Sports Biz
Bloomberg TV to broadcast Olympic Sportfolio
NEW YORK, MAY 15, 2012 -- (From Sports business wire and staff report) -- Sportfolio, a weekly sports business show hosted by Rick Horrow on Bloomberg Television, will delve into the business behind the Olympic Games when Bloomberg reporter Dominic Chu interviews gold medalist Shawn Johnson about her business partnership with Procter and Gamble's "Thank You, Mom" program. The sports business series will interview VISA Chief Marketing Officer Antonio Lucio about his company's extension of its "Go World" campaign into social media. Citigroup Chief Brand Officer Dermot Boden joins Horrow in studio to examine Citi’s “Every Step of The Way” campaign.
Off the Olympic beat, Bloomberg West reporter Jon Erlichman travels to Los Angeles and Dodger Stadium with new Dodgers owner and entertainment mogul Peter Guber, then golfing legend Gary Player joins the hosts via satellite to analyze the state of international golf as the PGA's Player's Championship is in the record books. Sportfolio airs Wednesday, May 16 at 9 PM (EDT) on Bloomberg TV (DirecTV 353), check your local cable systems for the channel near you).
Now in its six month of weekly episodes, Sportfolio will add to a guest list that includes: NBA Commissioner David Stern, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, MLS Commissioner Doug Garber, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Padres owner Jeff Moorad, NASCAR’s Brian France, Jeff Gordon, Masters Champion Bubba Watson, IZOD Indy Car’s Randy Bernard, and many, many others, with additional shows on the business of sport planned well into the summer. The show reaches more than 270 million households through first-run and syndicated airings.
CineSport rolls out new Tech
(From Sports Business wire report)
SOUTH HACKENCACK, NJ -- The number one online producer of sports programming announced the launch of the CineSport VaMP(tm) platform. The new video and monetization platform was developed specifically to meet the needs of news and information sites. These sites have increasingly moved to a multi-media presentation that integrates video with text and VaMP makes it simple for editors to publish video contextually and to maximize engagement and monetization.
"The release of CineSport's VaMP video platform is a significant technical enhancement to the service that we offer to publishers," said Michael Dresner, CineSport's COO. "Quality, monetization, discovery, social and ease of use all factored into the design of this new platform."
CineSport's new VaMP technology is currently powering video on sports sites including the New York Post, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Matt Pepin, Sports Editor of Boston.com, was so excited when his staff started using VaMP that he tweeted, "Just launched our new @CineSport video page on @BostonDotCom. Looks pretty cool, many more titles, easy to browse. bit.ly/GVVL1F." Bob Rose, Deputy Managing Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, expressed similar enthusiasm; "CineSport's new video platform makes posting video on our site incredibly easy. And the more we post, the better our numbers get for page views and engagement. VaMP (the new platform) helps us put players in-line in our stories and link to the landing pages that are automatically created for each video. That results in more embedded video, more video links and more multimedia coverage for our readers."
Publishers use a simple grab tool to create and size players. They choose from a menu of available videos, and generate embed code to place inline in articles or in the rail as related videos. Each video also dynamically generates a unique landing page that the grab tool creates links to. Publishers can also upload their local video and ads into the platform and traffic it to inline players, rail players, or onto landing pages. All of the content and ads are tracked and reported in VaMP's robust analytics package. The grab tool allows editors to include accompanying text, which promotes engagement and search optimization. The VaMP player is html5 based, making it accessible on all mobile devices, and also optimized for search. Publishers can also integrate their site CMS directly with VaMP. "VaMP, CineSport's new video platform, works seamlessly with our existing video solution, but it makes it so much easier and more powerful. Suddenly we can place video everywhere we want to with a much cleaner, interactive interface," says Ben Turk-Tolub, Product Manager for the Philadelphia Media Network.
CineSport, the web's number one producer of sports video with over 12 million unique viewers a month (comScore Video Metrix Sports category, February 2012) provides sports news, programming and production services to more than 100 blue chip web sites throughout the country including: DigitalSportsDesk.com, Sporting News, New York Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The company's sports content includes local and national sports league highlights, features, and in-depth local sports reports produced in association with its media partners. CineSport provides sites with an end-to-end video programming, production, hosting and advertising sales platform. In 2011, the company launched CineStars, an entertainment vertical which offers up-to-the-minute perspective on major entertainment stories with national and local appeal as well as providing daily exclusive content including, celebrity interviews, movie and music reviews from established critics, and a first look at the biggest entertainment events of the day.
For more information about CineSport or its new VaMP Platform, go to cinesport.com.
Bloomberg Fantasy: Are You Ready for Some Baseball?
NEW YORK - MARCH 2012 - (Staff and report from official press release)
You've heard of a sophmore jinx but can there be a junior jinx? Not for this Fantasy Baseball prospect.
Bloomberg Sports has launched its third season of “Front Office” and it promises to be the most comprehensive and easy to use fantasy baseball analytic tool on the market. The updated offerings are part of an enhancement and increased customer support that has vailted “Front Office” into the top paid fantasy baseball tool available in the marketplace.
The updated suite of tools in “Front Office 2012” for the regular season will allow users to obtain instant updates via text and email on roster players through the new ALERTS! feature, and an additional feature designed to support leagues that are specific to the American and National League. Fans will be able to obtain a free customized analysis of their fantasy team, showing how they compare to other teams on each scored stat, and the new fantasy tool even sends customized recommendations to improve a fantasy baseball team. The product will retain all its popular features, including the ability to sync with the major hosting sites from Yahoo!, ESPN.com, and CBSSports.com.
"The latest additions to ‘Front Office’ were a direct result of feedback we received from our subscribers, and we are very excited to add these pieces to what is already the most comprehensive and robust product available in the marketplace,” said Bill Squadron, head of Bloomberg Sports. “Our tools are uniquely customized for each fantasy player's actual roster and settings, providing the best projections and recommendations each day, from the draft through the entire season.”
