|
Internet News
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Thursday, 22 October 2009 16:03 |
Click to see in larger view |
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced late Weds. the launching of their re-designed website, providing consumers with a more sophisticated look while adding many new features. While the majority of Timberwolves.com will go live today (Oct. 21), certain features will be rolled out daily until the Wolves' Home Opener vs. New Jersey on Oct. 28.
One new feature of Timberwolves.com launch is .Com Guide, a listing of scheduled web content for the coming week. Much like a television guide, fans can use this handy guide to see when video, audio clips, stories, and more will be posted each week.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, a revamped Players section will be launched. The new Players section features a sleeker look, and provides bios, stats, photos, videos, and more for each player, while also including new desktop wallpaper for each player.
Friday, Oct 23 will see the roll out of the Game Entertainment section featuring all the game night entertainment from Target Center, including Crunch, in-arena hosts, Hoop Troop and more. An exciting new interactive feature is a Donkey Kong-styled video game where fans can navigate Crunch up ladders as he dodges basketballs to reach his destination.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Timberwolves Media Guide will be available for the first-time ever on-line. Fans can get bios and stats on this year's squad as well as a multitude of information from years past.
Monday, Oct. 26 is the debut date for WolvesNation.com, a separate website that takes social networking to a higher level. This site serves as a one-stop shop for all Wolves-related social media/networking information. Included on WolvesNation.com are the most recent photos/items that relate to the Wolves from Flickr, Forum, FanChatter, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and more. WolvesNation.com also includes links to top blog sites and all official Wolves social networking sites.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, a new-look Dancers site will debut, highlighting the talented Timberwolves Dancers with bios, photos and videos. A new interactive feature allows fans to "take a photo" with the Dancers by incorporating their face with a photo of the Dancers.
Finally, on Wednesday, Oct. 28 prior to the Wolves game vs. New Jersey, .COM Home Court will launch. This section includes real-time box scores and many other applications to enhance a loyal viewer's or listener's game experience.
Source: Minnesota Timberwolves
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
(THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL)
(THE BIZ OF HOCKEY)
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter 
|
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Monday, 28 September 2009 14:30 |
|
 NBA Digital and ESPN announced today a unique multi-year agreement that will make ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball, the official commissioner-style fantasy basketball game for both ESPN.com and NBA.com. The collaboration between NBA Digital and ESPN means that fantasy sports players on two of the leading NBA destinations online will now have a single, integrated game and access to the very best fantasy basketball content online and on mobile devices. The companies will also develop cross-platform promotions through a multitude of ESPN and NBA Digital platforms.
“This collaboration takes NBA Digital’s multi-platform philosophy to unprecedented levels,” said Bryan Perez, senior vice president and general manager, NBA Digital. “By marrying the TV, internet and wireless assets of ESPN and NBA Digital, fantasy sports fans will be able to engage in the game and related content in more ways than have ever been offered in the fantasy arena.”
“Working together with NBA Digital on ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball builds upon the great, multi-faceted relationship we have with the NBA and will provide fans with the very best fantasy basketball game and content available,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Digital Media. “Fans will benefit this season and in seasons ahead from new innovations and an enhanced interactive experience, while advertisers will get more value than ever before from their connection to a best-of-breed multi-platform game and content experience.”
The game is available now on NBA.com and ESPN.com and on ESPN and NBA mobile Web sites. Fans will be able to manage their teams with the latest information on their players, check scores and set their lineups. Following a record-setting season for the free commissioner-style fantasy game on ESPN.com (including nearly 40 times the growth in participation from the previous season) ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball will allow players to create leagues and teams, schedule drafts, conduct mock drafts and more. Other features include:
- Integrated access to all the leading NBA Digital and ESPN Fantasy news, analysis and information including video, podcasts, columns, features and more;
- NBA TV and ESPN studio personalities competing in the game throughout the season;
- Mobile companions allowing team management through the ESPN and NBA mobile Web sites, as well as a downloadable Draft Kit mobile application developed by ESPN;
- A co-branded and cohesive marketing campaign featuring 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz), three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls).
