDIA/LI/NY: Seeking an energetic achiever with excellent written & organizational skills for role to assist in growing revenue for dynamic Direct Response Team: BA Degree, Min 2 yrs DR Planning Experience req. Wide Orbit Exp a +. Full info HERE (10/26)
VP, RESEARCH & INSIGHTS (6 month contract) >> Fremantle/Burbank: Serve as the head of all domestic research. Mng all qualitative/quantitative rsrch across all key depts. Proficient in survey programming/scripting apps. Detail oriented/great orgnztnal skills. Full info HERE (10/25)
ANALYST, GLOBAL RIGHTS >> A+E/NY: Perform legal review & rights interpretation of content sales agreements & manage the process of capturing the rights & terms into a rights mgmt database. 3-5 yrs exp in legal analysis of prgmg & distribution agreements w/complex media rights & terms. JD a +. Excellent Excel skills. Full info HERE (10/25)
DIR, COMMERCIAL CLEARANCE >>
A+E/NY: Ensure ads are in compliance w/both A+E policies & Fed guidelines. Perform S&P and Legal Privacy reviews & decision making for live programming. BA/BS, 10+ yrs exp at a network (cable or brdcst), or agency working in Standards & Practices, Commercial Clearance w/focus on ad review. Full info HERE (10/25)
DIGITAL BRAND MANAGER >>
VENN/NYC: Lead brand manager to run VENN brand social channels, driving comms strategy and brand growth. Prior experience leading brand launch and growth via social required. Deep knowledge of all social platforms. Full info HERE (10/25)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >>
WNEU/Newton MA: Resp for delivering sales revenue, as well as cultivating/developing new advertisers for the stations' multi-platform properties. Meet quarterly targets by identifying & prospecting new businesses. Min 2 yrs of exp sales and/or mktg roles. Full info HERE (10/24)
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE >>
KCSO/Sacramento: With a focus on meeting quarterly reports & budgets AE is resp for partnering with local clients, both on the agency level & direct, to create innovative & unique mktg/ad solutions that target a client's demographics & products/services. 2 yrs exp direct sales & 3 yrs media sales exp. Full info HERE (10/23)
VP/SVP DEVELOPMENT >>
Back Roads Ent/Austin TX: Resp for leading the team’s ideation of program concepts, have a boundless enthusiasm for their own ideas; Candidate must be a passionate consumer of media across all platforms, a strong treatment/deck/one-sheet writer & possess strong skills for conceptualizing sizzle and PoC tapes. Full info HERE (10/23) |
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