The launch of the new tools will give fans ample time to review and make the best possible choices for their fantasy drafts, most of which will take place in March. In addition to the ability to sync with almost any league provider, “Front Office” offers a customized B-Rank that provides up-to-date lists for roster changes, free agent pickups and other decisions, as well as a customized dashboard which gives players all critical information about their team or teams in one easy to follow location.
All of Bloomberg’s fantasy tools are now available in PC, MAC or for most mobile devices, giving fans the ability to access the tools from wherever they are. Bloomberg’s Fantasy Draft product was the leading seller among paid sports apps in the iTunes store for most of the 2011 season, further proof that the Bloomberg sports analytic tools are quickly becoming the fantasy tool of choice amongst both avid and casual players.
Strategic partners for Front Office 2012 include: Yahoo Sports, CBSSports.com, USA Today, and SiriusXM as well as the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
For more information on Bloomberg Sports, please visit http://www.bloombergsports.com and follow us on Twitter (@BloombergSports) and Facebook.
NBA Cracks Down on Counterfeiters
ORLANDO - MARCH 1, 2012 - (From wire reports) - The NBA and the feds were serious about enforcing Intellecual Property law over the past weekend as ten people were arrested for selling counterfeit goods during NBA All-Star Weekend. The U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office worked to confiscate more than 2,500 counterfeit items during NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando. Some of these items included t-shirts, caps and jerseys valued at more than $69,000. Ten people were arrested for possessing or offering to sell counterfeit NBA merchandise. “Counterfeiters prey on sports fans at events like the NBA All-Star Game. I urge buyers to beware. Counterfeiting is not a harmless crime, it costs U.S. businesses more than $200 billion each year and accounts for the loss of more than 750,000 American jobs”, said Homeland Security Investigator Susan McCormick.
“The NBA is committed year-round to protecting both our fans and legitimate, tax-paying retailers from being victimized by counterfeiters seeking to profit illegally from the public’s enthusiasm for the NBA,” said Ayala Deutsch, senior vice president and chief intellectual property counsel for the NBA. “We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of HSI, the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office throughout All-Star Weekend and are pleased to have their support in working to address this important issue.”
To report or learn more about intellectual property theft, visit www.IPRcenter.gov
Play Up Signs with America East, Southern and Sun Belt
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 -- (Staff report via official press release) -- PlayUp, a social network app built exclusively for sports fans, social media users and gamers, has partnered with the America East, Southern and Sun Belt Conferences for the upcoming men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments. The agreement marks the first “Fan Engagement” partnerships in collegiate conference history.
Users of PlayUp, for the first time in college basketball conference tournament history, will analyze all of the statistical action with their counterparts from around the world, who all share a common bond over basketball and their passionate following of their favorite teams. PlayUp provides the opportunity for conferences and sports properties to extend their reach to fans through a distinct mobile platform. While chatting about the tournament action, fans will simultaneously partake in contests where prizes will be awarded based on participation and distinctive content.
“I am thrilled that PlayUp has been selected as the fan engagement partner during the most exciting time of the year for college basketball. Each of these conference tournaments will showcase high-level basketball, and we look forward to bringing the fan experience closer to the court,” said Dennis Lee, PlayUp USA CEO.
The America East Conference men’s and women’s tournaments will be held from March 1 – 4 at the University of Hartford’s Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion in Hartford, Conn. “This partnership with PlayUp will give our fans the opportunity to interact with their peers over their shared passion, America East basketball,” said America East Conference Commissioner Amy Huchthausen. “With our dedicated fan bases and alumni from our membership all over the world, this partnership offers a platform for everyone to show their pride during the most exciting month in college sports. Our conference features nine great institutions and elite talent on the court, and we are excited to work with PlayUp as our Official Fan Engagement Partner to expand national interest in our championship.”
The Southern Conference tournaments runs from March 2 – 5 and will be played at the Asheville Civic Center and Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C., the home of the University of North Carolina –Asheville Bulldogs. “The Southern Conference has one of the most loyal fan bases in the country, and PlayUp will enhance their fandom during our men’s and women’s tournaments,” said Jon Iamarino, Commissioner of the Southern Conference. “PlayUp is a great tool that helps our fans stay connected to their team regardless of any geographical barriers, and we are pleased to name the company as our Official Fan Engagement Partner. Collegiate athletics are centered around passion, pride and community and PlayUp promotes all these values.”
The Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. plays host to the Sun Belt Conference Tournaments from March 3 – 6. “March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for college sports fans and we chose to partner with PlayUp because this app makes the games even more exciting than ever before,” said Travis Llewellyn, Assistant Commissioner for Electronic Media at the Sun Belt Conference. “Whether you’re fortunate enough to be in attendance at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, watching the game with friends, or if you’re alone on your couch, PlayUp fosters a way for fans of the Sun Belt Conference to watch the games together all from their mobile device.”
PlayUp reached its first collegiate partnership in January, becoming the Official Fan Engagement Partner of Fordham University Athletics. This was also the first fan engagement partnership for any university. In addition to PlayUp’s collegiate partnerships, it also teamed up with NFL Stars Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams and Stevie Johnson of the Buffalo Bills for applications with the Super Bowl XLVI.
PlayUp launched in October 2011 and enables sports fans to follow their choice of more than 30,000 live games while simultaneously discussing the action with fellow fans on their mobile devices. The free app includes real-time scoring and stats, along with the option to create private rooms to discuss the action with friends or join public rooms to interact with fans from around the world – play by play and pitch by pitch for every NFL, college football and basketball, NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS game, as well as a variety of international leagues from around the globe.
