Sports Media News

Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases

Archives for February 2011

Former Green Bay Packers Executive Andrew Brandt Joins ESPN as NFL Business Analyst

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Former Green Bay Packers Executive Andrew Brandt Joins ESPN as NFL Business Analyst

Former Green Bay Packers vice president Andrew Brandt is joining ESPN as an NFL business analyst.  Brandt, an accomplished sports executive with over 25 years experience in professional football, will provide insight on the league’s labor news and player acquisitions by teams on all ESPN studio shows and platforms such as SportsCenter, NFL Live, ESPN First Take, Outside the Lines, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and more.

Brandt joins ESPN after 25 years in professional football, split evenly between team management and player representation.  He spent nine years as vice president with the Green Bay Packers, where he negotiated all player contracts and managed the team’s NFL salary cap.  Brandt’s skillful management of the NFL salary cap and handling of player contracts earned numerous professional acclaim within the league.  The highlight of his tenure (1999 – 2008) with the Packers includes negotiating the contracts of most of the players on the Super Bowl XLV-winning roster.

“Andrew’s experience on both sides of the NFL labor negotiation as a team executive and player rep gives him a unique insight that will educate and inform sports fans,” said Mark Gross, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer, production.

Prior to his years with the Packers, Brandt worked for ProServ, Inc., where he represented marquee athletes such as Michael Jordan, Boomer Esiason and Arthur Ashe.  He left ProServ in 1990 to become the general manager of NFL World League’s Barcelona Dragons, leading the team through its appearance in the inaugural World Bowl, June 9, 1991, at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Brandt said:  “I am honored to be joining ESPN to provide insight into the ever-growing sports industry, including the ongoing labor negotiations and the many issues surrounding the business of the NFL.  I am confident that my years of experience will provide value to fans who turn to ESPN for an insider’s information and analysis on the business of sports.”

A graduate of Stanford University and Georgetown University Law School, Brandt previously was a player rep with Woolf Associates in Boston, Mass., where he represented current and former NFL stars including Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Indianapolis Colts placekicker Adam Vinatieri and Dolphins running back Ricky Williams.

In 2008, Brandt, in collaboration with other NFL insiders, launched The National Football Post (www.nationalfootballpost.com) – a leading online resource and publication focusing on NFL business news and statistical analysis.  He will continue to pen his sports business columns for the site.  Brandt is a full-time lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, teaching sports law, sports business and negotiations.  He has appeared on numerous ESPN TV and radio programs in the past.  His writing on sports business has been published by Forbes, The Huffington Post, Sports Business Journal and more.

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Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night: Atlanta Hawks @ Los Angeles Lakers – Tuesday, February 22, 2011

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Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Atlanta Hawks (80) @ Los Angeles Lakers (104)

Voting is open on NBA.com for next week’s Fan Night match-up that will air on March 1

Fans can select between the following games:

New York Knicks @ Orlando Magic

Dallas Mavericks @ Philadelphia 76ers

San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies

Detroit Pistons @ Milwaukee Bucks

Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers

***CLIP OF THE NIGHT***

(Please click the link below to view)

NBA TV’s Chris Webber on Carmelo Anthony Going Home to Play for the NY Knicks

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AutoTrader.com Pre-Game Show

Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber

Webber on if the Lakers can handle adversity: “I know that (head coach) Phil Jackson handles it wonderfully. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. You know that Kobe (Bryant) does, but I haven’t seen the other guys in this situation.  You have a young (Andrew) Bynum who needs to establish his dominance. Pau Gasol doesn’t seem to be the most overbearing type of leader, but more of a thinker. So I don’t know how these guys can handle it. This is going to be interesting because they have so many new pieces and their old, reliable pieces, like the Fishers and the other guys, may just not physically be able to do it anymore.”

Webber on the depth of the Lakers bench: “My thoughts on the Lakers bench are this, where are you? I really like (Steve) Blake, he hasn’t been getting much (playing) time. Shannon Brown came in early and played very well, shot the three much better and did that take away on defensive intensity. But where is Matt Barnes? When Barnes gets back from his surgery, I believe he will have an impact on Ron Artest. I think it will light a fire under his butt and make him get out and play all the way.”