As part of the agreement, ESPN and NBA Digital will cross promote the game and the Fantasy Draft Kit across their multiple media platforms. ESPN and NBA Digital will work together to develop new features throughout the 2009-10 NBA regular season (begins Tuesday, October 27) and in seasons ahead, including the integration of video from the NBA Digital and ESPN libraries. In addition, ESPN and NBA Digital will jointly develop sponsorship packages and co-marketing initiatives around ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball.
Source: Turner Sports
OTHER NEWS FROM THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)
(THE BIZ OF HOCKEY)
(THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL)
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter
|
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Thursday, 16 April 2009 16:13 |
|
 Hall of Famer Charles Barkley takes center court on NBA.com with the debut of The Barkley Zone, a new video channel that will feature exclusive videos of the TNT analyst throughout the 2009 NBA Playoffs. The Barkley Zone will be one of five video channels available on NBA.com as part of the site’s new look for the Playoffs, which will launch on Thursday, April 16.
The Barkley Zone will include video content such as Soundoff with Barkley speaking his mind on a variety of topics, and Where They Been? where he catches up with former teammates to find out about their post-NBA lives, beginning with former Phoenix Suns teammate and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. “Charles is a larger than life personality and one of the most popular broadcasters in sports television. Our goal is to always offer the fan the most compelling video content across all our digital platforms and Charles is the perfect fit to lead the way for our playoff site with a channel of his own.,” said Bryan Perez, SVP and GM of NBA Digital. The new playoff-centric design highlights the extensive video content available, including access directly from the homepage to hundreds of videos from five video channels -- Highlights, Top Plays, NBA TV, TNT OverTime and The Barkley Zone, while the site’s main video page will continue to house the entire library of NBA.com videos. In addition, NBA.com is also launching new playoff match-up pages, with a page dedicated to providing news, highlights, press conferences, stats and video previews to the next game from TNT and NBA TV analysts. Other NBA.com playoffs highlights include: - C Webb’s Fab Five: NBA TV’s Chris Webber will break down every NBA team to select the five best players of all time from that franchise on a new webisode series. NBA.com will debut the series during the NBA Playoffs, and fans can react to Webber’s selections on the site’s Fan Voice section.
- The Rashad Report: Emmy award-winning sportscaster and NBA TV Fan Night host Ahmad Rashad hits the road with a video camera in hand to take fans behind-the-scenes for rare access to the NBA with footage from locker rooms, shootarounds and hotels.
- Team-based playoff email newsletters: fans can sign up for team-specific newsletters with highlights, postgame interviews and studio analysis that they will receive in their inbox the morning after their team plays.
- On-site video reporting at every game: field producers and reporters will continuously file video reports on both game and off days, bringing fans the most up-to-date, inside scoop on every matchup.
- Online game recaps and look-aheads featuring TNT and NBA TV studio and game analysts.
Source: Turner Sports
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
|
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 17:17 |
|
 Turner Sports is unveiling a multiplatform marketing campaign that utilizes popular social media platforms YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to promote TNT’s ‘40 Games in 40 Nights’ coverage of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. TNT will have a significant presence on YouTube with a homepage takeover on Mon., April 20, featuring player-specific videos to promote the tune-in for the night’s match-ups as well as TNT messaged overlays on sports-related featured videos. Turner Sports will also feature a full court press on Facebook on Sun., April 19 with TNT NBA Playoffs messaging on sponsored ads, along with prominently placed topical promotional spots and a special promotion prompting Facebook users to ‘Become a Fan’ of the NBA on TNT Facebook page. Turner Sports will take over Yahoo! Sports’ main page on Sun., April 19, with all ads featuring TNT NBA Playoffs creative to drive fans to the network’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs.