Runner's World to Organize its first Half-Marathon
BETHLEHEM, PA - FEBRUARY 22 -- Runners World Magazine, the leading publication for the running community published by Rodale, has been a major part of all the key road races and marathons, including the New York and Boston Marathons. For the first time, the magazine is organizing and running its own road race, a half marathon in Pennsylvania. The Runners World Half Marathon will take place Oct. 21 as part of a three-day running festival at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA. Rodale, the parent company of Runner's World, Men's Health, Bicycling and several other leading consumer magazines, is based in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
The centerpiece of the special runner's weekend is half marathon, scheduled at 8:30 am on Oct. 21. The 13.1-mile course will take runners from the beautifully refurbished steel mills of Bethlehem Steel through the historic neighborhoods of the Pennsylvania city, just miles from Runner’s World’s parent company Rodale Inc.’s corporate headquarters. The schedule for Oct. 20 features a 5-K race at 8 am, a 10-K race at 9:30 am and a kids run at 11:30 am. The running-themed festival begins Oct. 19 and is centered at ArtsQuest SteelStacks Campus on the former grounds of Bethlehem Steel. The weekend-long festival will feature live music, running-themed speakers and seminars, movies and special events for participants.
“Runner’s World is the most meaningful brand in running, and it’s exciting to branch out in a big way into road-racing, which continues to grow at a record pace,” said David Willey, Runner’s World’s Editor-in-Chief and General Manager of Rodale’s Active Living Group. “We’ve learned through our innovative Runner’s World Challenge program that our readers want to train for races with the editors of their favorite magazine--and then run the races with us, too. We’ve made that personal connection with them in Richmond, San Francisco, Big Sur, Chicago and Philadelphia, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming our readers to Bethlehem, where we live, work and train. It’s going to be a fun, family-like atmosphere.”
Race signups are open at http://www.RWHalf.com or http://www.runnersworld.com and information will also be available on Twitter by following @RWHalf.
Rugby 7s to Air on NBC Sports This Weekend; and Rio here they come
LOS ANGELES, FEBRUARY 8, 2012 (DigitalSportsDesk staff report from Official News Release) – Grand Prix Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment company, announced the appointment of one of the longstanding leaders in sport, Alan Rothenberg as shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the newly formed Grand Prix Sports which will oversee all of Grand Prix’s sports related enterprises. Grand Prix also announced an exclusive representation agreement with Premier Partnerships, a full service sports marketing firm co-founded by Rothenberg and Randy Bernstein, for Grand Prix’s naming rights and sponsorship sales attached to its rugby ventures in partnership with USA Rugby.
William Tatham, Chairman of Grand Prix Entertainment, praised the move, saying, “Leadership and timing and are everything. We recently completed a successful multi year – multi-million dollar start-up effort, building a Formula 1 + Olympic sport model operating platform. Without a doubt, Olympic and FIFA World Cup official and MLS founder Alan Rothenberg is exactly the right man, at exactly the right time, to lead the launch of Grand Prix Sports.”
“Grand Prix has the right recipe for Rugby.” said Rothenberg, “After what we saw in the formation of MLS, it’s clear to me that all the ingredients to create a significant global success with exclusive sanction rights and holdings in connection with professional rugby are in place. I am excited to contribute to what I think will be a major league success.”
Chaired by Rothenberg, Grand Prix advisory board members include Bernstein, Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports; Kelly Crabb, Olympic attorney and senior partner of the international law firm of Sheppard & Mullin; Rich Rose, former President of Caesars World Sports; Ray Harmon, RFHarmon Media, former Director of Finance, VP Business Planning, CBS Sports, and Gary Marenzi, former President of MGM Worldwide Television.
USA Rugby, an official member of the Unites States Olympic Committee as well as the Rugby World Cup’s International Rugby Board, awarded Grand Prix the exclusive U.S. sanction, license and global broadcast rights to own, operate and globally broadcast the professional sport of Rugby Sevens, which was soon after named a new Olympic sport.
Rothenberg brings to Grand Prix his long and highly successful track record in the development of international sports leagues. In 1984, Peter Ueberroth, organizer of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, asked Rothenberg to take on the role of Soccer Commissioner for the Games. The unexpected popularity of soccer that summer - including multiple sell-outs of the 100,000+ seat Rose Bowl - established before the world that an American audience for the game existed, and Rothenberg's success caused FIFA to seek out his services as Chairman and CEO of the 1994 World Cup, which had been awarded to the USA. In 1990, Rothenberg, with FIFA's backing, was elected to the Presidency of the United States Soccer Federation, a position he would occupy until 1998. Under Rothenberg's guidance, the 1994 FIFA World Cup became a major success, setting attendance records that still stand and earning a surplus of over $50 Million. Fulfilling a promise to FIFA made as part of the World Cup bid, he oversaw the establishment of a full-time Division I U.S. league, Major League Soccer. He also served as Chairman of the record breaking 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In 2007, Rothenberg was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, located in Oneonta, New York, in recognition of his contribution as a "Builder" of the sport in the United States and received the coveted FIFA Medal of Honor.
In addition to soccer, Rothenberg was also an important figure in professional basketball for many years, including his represention of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. Rothenberg was the Chairman of the Los Angeles Sports Council.
Rugby Sevens will be included in the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The U.S. stop on the IRB’s global broadcast and attendance record breaking HSBC Sevens World Series will be held in Las Vegas, on February 10th -12th, and will be seen live on NBC.
Super Bowl XLVI Rates as Most Watched Ever
FEBRUARY 6, 2012, (From official press release)- Super Bowl XLVI, the NFL's championship game featuring an exciting New York Giants win over the New England Patriots 21-17, earned a 47.8/71 overnight rating/share last night on NBC, the third-highest overnight rating in Super Bowl history and less than one percent off the highest (47.9 for both Super Bowl XLV and Super Bowl XXI), according to overnight data released today by The Nielsen Company.
Goodell to Earn $20 Million per Year
Special to DIGITALSPORTSDESK.com
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 3, 2012 -- The NFL has rewarded Commissioner Roger Goodell with a five year extension that will pay him $20 million dollars per year, according to sources close to the NFL's compensation committee. Goodell now holds a seven-year package that will pay him nearly $122 million dollars if he stays on as NFL Commissioner until March 31, 2019. Goodell will become the highest paid commissioner in sports history, surpassing baseball's Bud Selig.