McHale on Carmelo Anthony being traded by the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks: “You’ve been hearing a lot of people saying, ‘Why didn’t they wait until next summer? He wanted to go there anyway.’ With the new collective bargaining agreement coming and there were so many factors that New York was looking at, so New York was like, ‘we’re gonna pull the trigger – we’re gonna give ‘em (Danilo) Gallinari, (Raymond) Felton who is playing well this year and Wilson Chandler.’ They’re giving up pieces that they liked, but they said, ‘we’re getting ‘Melo (Carmelo Anthony) here, we’ll still have our two superstars.’ In New York City, I just think that name recognition and having those marquee players in there is a big deal for them. I’m giving Denver credit here. They fought hard. They were in a tough situation where they had a player saying, ‘I only want to go to one place.’ That’s very hard.”

Webber on Anthony being able to play for his ‘home team’ in New York: “Having played at home in Detroit, and knowing a lot of basketball players playing basketball for 20 years, these guys want to be home.  If you go home and you’re in the caliber of the real true dogs like (Anthony), he has to play defense better, he has to pass more and he has to be more of a teammate.  He’s going to have his family around and he wants to go home and there’s nothing like being at home.  He’s going to have some of his best seasons he’s ever had. I don’t know how many and I’m not promising anything else, but I know how home affects you and I think it’s going to have a positive effect on him.”

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T-Mobile Halftime Report

Johnson, McHale and Webber

Webber on the return of Lakers reserve Matt Barnes: “Energy. I played with Matt Barnes and he has an energy that doesn’t stop. He loves being the glue of the team. He relishes in the role of playing hard. Hopefully it will be a contagious infusion of energy for those other guys who play the hard hat defense like he does. Hopefully it will have a positive effect on the Lakers.”

Webber on the possibility of the New York Knicks contending for the Eastern Conference championship after acquiring Carmelo Anthony: “When belief is added to the equation, a sincere belief (that) you can do this, I’ve seen it cure many sins, such as defense and other things.  They have enough that they can believe in an upset right now.”

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NBA Game Time presented by Hyundai

Johnson, McHale and Webber

McHale on the Lakers upcoming road trip against playoff-bound teams: “That’s when you really find out who you are.  I think (head coach) Phil Jackson is going to challenge them and say, ‘Let’s find out what we’re made of during this stretch.  Let’s go into these places and sent a tone. Let’s not just beat them, let’s pound them and manhandle them.’  As a good team, you love those challenges.”

Webber on how Lakers reserve Matt Barnes will help the team on the road: “This is when a guy like Matt Barnes comes into play.  His energy on the road will help mask some of the problems they’ve been having and help them focus on the new energy.  In that stretch (of road games), they’re going to need it.”

Webber on the Hawks new coaching staff this season: “With all due respect to (head coach) Larry Drew, with (the Hawks) firing the coach they just had (Mike Woodson), it seems as if he had control of the team.  Larry Drew has done a great coaching job.  But under the last regime, there was a different structure of play that seemed to be more focused on defense and players had a tighter leash.  This one if more focused on ball-movement.  Will it pay off to not have a tighter leash?  Will it pay off to let Josh Smith shoot a couple of threes?  That’s a big identity shift after some success the last couple of years.  Where do they go now?”

McHale on if the Knicks will do after acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets: “I think they’ll win a little bit more than they would have prior to the trade.  But not enough to get into the top-four (seeds) and get home court (advantage) in the Eastern Conference.”

Webber on J.R. Smith not passing up any shots after the Carmelo Anthony trade: “If J.R. Smith was driving right now, all he would see is green lights.  He would not stop at any light.”

McHale: “Not even yellow?”

Webber: “Not even yellow.  This guy is going to shoot it every time he touches it because (the Nuggets) need his scoring.”