On January 25, the news of Goodell's extension was first reported in the Sports Business Daily, an industry bible for sports executives. Daniel Kaplan, the NFL reporter for Sports Business Daily and Sports Business Journal, the weekly trade magazine, stated in a posting January 25, that "the NFL has extended Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract another five years to March '19, a development that comes at the conclusion of perhaps the most successful season in NFL history. His contract had been due to expire on March '14."
Goodell's current salary of $10.9 million per year, a figure widely published in previous media accounts, will bridge the two-year gap until the extension and raise to $20 million per year begins in 2014. The Sports Business Daily report and the NFL's announcement did not include financial information.
Continue reading at: http://www.digitalsportsdesk.com
Legacy Sport Group and The Agency Sports Management Merge to Form The Legacy Agency
NEW YORK -- January 23, 2012 (From staff report and official news release) – Legacy Sports Group, a leading baseball representation business, and The Agency Sports Management , a full-service independent marketing and management company, announced the merger of their two firms into TLA Worldwide, the athlete representation and sports marketing business, to form The Legacy Agency.
Combined, TLA intends to become a leading, integrated representation and marketing services agency with an on-field focus on professional baseball. As a combined group, TLA will unite industry-leading capabilities in baseball, broadcasting, coaching, golf and talent marketing as well as event management. TLA Worldwide, which was co-founded by CEO Mike Principe and Non-Executive Chairman Bart Campbell, is forecasting significant future opportunities in a professionalized athlete representation sector, especially in a consolidated full-service offering that combines representation with leading sports marketing expertise.
The new TLA CEO commented, “TLA’s on-field focus on professional baseball stems from the industry’s strong underlying fundamentals and our belief that we can quickly become a recognized leader in the business of that sport. More broadly across our entire client roster, as a fully integrated company," said Principe.
The Legacy Agency will offer clients additional commercial opportunities because of their ability to identify, negotiate and monetize off-field endorsements, while they also excel in broadcasting and coaching contracts. In addition, TLA’s combined network creates a stronger platform to recruit new clients and identify new opportunities across the portfolio.
"We plan to continue our growth both organically and through accretive acquisitions or other combinations, as well as the development of select properties for which we’ve identified a need in the marketplace,” he added
Legacy President Greg Genske said, “Given the complementary capabilities of our two firms and the incredible opportunities that a merged TLA can deliver to current and prospective clients, we are excited about joining forces. We all share a common vision of what the industry should be and how best to serve our clients. We look forward to what we can accomplish together in the years to come. In fact, in order to demonstrate our confidence in our future together and our commitment to TLA and its vision, all of the principals from both businesses have transferred significant equity into The Legacy Agency and entered into long-term employment agreements.”
Legacy, which is headquartered in Newport Beach and was founded in 2004, represents a growing client roster of professional major league baseball players, including 13 MLB All Stars, rising stars and top prospects. Its team of agents have a combined expertise in contract law, negotiation, finance, statistics and marketing. The Agency, which is based in New York City and was founded in 2000, is a leading full-service independent marketing and management company specializing in representation of high-profile personalities and brands, including but not limited to football, baseball, Olympics and golf for broadcasting, coaching, and endorsement partnerships.
As a combined, platform, TLA will represent over 225 clients, in baseball, broadcasting, coaching, golf and talent marketing, which includes the representation of Olympians and other personalities, from offices in New York, Newport Beach, Houston, San Francisco, Charleston and London.
Raycom Media Acquires NYC-Based Tupelo-Honey Productions
NEW YORK, Jan 19, 2012 - (From official press release and staff reporting) -- Raycom Media, Inc. announced it has acquired the assets of New York City-based Tupelo-Honey Productions (THP), including 50% of My Tupelo Entertainment. The acquisition adds to the Raycom Media production assets, which include Raycom Sports, a subsidiary of Raycom Media based in Charlotte, N.C.
Cary Glotzer will continue to be the CEO of Tupelo-Honey and the Managing Partner of My Tupelo Entertainment. My Tupelo Entertainment is headed by Partner, and veteran Executive Producer, Michael Yudin.
“Combining the assets of Tupelo-Honey with Raycom Sports is a natural fit,” said Raycom Media CEO Paul McTear. “Both organizations produce live and studio sports programming of the highest quality, and in putting the organizations together, we have one of the largest independent sports production companies in the United States. We are also excited about the prospects for My Tupelo Entertainment, a leading independent production company, producing original programming for Network, Cable, Syndication and Broadband.”
Currently Tupelo-Honey produces and packages over 150 live sports and entertainment television events per year. My Tupelo has produced recent shows such as Pros vs. Joes, Wreck Chasers, and six seasons of Ghost Adventures for Travel Channel. Coupled with Raycom Sports, the combined entity will deliver close to 300 shows in 2012 including NFL and college football, college basketball, Major League Soccer games, producing games for ESPN, NBC Sports Network, FOX Sports, The NFL Network, The ACC Network, and The YES Network.
“This agreement will significantly boost the production and post-production capabilities of Raycom Sports,” said Ken Haines, CEO of Raycom Sports. “Looking forward, we believe that the combined entity will continue to be a very significant player in the sports production business.”
“Raycom intends to develop more original programming for its portfolio of television stations going forward,” said Pat LaPlatney, Vice-President of Business Development and Digital Media for Raycom. “Under the leadership of Cary and Michael, Tupelo-Honey and My Tupelo provide a solid foundation for that effort. This is in addition to the great work they currently produce with Ghost Adventures and the soon-to premeire, Baggage Battles for the Travel Channel, as well as the digital production work they execute for Conde’ Nast.”