Denver Nuggets guard Raymond Felton joined the Fan Night crew via Arena Link

Felton on being traded to the Nuggets as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal: “I’m just glad all the nonsense is over with and we can get back to playing basketball.  I understand that it’s a business and things can happen.  This was my first time going through a trade situation so it was a little different for me but I understand it’s a business.  You have to be professional and stay professional in a situation like this.”

Felton on being familiar with the Nuggets: “It’s definitely an easy transition to come in with guys that you already know.  But I got traded to a team where I’ve got a lot of friends.  I know a lot of people on (the Nuggets).  I was lucky to get traded to a very comfortable situation.”

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ESPN The Magazine’s ‘Fiction Issue’ on Newsstands Friday

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ESPN The Magazine merges sports and fiction in its new issue, on newsstands Friday, February 25. With traditional short fiction pieces produced in collaboration with the acclaimed publishing house McSweeney’s, the features explore alternate realities, myths and rumors that are hard to separate from truth. “The Fiction Issue” is the first full issue of a major sports magazine dedicated to literary fiction, and includes contributions from:

  • Best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Dave Eggers, who traces World Series greatness back to its roots, almost literally (“My Life In Baseball, By The Beard”).
  • Fringe executive producer Jeff Pinkner, who imagines alternate realities for some of the most pivotal moments in recent sports history (“What If…”).
  • MLB pitcher Miguel Batista, who shows how stickball kindles a grandmother’s memories in his piece “The Family Business.”


PLUS:

  • Before Zack Greinke was traded from Kansas City to Milwaukee, rumors had him going to at least 10 other teams. Buster Olney looks inside the modern culture of misinformation (page 90).
  • Does sex sap athletic strength? Did refs cost Notre Dame the 1991 Orange Bowl? Breaking down the most pervasive and boneheaded myths in sports (page 94).
  • David Fleming presents the fantastical story of NFL rushing champ Arian Foster. Good luck separating fact from fiction (page 100).

Fiction Issue Features:

Angel Wings
Tenerife had heard “Three’s a gang” since he was 12. But don’t ever go four. Never. He should’ve listened. By Susan Straight

Bleacher Couch Man
Cole Griffith is either a noble warrior or a middle-aged hoopster who doesn’t know when to quit. By Jess Walter

Moto
The world wasn’t right unless the Knockwoods were winning, A bike race changed everything. By Wells Tower

The Favorite
Garner is broke, unemployed, single, good to his mom and afraid of nothing but himself. By John Brandon

The Kudzu League
When Indy League ball hits a Nowhere League town. By Christopher Bachelder

Tunnel Vision
A funny thing happened on the way to a Saints-Panthers game. By Michael Bible

John Brisker’s Greatest Game
The ABA hothead was as feared as he was cheered. Then he vanished. By Gare Joyce

HBO Boxing After Dark March 26: Gamboa vs. Solis

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HBO SPORTS PRESENTS A NIGHT OF COMPELLING FEATHERWEIGHT ACTION

WHEN HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®:  YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. JORGE SOLIS AND

MATT REMILLARD VS. MIKEY GARCIA IS SEEN SATURDAY, MARCH 26

 

HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise presents a compelling doubleheader, headlined by one of the sport’s elite fighters in a world featherweight title defense, when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK:  YURIORKIS GAMBOA VS. JORGE SOLIS AND MATT REMILLARD VS. MIKEY GARCIA is seen SATURDAY, MARCH 26 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, exclusively on HBO.  The HBO Sports team of Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates:  March 27 (9:45 a.m.) and 28 (midnight)

HBO2 playdates:  March 27 (4:45 p.m.) and 29 (midnight)

Making his 2011 debut after an impressive 2010 showing of three solid victories, undefeated featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KOs) of Miami, Fla. has put on some spectacular ring performances over the past two years.  In this 12-round bout, he will look to show the consistency and all-around skills of an elite champion.  Veteran Jorge Solis (40-2-2, 29 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico has fought his last eight bouts in his home country, winning seven, and is making his first trip to the U.S. since meeting Manny Pacquiao at San Antonio’s Alamodome in 2007.