Raycom, an employee-owned company, is one of the nation’s largest broadcasters and owns and/or operates 48 television stations in 36 markets and 18 states. Raycom stations cover 12.6% of U.S. television households and employ nearly 3,500 individuals in full and part-time positions. In addition to television stations, Raycom owns Raycom Sports (a marketing, production and events management and distribution company in Charlotte) and Broadview Media (a post production/telecommunications company based in Montgomery). Raycom is also responsible for the design and hosting of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail website.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and McDonald's extend global sponsorship agreement
(FROM STAFF REPORT AND OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE)
INNSBRUCK, JANUARY 13, 2012 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and McDonald's Corporation announced today that McDonald’s extended its global sponsorship agreement until 2020. The announcement was made at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, WHERE IOC President Jacques Rogge, McDonald’s President and Chief Operating Officer Don Thompson discussed the new agreement.
Commenting on the announcement, Rogge said: "We are delighted that McDonald’s, our long-time and valued Olympic Partner for more than 35 years, is continuing its ongoing commitment not only to help fund the Olympic Games but also to support the Olympic Movement around the world and ultimately the athletes themselves.”
Chief Operating Officer Don Thompson commented: “We share the Olympic ideals of teamwork, excellence and being your best. Those ideals are at the heart of what McDonald’s stands for and how we’ve brought the Games to life. Feeding the athletes is a tradition we are extremely proud of, and we look forward to continuing our role in helping to make the Games possible.”
As a TOP Sponsor and Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games, the agreement with the Olympics includes sponsorship of the National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Rio 2016 Olympic Games, PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2020 Olympic Games, for which a site has yet to be named. The agreement will include the Youth Olympic Games (YOG): the current Innsbruck 2012 Winter YOG, Nanjing 2014 YOG, Lillehammer 2016 Winter YOG and the 2018 YOG and 2020 Winter YOG, for which the host cities have yet to be elected.
BLOOMBERG, THEO and CHICAGO CUBS TEAM-UP
(From staff report and official news release)
CHICAGO, January 12, 2012 -- Bloomberg Sports, one of the world’s leaders in sports analytic technology, today announced a new partnershipwith the Chicago Cubs to design a state of the art player evaluation system for the team's baseball operations department. The new partnership is the latest step in player analytic technology for Bloomberg Sports, which has been creating solutions for MLB teams, players and fans for the past four years. The Cubs new system will combine video with extensive data on professional players with specially customized technology to assist the evaluation process. The platform is being created with both laptop and mobile capabilities. The Cubs and Bloomberg staff will begin implementation and development of the new system immediately.
“We will benefit from Bloomberg's world-renowned expertise in analytics and information management” said Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. “The management and analysis of data, whether it be scouting reports, statistics, medical information or video, is a critical component of our operation. We look forward to developing a customized program that utilizes the most advanced and efficient technology available in the marketplace today to facilitate quicker, easier and more accurate access to all the sources of information we use to make baseball decisions.”
“Over the past few years we have helped set a new standard of excellence and efficiency in advanced analytics, whether it has been for MLB teams with our comprehensive, integrated systems, players with our tablet product or fans with our fantasy tools, and this partnership is the next step in that evolution,” said Bill Squadron, head of Bloomberg Sports. “Bloomberg as a company has always been about innovation and we are very excited to partner with Theo and the Cubs organization.”
Named as One of the Ten Most Innovative Companies in Sports in 2011 by Fast Company Magazine, Bloomberg Sports has quickly become one of the industry leaders in providing cutting edge analytic products for fans, MLB teams and professional players. Their fantasy baseball product, "MLB Front Office," is the fastest growing and most in-depth tool for both the casual and the die-hard baseball fan. The professional analytic tools are now being used by 21 Major League clubs for player evaluation, and their tablet products are being used by over 200 MLB players to evaluate performance almost in real time
SPRINT AND NBA INK NEW PARTNERSHIP
(From staff and wire reports)
NEW YORK Dec. 14, 2011 – The National Basketball Association and Sprint announced a new multiyear marketing partnership that will make Sprint the Official Wireless Service Partner of the NBA. The main focus of the deal will team the NBA with Sprint to reach NBA fans through a wide array of assets, including various league events, television and digital exposure, along with customized mobile content for Sprint customers.
To bring the deal to fans, the Sprint - NBA partnership has developed a new custom application (app) called “Sprint NBA Mobile” which promises to be the most comprehensive app in the marketplace for NBA fans. The app will include access to in-game and post-game video highlights, news, scores, stats, live home and away radio broadcasts, in addition to providing direct access to live ESPN NBA Games via Sprint TV’s ESPN Channel. “Sprint NBA Mobile” will be available on Android phones exclusively to Sprint customers by the tip-off of the season and will be offered at no additional cost with unlimited usage with an Everything Data Plan. The “Sprint NBA Mobile” app will be updated with additional elements during the season which is now scheduled to begin on December 25, Christmas Day.
The deal is a step away from T-Mobile which was a very aggressive league sponsor and advertiser.
“Only Sprint delivers the NBA without limits to fans with truly unlimited plans, so fans can watch and listen to live games from their phones or check scores and stats as much as they want without worry,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO.
Sprint will also unveil a marketing campaign to support the partnership with broadcast and digital elements that show how Sprint’s Unlimited data plan provides its customers with access to the NBA through the Sprint NBA Mobile app.
Sprint will serve as the presenting partner of digital promotion for Christmas Day games and will also be the presenting partner of the NBA All-Star Balloting program, which allows fans to vote for the starting five for each team in the NBA All-Star Game. Sprint will also be the title partner of the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the NBA All-Star Pre-Game Concert, held during the jam-packed NBA All-Star Weekend. Sprint will be an associate partner of NBA All-Star Jam Session, and the presenting partner of the NBA All-Star E-Recycling event, an electronic waste collection and recycling event. In addition to Sprint's involvement with NBA All-Star activities, it will also be an associate partner of the NBA Draft and the presenting partner of NBA Green Week.
Also as part of the partnership, Boost Mobile recently became the first marquee partner of the WNBA and the league’s Official Wireless Service Partner. As the marquee partner of the WNBA, Boost Mobile is the league’s most prominent marketing partner and is tied closely to the WNBA brand on a national level. Beginning in the middle of last season and continuing through the rest of the partnership, the Boost Mobile brand is prominently featured on the front of the game jerseys throughout the league, marking the first time the WNBA has had a league partner with jersey branding with multiple WNBA teams throughout the season other than adidas, the league's official outfitter.
Boost Mobile is also now the Official Wireless Service Partner for the NBA D-League. Boost Mobile this year was the presenting partner of the Boost Mobile NBA D-League National Tryouts that took place in Chicago, Louisville, and L.A. A total of 18 players, out of several hundred who had participated in the Boost Mobile NBA D-League National Tryouts, were then selected in the NBA D-League Draft Powered by Cisco in November.
For additional information about the Sprint – NBA partnership visit: www.sprint.com/nba.
NBC, Comcast, Comcast SportsNet become Key Off-Ice Story for NHL
By TERRY LYONS, Special to DigitalSportsDesk.com
BOSTON - OCTOBER 26 -- A very common question to NBA and NHL executives, coaches and industry experts during the 117+ day work stoppage the National Basketball Association is encountering this fall is whether the National Hockey League can benefit from the lost games of the NBA lockout. In most cases, the sports industry mavens take the high road and respond with a vanilla bean non-answer of "No one benefits," or "the entire sports industry never likes to see one of its major players suffer through labor stoppages or strikes."
However, the truth is that life and business move on. That means, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, or in other words, don't turn your back.
For the NBA, its national television partners of ESPN, ABC Sports and Turner (TNT and NBA TV) are all planning alternate programming to fill the NBA void. For NBA team broadcast partners, mostly at Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), the pain is intense as the broadcasters rely heavily on regular season game inventory and the ancillary programming that flows from the live broadcasts of games from October through April and beyond. The RSNs are facing give-backs to cable tv providers and their legion of subscribers who each pay a few cents a household to enjoy the live sports telecasts. And, while the NBA announced to its season ticket holders that their money would be returned with interest for all tickets purchased for already-cancelled preseason and regular seasons games, not a word was mentioned for cable TV subscribers who are not getting their NBA on ESPN, TNT or via their local broadcaster.
While the NBA, its teams, players and broadcast partners juggle those buzzing chainsaws, the folks at NBC Sports, together with its new parental unit, called Comcast, who brings along a slew of affiliated stations such as Versus, and a complete network of Comcast SportsNet regional outlets, all complete with regional or local news broadcast units (like NECN in Massachusetts). That powerful group of broadcast partners is all fired up and poised for increased viewership and an opportunity to increase revenue. Add in a soon-to-be-branded and launched replacement to Versus, the NBC Sports Network, and the sports properties under the Comcast/NBC umbrella are no longer singing in the rain.
The NHL is the first and most obvious beneficiary of the NBA labor situation. Although it will take until the end of November to get a month of comparison data, there will be more eyeballs on NHL games, especially in cities where an NBA team is inactive.
"There's no doubt the cross-promotion between NBC, Versus and the RSNs has to help drive interest and viewership," said veteran sports communications expert Kevin Sullivan. "Likewise, the promotion to playoff games, the Winter Classic, on NBC from the 20+ networks and 40+ web sites is a potential game-changer for the NHL."
As the winter falls in North America, and NBC activates its NHL coverage while it re-brands Versus to the NBC Sports Network, the cross-promotion will become more frequent, intense, focused and effective, says Sullivan. "NBC and NBC Sports Network will form an alliance out of the NBA on NBC/TNT playbook." And the similarities will not only be seen on air but, more importantly, in the sales forces.
"Maybe the biggest impact comes from the fact the NBC and NHL have formed one sales team," noted Sullivan, a veteran of the marketing machine of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and later a senior executive in NBC Sports' communications department, guided by network legend Dick Ebersol. "That sales team is selling the NHL in packages with the Super Bowl and Olympics. NBC Sports Group will sell more ads than ESPN this year and NHL is right in the middle of it," noted Sullivan.
The NHL's in-house network is gearing up for increased viewership and revenue generation, as well. "The NHL Network, now in 50 million homes, gets a big boost, too," said Sullivan who recently reported to the President of the United States as a senior advisor and Director of Communications under President George W. Bush. "By being housed with NBC Sports in Stamford, Connecticut, as you saw announced today, and the construction of the studio there, the NHL Network also now has cameras at all its arenas for more frequent drop-ins and supplemental coverage." Lastly, said Sullivan, "an upgraded talented lineup that now includes Barry Melrose at big events," will bring the NHL Network into the bigtime world of sports content deliverers, such as the NFL Network, the Golf Channel (also owned and operated by Comcast/NBC Sports, Speed Channel, and the MLB Network.
Many a sports industry analyst will agree with Sullivan and the NHL with the fact that "integration with NBC is the key off-ice story for the NHL this year and they are off to a good start."
STICKS & STONES: The relationship between the NHL, NBC Sports, the NBC Sports Network and Comcast SportsNet regional broadcasters comes with additional benefits for the NHL and its legion of loyal hockey fans. For instance, in New England (Hartford, CT to Maine), the regional sports network, Comcast SportsNet NE, is boosting its local coverage of hockey and, in particular, coverage of the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. In doing so, Comcast SportsNet NE is staking a huge tent pole alongside of the hockey programming usually the sole property of its regional sports rival, New England Sports Network (NESN), owned by the parent company of the Boston Red Sox with a minority share belonging to the ownership of the Boston Bruins, Delaware North, never mind filling a potential void in winter sports programming if the NBA lockout goes into December or 2012.