The opening bout features two undefeated featherweights looking to excel in the national spotlight, as 24-year-old Matt Remillard (23-0, 13 KOs) of Hartford, Ct. battles 23-year-old Mikey Garcia (24-0, 20 KOs) of Oxnard, Cal.  This 126-pound tilt is scheduled for 12 rounds.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Mike Sheehan.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

ESPN 3D to Televise the 2011 NBA Finals

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ESPN 3D to Televise the 2011 NBA Finals

NBA Finals Televised for First Time in 3D

ESPN 3D, in its first year of distribution, will expand its NBA offerings to include The Finals – the pinnacle of the NBA season – this June, marking the first time the championship-crowning event will be presented in 3D.  ESPN 3D televised the first NBA game in 3D when the Miami Heat visited the New York Knicks on December 17, 2010.  Since December, ESPN 3D has shown six NBA games in addition to other programming.

ESPN 3D’s upcoming NBA schedule (schedule subject to change):

Date    Time (ET)       Game

Fri, Feb 25     8 p.m.  Oklahoma City at Orlando

Fri, Mar 4      7 p.m.  Chicago at Orlando

Wed, Mar 16     8 p.m.  Oklahoma City at Miami

Fri, Apr 1      8 p.m.  Boston at Atlanta

TBD     TBD     NBA Playoffs (First Round) – Game 1

TBD     TBD     NBA Playoffs (First Round) – Game 4

TBD     TBD     NBA Playoffs (Conference Semifinals) – Game 2

TBD     TBD     Western Conference Finals – Game 1

TBD     TBD     Western Conference Finals – Game 2

TBD     TBD     Western Conference Finals – Game 4

Thurs, Jun 2    9 p.m.  Finals (Game 1)

Sun, Jun 5      8 p.m.  Finals (Game 2)

Tues, Jun 7     9 p.m.  Finals (Game 3)

Thurs, Jun 9    9 p.m.  Finals (Game 4)

Sun, Jun 12     8 p.m.  Finals (Game 5)

Tues, Jun 14    9 p.m.  Finals (Game 6)

Thurs, Jun 16   9 p.m.  Finals (Game 7)

Beginning Monday, Feb. 14, ESPN 3D began showing 3D content 24-hours a day. In its first year, ESPN 3D will telecast more than 100 live events.

About ESPN 3D

ESPN was the first to announce in the United States an exclusive 3D network in January 2010 which was the culmination of more than three years of testing 3D television.  ESPN produced many 3D domestic telecasts in 2010, including: college football and basketball, the State Farm Home Run Derby, the Masters, the Harlem Globetrotters and NBA games.  ESPN 3D first produced the USC vs. Ohio State college football game in September 2009 which became the starting point for the network. ESPN has developed best practices for utilizing and producing 3D technology in live game applications.  In addition, ESPN utilizes cutting-edge technology located at the ESPN Innovation Lab in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World to continue to develop innovative production enhancements.  ESPN 3D is available in the United States to approximately 62.5 million households and has carriage agreements with AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, DIRECTV and Time Warner Cable. It will launch in 2011 on Verizon FiOS TV.  Sony was named the first official sponsor of the network in January 2010.

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Momentum Continues As NBC Sports Group Nets Viewership Gains For Sunday’s Nine Hours Of NHL Coverage

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Penguins-Blackhawks is Most-Watched Non-Winter Classic Regular-Season NHL Game in Five Years

Heritage Classic on VERSUS is Most-Watched Regular-Season Game on Cable Featuring Two Canadian Teams on Record

NEW YORK – Feb. 23, 2011 – NBC Sports and VERSUS generated viewership milestones for the combined nine hours of hockey coverage this past Sunday with the inaugural “Hockey Day in America” on NBC followed by the 2011 Heritage Classic on VERSUS.

NBC Sports’ coverage of Penguins-Blackhawks, the second game of “Hockey Day in America” which went head-to-head with the Daytona 500, was watched by 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-Winter Classic NHL regular-season game in five years (1/14/06, three-game regional on NBC, 2.0 million). The game also posted a 1.1 rating, tied with last year’s Penguins-Capitals (2/7) for the highest regular-season non-Winter Classic NHL game in four years (3/4/07, three-game regional on NBC, 1.2). The game peaked at a 1.9 rating for its final half hour. Viewership for Sunday’s NHL regional coverage on NBC is not yet available.