Comcast SportsNet's land grab is bolstered by two promising shows, Sticks & Stones and The Great American Hockey Show. Both shows offer local hockey fans a non-filtered group of opinionated hockey buffs discussing the latest Bruins news with guests. Local Boston hockey and sporting goods retailer, Pure Hockey, has stepped up to become the key advertiser while Comcast's marketing wing went into full promotional gear when they staged an impressive remote show for clients, sponsors, media and local sports and hockey bloggers which was headlined by an interview of Bruins' enforcer Shawn Thornton by Comcast commentator Joe Haggerty. The Comcast crew mingled with assembled hockey mavens and guests assembled at "West End Johnnie's," an up & coming restaurant and bar a block away from TD Garden and Comcast's Causeway Street studio, shared with sponsor ACE Ticket, then "Sticks and Stones" co-host Michael Felger conducted a panel discussion with former NHLers Tony Amonte and Bob Beers for a segment of the show currently on http://www.csnne.com
The end result is very good news for Comcast SportsNet's 24/7 coverage of sports and news in Boston and its surrounding area, not to mention the great news for fans who tune into see sports and hockey coverage on non-game nights.
USA Basketball Inks Metro PCS for Dream Team @ 20 Sponsorship
OCTOBER 24 - (DigitalSportsDesk.com staff report) - USA Basketball, the governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States, and Metro PCS Communications announced a marketing partnership which made the wireless service provider the official wireless partner of USA Basketball. In addition to serving as an official partner of the USA Basketball men's and women's national teams in 2012, the partnership will allow Metro PCS to provide basketball fans and potential customers in the US with access to their favorite USA Basketball legends through a nationwide mobile tour.
"We're tremendously excited to partner with USA Basketball in the lead-up to next summer, which marks the 20th anniversary of the Dream Team. USA Basketball has a expansive and rich history, and we look forward to supporting both teams' quest to achieve success," said Tom Keys, president and COO of MetroPCS. "This partnership and the corresponding tour enable us to connect with our customers and their communities with exceptional experiences that feed into their passions and lifestyles."
In addition to the national tour and live fan experiences, the partnership also includes courtside signage and in-game exposure during nationally televised USA Basketball men's and women's games, along with inclusion in USA Basketball promotional materials. Dallas-based MetroPCS Communications is a provider of wireless communications service and is the fifth largest facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served. As of June 30, 2011, MetroPCS had approximately 9.1 million subscribers.
PlayUp Takes Big Steps in Sports Social Networking World
OCTOBER 20 - (Special to DigitalSportsDesk.com) - PlayUp today announced the launch of the first mobile social network enabling sports fans to follow their choice of thousands of live games in real time while simultaneously discussing the action with fellow fans on their mobile devices. The free app includes real-time scoring and stats, along with the option to create private rooms to discuss the action with friends or join public rooms to interact with fans from around the world – play by play and pitch by pitch.
The PlayUp app features real-time scoring and stats for every NFL, college football, NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS game, as well as soccer, cricket and Australian Rules Football around the globe. That amounts to 20,000 live games per year. Users can create private or public rooms in a snap by inviting friends via their Facebook friends list or a PlayUp directory. Alternatively, fans can join public rooms provided by PlayUp for every game. The application is available for Apple iPhones and iPads with other mobile platforms to be launched soon. When the application was first launched, it was ranked in the top five most downloaded free sports apps in the iTunes store.
“There is no better platform for social interactivity than sports, but until now the industry has been unable to marry live sports and social,” said Jonathan Press, CEO of PlayUp USA. “Fans share their comments at games, tailgate parties, watercoolers, and on sports talk radio. We’ll make it easier. Now they have the opportunity to tell the world or select groups of friends instantly and in the palm of their hand. No need to be alone on the couch anymore watching the game.”
“This app will not only change the way we consume and interact around live sports, but also create a new commercial model for sports,” said PlayUp co-founder George Tomeski. “Sports-related SMS and MMS messaging already generates billions of real-time messages worth billions of dollars. New features we will be introducing to the PlayUp platform will tap into that huge usage base to deliver major new revenue opportunities for everyone from players and clubs to bloggers and content providers.”
The PlayUp app, debuting in the U.S. this month, can be downloaded at http://playup.com/apps/
STR Marketplace & Philadelphia Eagles Announce Seat Licensing Deal
AUGUST 29 - (DigitalSportsDesk.com Staff Report) -- The trend of NFL teams working with STR Marketplace to market the valuable assets of personal seat licenses, ticket location rights and other ticket-related transfer rights continued today with the announcement that the Philadelphia Eagles have partnered with STR Marketplace to provide a new service to help fans buy and sell Eagles Stadium Builder Licenses (SBLs), the Eagles' term for personal seat licenses.. STR Marketplace became the official SBL Marketplace of the Philadelphia Eagles, marking the ninth NFL team to partner with the service.
“STR Marketplace is the leader in the resale of SBLs with a proven track record of success with multiple teams and leagues. We think fans will appreciate the option to conduct transactions in a safe and team-verified environment,” said Tim McDermott, CMO for the Philadelphia Eagles,” said Tim McDermott, CMO for the Philadelphia Eagles.
STR Marketplace provides a safe and secure location where fans can feel comfortable selling or purchasing SBLs without the concerns that often exist with third-party websites. STR Marketplace is the world’s largest provider of transfer marketplaces and provides this service to NFL teams, MLB teams and NASCAR venues.
"We are pleased to partner with the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the premier franchises in the NFL,” said Preston Hill, Vice President of STR Marketplace. "We look forward to providing a great service to Eagles fans.”
The website provides step-by-step instructions throughout the entire process of buying and selling. Online visitors can read about the benefits of buying and selling, learn about the simple transfer process, then view and make offers on available SBLs posted for sale by current season ticket holders. Every listing and transaction is verified by the Eagles which makes the official SBL Marketplace safe and easy to use.
STR currently has 14 partnerships with major league franchises or venues, including nine NFL teams and three Major League Baseball teams.
In addition to partnering with professional sports teams and venues to create seat license marketplaces, STR also partners with teams to create Seat Location Rights marketplaces. Seat Location Rights marketplaces allow season ticket holders to sell ownership of their season tickets for all future seasons. "We hope to have several new partnerships for NFL teams with seat licenses, as well as Seat Location Rights marketplaces for NFL and NHL teams in the next few months," said STR Marketplace's Hill.