Including the Winter Classic, NBC Sports is averaging 2.1 million viewers for its first five measured NHL exposures of 2011, the most through five broadcasts in 14 years. In 1997, Fox averaged 2.8 million for its first five broadcasts.

The 2011 Heritage Classic on VERSUS Sunday night, played between two Canadian teams (Montreal at Calgary) and won in a 4-0 blowout by Calgary, averaged 608,000 viewers, making it the fourth most-watched regular-season game in the network’s history (third best this season). The game, which peaked at over 700,000 viewers between 7:00-7:15 p.m. ET, was the most-watched regular-season game between two Canadian teams on cable since NHL viewership became available by Nielsen in the 1993/94 season. The 608,000 viewers also marks a 95-percent increase from the 2010/11 NHL regular-season average on VERSUS (311,000 viewers). The game garnered a 0.5 HH coverage rating (0.3 US rating).

MOST WATCHED NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAMES IN VERSUS HISTORY (average viewers)

12/14/2010 Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 750,000

10/7/2010 Philadelphia at Pittsburgh 730,000

3/22/2010 Pittsburgh at Detroit 622,000

2/20/2011 2011 Heritage Classic: Montreal at Calgary 608,000

10/9/2008 Toronto at Detroit 577,000

CROSS-CHANNEL PRIORITY: Both “Hockey Day” and the “Heritage Classic” were identified by NBCUniversal’s Marketing Council as cross-channel priorities. They received extensive promotion across NBC Universal’s 20 channels and more than 40 websites. Both events leveraged the newly-expanded resources of the NBC Sports Group by combining the national media assets of NBC Sports and VERSUS and local insight from storied hockey markets like Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia served by Comcast SportsNet.

–NBC Sports Group—

ESPN Enterprise Journalism Release

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Enterprise Journalism Release – February 24, 2011

Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, ESPN)
The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (March 4, 10 p.m., ESPN Radio)

On May 9, 2010, 25-year-old LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg was found dead in her Las Vegas home. After a four-month police investigation, it was determined she had committed suicide. Reporter Colleen Dominguez explores Blasberg’s life and what led a promising young athlete to kill herself. Through phone records and interviews with close friends and family, Outside the Lines reveals new details about the final months and hours of her life and what those closest to her knew about her emotional decline.

“When Erica was born, I was probably hoping for a boy. I put the club in her hand and she was able to do it. Genetically she wasn’t pre‑disposed, so I had to do a little pushing there.” — Mel Blasberg, Erica’s father

“I could tell that she had some parts of her that were not totally there, and maybe a little bit sad. So I just thought it was a bad phase for her and it would get better.” — Cassandra Kirkland, Erica’s college teammate who stayed with her for several weeks just four months before her death

Mel Blasberg — “She was in a tournament and called me, ‘I’m gonna kill myself.’ And next tournament, we went out, I talked to her, she seemed fine and we left there. So it wasn’t a suicide attempt, she was just telling me, ‘I can’t take this life anymore.’”
Colleen Dominguez — “So you had an inkling this was a real possibility.”
Mel Blasberg — “I knew my daughter was not healthy.”

“I have always been incapable of handling the life I lead. I know to some this would be a dream, but to me it is torture.” – – Quote from Erica Blasberg’s suicide note

SportsCenter (Sunday, 10 a.m., 6 p.m. ESPN; 11 p.m. ESPNEWS)

Once upon a time — before football, basketball, or even baseball — there was jousting. During the Middle Ages, jousting was used by kings to keep their knights in peak fighting condition. Today, jousting brings to mind a local renaissance fair or a movie scene. But jousting does exist today, in its original form. SportsCenter traveled to the World Jousting Championships in Colorado to speak with modern day knights who are desperately trying to bring what they consider the original extreme sport back to the masses.

ESPN Deportes SportsCenter (Sunday, 11 p.m.)
Reportajes Especiales piece (ESPNDeportes.com)

In the early hours of February 27, 2010, a tsunami triggered by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Chilean central coast. Waves up to 36 feet tall, the equivalent of a three-story building, swept away entire towns. Among the most destroyed was Constitución where highly skilled 9-year-old soccer player Felipe Sáez was killed. What followed was the struggle of a community to rise from its devastation, and the hope brought forth by a new soccer school built in the memory of Felipe and made possible by the commitment of Chilean International’s Mark González, whom Sáez had idolized.


College GameDay (Saturday, 10 a.m., ESPNU; 11 a.m., ESPN)

Bobby Hurley won two national championships as Duke’s point guard in the early 1990s, but his assists now come as assistant coach for his younger brother, Dan, at tiny Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y. They have run the emotional gamut together, from basketball success to battling tremendous physical and emotional challenges. Greg Garber reports on two brothers whose devotion runs deep.

NBA Digital Showcases Star-Studded 2011 NBA All-Star with Record Breaking Coverage for NBA.com and NBA Mobile

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NBA Digital Showcases Star-Studded 2011 NBA All-Star with Record Breaking Coverage for NBA.com and NBA Mobile

 

– NBA.com sets record with nearly 83 million video streams viewed during NBA All-Star –

– 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk receives record 4.5 million votes via NBA Mobile –

– NBA TV airs more than 95 hours of All Star related programming –

 

NBA Digital guided fans through a star-studded, high-flying weekend and provided record breaking coverage of the 2011 NBA All-Star weekend for NBA.com and NBA Mobile.  NBA.com received a record nearly 83 million video streams and nearly 170 million page views, an increase of nearly 350 percent and 140 percent respectively, from last year’s All-Star record.  The record video streams included an all-time single-day mark of more than 28 million video streams viewed by fans on Saturday, Feb. 19.   To date, more than 1.2 billion videos have been viewed by fans on NBA.com this season, more than double last year’s record pace.

Overall, NBA Digital provided fans with more than 95 hours of All-Star programming on NBA TV including the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet show with interviews from NBA All-Stars, NBA Legends and some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, while NBA.com’s All-Star Scene initiative used Cisco’s Flip Video cameras to capture all the best behind-the-scene moments.  NBA Mobile also brought the thrilling weekend to fans’ fingertips with voting for the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam MVP, the Kia NBA All-Star MVP award, and the winner of the Sprite Slam Dunk.

Along with the NBA.com records, the exciting final round of the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk received a record 4.5 million votes via NBA mobile during All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, eclipsing last year’s mark of more than 1.2 million votes.  The new NBA All-Star Pulse also provided an innovative look at social media trending topics and content throughout the weekend and registered more than 1 million mentions on Facebook.

 

“NBA Digital’s record setting numbers during All-Star Weekend show the power of our cross-platform strategy,” said Bryan Perez, senior vice president and general manager of NBA Digital. “TV, online, mobile and social media were all working in concert and allowed fans to follow the excitement, anytime, anywhere on any device.”

NBA Digital’s additional record-breaking highlights during All-Star included:

· The site’s All Star Scene had a record 3.0 million video streams, a 34% increase from last year.

· TNT OverTime Access, a mosaic featuring live alternate camera angles of the Saturday and Sunday All-Star events, had a record number of streams Saturday night with 1.5 million and a total of more than 314,000 hours of live video viewed over the two days.

 

The event was also a hit on TNT, drawing huge audiences for All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm and the NBA All-Star game presented by Kia Motors. Highlights included:

· The 2011 NBA All-Star Game on TNT delivered 9.1 million total viewers, 6 million households and a 5.2 U.S. HH rating, along with strong growth across all key demos, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. This year’s star-studded contest in Los Angeles ranks as the most watched and highest rated game since 2003, which featured Michael Jordan’s final NBA All-Star appearance of his career. The 2011 NBA All-Star Game also posted strong growth over last year, an increase of +33% in total viewers (9,093,000 vs. 6,846,000), +36% in households (5,975,000 vs. 4,399,000) and +37% in U.S. HH rating (5.2 vs. 3.8 U.S. HH rating).

· TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2011 NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm was the most watched All-Star Saturday Night in the event’s 26 year history. The event delivered 8.1 million total viewers, 5.1 million households and a 4.4 U.S. HH rating, based on Nielsen Fast Nationals. The 2011 event saw increases of +23% in total viewers (6,554,000), +14% in households (4,466,000) and +13% in ratings (3.9 U.S. HH) over the previous record set in 2009.  In addition, NBA All-Star Saturday Night out-delivered the 2010 telecast by +49% in total viewers (8,090,000 vs. 5,441,000), +43% in households (5,100,000 vs. 3,563,000) and +42% U.S. HH rating (4.4 vs. 3.9).

· In addition, the 2011 NBA All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, which was the most watched in the event’s 26-year history, combined to average more than 17 million total viewers.

 

NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com, and WNBA.com.

 

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New Buffalo Sabres Owner Terry Pegula is Today’s Guest on “NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman”

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NEW YORK (February 24, 2011) – New Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula will be today’s guest on NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman on NHL.com and SIRIUS XM Radio at 6 p.m. ET.

In 1983, Pegula told his business partner, Robert H. Long, Jr., “If I ever have more than two nickels to my name, I’m going to buy the Buffalo Sabres one day.”  Almost 30 years later, Pegula’s dream came true when the Sabres — celebrating their 40th anniversary season — introduced Pegula as the team’s new owner on Tuesday.

A lifelong hockey fan, the 59-year-old Pegula founded East Resources Inc. (an independent oil and gas exploration and development company) in 1983. Over the next 27 years, he built it into one of the largest privately held companies in the United States.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman broadcasts live on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice (XM Channel 204 and on SIRIUS Channel 208 as part of the “Best of XM” programming package) and NHL.com. The show will re-air on SIRIUS XM Radio, with archived shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.

The show encourages fans to call in with questions for the Commissioner. To submit questions to NHL Hour call 1-877-645-6696.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman is a production of NHL Radio.

### (2/24/11)

ESPN 3D to Air Five Days of Masters Coverage

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ESPN 3D to Air Five Days of Masters Coverage

ESPN’s television coverage of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club will expand with 10 hours of programming in 3D on the ESPN 3D network, including two hours from all four rounds of Tournament action.

ESPN 3D’s live Masters telecasts begin with the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, April 6, from 3-5 p.m. ET. Thursday and Friday’s Tournament action airs from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday’s telecasts from 5-7 p.m.

Last April, the Masters became the first major sporting event produced and broadcast in 3D live internationally on television and the Internet.

ESPN 3D was launched in June of 2010 and expanded to a 24-hour network in January. ESPN has televised the Par 3 Contest and first and second rounds of The Masters since 2008.

In addition to coverage on ESPN 3D, ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of the Masters will include 4.5 hours per day of first and second-round play on ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN Deportes on Thursday and Friday, SportsCenter at the Masters and live coverage of the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, extensive coverage on ESPN.com and a special 43-hour Masters tribute on ESPN Classic.

About ESPN 3D:

ESPN was the first to announce in the United States an exclusive 3D network in January 2010 which was the culmination of more than three years of testing 3D television.  ESPN produced many 3D domestic telecasts in 2010, including: college football and basketball, the State Farm Home Run Derby, the Masters, the Harlem Globetrotters and NBA games.  ESPN 3D first produced the USC vs. Ohio State college football game in September 2009 which became the starting point for the network. ESPN has developed best practices for utilizing and producing 3D technology in live game applications.  In addition, ESPN utilizes cutting-edge technology located at the ESPN Innovation Lab in Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World to continue to develop innovative production enhancements.  ESPN 3D is available in the United States to approximately 62.5 million households and has carriage agreements with AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, DIRECTV and Time Warner Cable. It will launch in 2011 on Verizon FiOS TV.  Sony was named the first official sponsor of the network in January 2010.

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