The Official SBL Marketplace of the Philadelphia Eagles is available at http://eagles.strmarketplace.com
Boston Blazers Call it Quits for 2012; Vow to relocate for 2013
SEPTEMBER 2 - (DigitalSportsDesk.com Staff Report) - The Boston Blazers professional indoor lacrosse team announced it will suspend operations for the 2012 National Lacrosse League season as the team takes preliminary steps to relocate the franchise to a new home facility for the 2013 season. Team President and General Manager Doug Reffue is initiating a six-month strategic plan to evaluate prospective home arena venues, both locally and nationally, where the Blazers can play, starting with the 2013 season. The Blazers' business operations will be maintained in an offseason capacity throughout the 2012 season. The club will continue to host its youth related community programs and philanthropic activities.
"This temporary suspension represents the first phase of a relocation process as we evaluate potential home venues for the 2013 NLL season and beyond," said Reffue in a statement to media. "We are interested in partnering with an arena where we can build on the momentum created over the past three seasons and forge a long-term win-win relationship between the team, the local corporate community and a facility operator. At this early stage of the process, we are already in active discussions with several prospective venues. As General Manager, my goal is to win and build a Blazers team that competes for the NLL title every season. In order to reach this goal, we need an arena partner who shares our same vision and is strongly committed to growing professional indoor lacrosse in their market.
"We have enjoyed a strong base of support from Boston fans over the last three years - they have been the lifeblood of our organization. We will keep them informed as we march toward the 2013 season. We look forward to sharing information about the Blazers' next chapter in the weeks and months ahead and will be posting updates online."
The team posted a message to fans on its official home page which became a one-page view rather than its normal multi-page, multi-media site. In the message to fans, the Blazers noted that all season tickets purchased for the 2012 season will be refunded in full.
The NLL.com online site made no mention of the announcement and wiped the Blazers' logo from two prominent sections online, leaving a drop-down box which guided fans to the one page statement. The Blazers news release was not listed on the site. The NLL is now down to nine teams for the 2012 season.
MetLife Brands the 'new" Meadowlands:
AUGUST 24 -- (DigitalSportsDesk.com staff report) - The year-old sports complex in former swamplands of East Rutherford, New Jersey, the home of the NFL's New York Giants and Jets has been renamed MetLife Stadium. MetLife announced the 25-year agreement with the Giants and Jets but decided to stage a media event days later where players from both teams will meet with fans at New York City's Bryant Park, across the river from the stadium
MetLife Stadium has quickly become one of the highest-profile stadiums in the country, especially with the fact the NFL will stage Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014 at the venue. As home to the Jets and Giants, it is the only stadium that houses two NFL teams, both of which are ranked among the top-five most valuable franchises in the league.
“Today we bring together three iconic New York institutions - the Giants, the Jets and MetLife,” said John Mara, president and chief executive officer of the New York Giants in a press release issued on August 23. “MetLife was one of the stadium’s early supporters, having signed on as the first cornerstone sponsor. We are thrilled to expand the relationship, and look forward to kicking off the first of many exciting seasons at MetLife Stadium.”
In June 2008, MetLife announced it was the first major marketing partner of the new Meadowlands stadium when the insurance company proclaimed itself a "cornerstone partner" with the exclusive naming rights to brand one of the four main entrances to the new stadium as well as one of the four main scoreboards inside the stadium. MetLife then became the official life insurance company of the Giants and Jets.
The exclusive rights deal to one entrance and a scoreboard obviously expanded in the three years since that announcement.
“Today’s announcement begins the next chapter of a spectacular collaboration with MetLife,” said Woody Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of the New York Jets. “MetLife’s increased presence at the Stadium will greatly enrich the game day experiences for all visitors."
The MetLife Stadium agreement makes MetLife the official insurance company of the Jets, Giants and the stadium complex, and it includes high-profile interior and exterior branding on the venue. Specific elements of the agreement include: naming rights to the stadium; 120,000 square feet of branded space at the main west entrance; four illuminated signs on the exterior of the building; four inner-bowl signs; and TV, radio, print and online media opportunities.
London 2012: Olympic Stadium to be Wrapped Up
AUGUST 2 - (DigitalSportsDesk.com Staff Report) - The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games announced that its worldwide Olympic partner, the Dow Chemical Company, will produce a sustainable, fabric wrap that will encircle London’s iconic Olympic Stadium during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, home to several athletic events, along with the opening and closing ceremonies. The wrap will be comprised of 336 individual panels each approximately 25 meters high and 2.5 meters wide. The wrapping will help the stadium become the visual centerpiece of the London 2012 Games. Installation will be completed by spring 2012.
In keeping with LOCOG’s goal to stage a sustainable Olympic Games, Dow will repurpose the wrap following the 2012 Olympics as it will include post-industrial recycled content. The hardware used to hang the wrap will be recycled in Europe following the Games.
George Hamilton, vice president of Dow Olympic Operations, said the company is committed to finding a sustainable post-games use for the wrap and is investigating several options. “Our goal is to provide solutions that help make the Olympic Games more sustainable, safer and that will help improve performance. We’re providing this wrap as a sustainable solution for the Games and we look forward to celebrating its completion with Olympic fans around the world. We’re proud that the wrap will have a lasting and sustainable legacy, and one that will improve quality of life long after the closing ceremonies.”
LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe added his viewpoint that "the stadium will look spectacular at Games time and having the wrap is the icing on the cake. I’m delighted that Dow as one of the newer worldwide partners of the Olympic movement will be providing it and importantly doing it in a sustainable way. It reflects our vision and is a real statement of intent from Dow about their commitment to the Games.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "This will provide the final grand touch to the magnificent stadium, which has already become an icon of the 2012 Games, transforming the east London landscape forever."