Turner Sports will complement its robust social media marketing plan with a strong Twitter presence, featuring updates from popular announcers including TNT’s Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager and NBA TV’s Chris Webber, Gary Payton, Steve Smith, Eric Snow and Rick Kamla. The hosts and analysts will ‘tweet’ on their individual pages beginning Tues., April 14 with regular updates, comments, thoughts and analysis that will feed to a main NBA TV Twitter profile and link to the National Basketball Association’s Twitter page. The ‘tweets’ will also feed into the NBA on TNT Facebook page. The Facebook and Twitter sites will be prominently featured on NBA.com and will receive on-air promotion on TNT and NBA TV. Turner Sports’ NBA Playoffs marketing campaign is also supported by a comprehensive mix of advertising including heavy spot rotation by local cable operators in key markets, radio traffic sponsorships and DJ endorsements in 15 target markets, concentrated out-of-home messaging in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta and select print advertising in multiple national publications. Source: Turner Sports Business of Sports Network Feature article: Isle Be Damned: A Tale of Two Cities (A ‘Dickens’ of a story)
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
|
|
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Matt Wiesenfeld
|
|
Monday, 23 February 2009 03:15 |
|
 As media consumption habits continue to evolve leagues and teams are struggling with how to take advantage. The NBA seems to be taking a unique approach by allowing teams to broadcast their games online beginning next year. This flies in the face of other leagues centralized approach of only broadcasting games on league websites and even though this approach will cannibalize a pay service on NBA.com the league is convinced it will grow the number of people watching which is good for the game.
"Teams will be able to monetize these digital assets" says NBA commissioner David Stern. "If a team can only offer television, it loses viewers." say Lee Burke, a sports media consultant. Other sports leagues will be watching this development with keen eyes the possibility of MLB and the NHL following suit considering that they generate so much revenue from local media deals already. The question is how NBA teams will take advantage of their new online freedom. The assumption is that it will be part of a subscription service so that there will be a direct revenue stream. Otherwise it would undermine the existing television rights system.
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK |
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Tuesday, 23 December 2008 04:36 |
|
 The NBA Development League will hold its annual NBA D-League Showcase from Monday, Jan. 5 – Thursday, Jan. 8 as the NBA D-League’s 16 teams converge on Orem, Utah, home of the Utah Flash, for four days of competition. All 16 Showcase games will be streamed via NBA Futurecast, a platform that provides live, online video streaming to fans, on NBA.com and NBADLeague.com. NBA D-League Central, hosted by Rick Kamla, will air on Monday, Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the latest news regarding the Showcase.
The 16 game slate compliments the season-long NBA Futurecast schedule, which features every NBA D-League game streamed live for free online. NBA TV features an NBA D-League game of the week every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET with the studio show D-League Central airing 30 minutes prior to game coverage. This is the fifth year of the NBA D-League Showcase, an event that serves as the premier destination for NBA general managers and scouts to check out the NBA D-League’s top prospects in action. In the NBA D-League’s eight-year history, the league has produced more than 100 call-ups to the NBA, including NBA success stories such as Sacramento Kings forward Mikki Moore, Phoenix Suns forward Matt Barnes, Charlotte Bobcats guard Matt Carroll and Houston Rockets forward Chuck Hayes. This year’s top prospects playing in the NBA D-League include Reno Bighorns guard Patrick Ewing, Jr. Iowa Energy center Courtney Sims, Colorado forward James Mays, Rio Grande Vally guard Smush Parker, and Idaho center Jermareo Davison. The NBA D-League Showcase will feature all 16 D-League teams: - Albuquerque Thunderbirds
- Anaheim Arsenal
- Austin Toros
- Bakersfield Jam
- Colorado 14ers
- Dakota Wizards
- Erie BayHawks
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants
- Idaho Stampede
- Iowa Energy
- Los Angeles D-Fenders
- Reno Bighorns
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers
- Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Tulsa 66ers
- Utah Flash
NBA D-LEAGUE SHOWCASE PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE:
MON., JAN. 5 1 P.M. Sioux Falls Skyforce vs. Albuquerque Thunderbirds 3:45 P.M. Austin Toros vs. Colorado 14ers 6:30 P.M. Los Angeles D-Fenders vs. Bakersfield Jam 9:15 P.M. Reno Bighorns vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers TUES., JAN. 6 1 P.M. Idaho Stampede vs. Fort Wayne Mad Ants 3:45 P.M. Iowa Energy vs. Dakota Wizards 6:30 P.M. Erie BayHawks vs. Tulsa 66ers 9:15 P.M. Anaheim Arsenal vs. Utah Flash WED., JAN. 7 1 P.M. Rio Grande Valley Vipers vs. Sioux Valley Skyforce 3:45 P.M. Fort Wayne Mad Ants vs. Iowa Energy 6:30 P.M. Albuquerque Thunderbirds vs. Erie BayHawks 9:15 P.M. Dakota Wizards vs. Reno Bighorns THURS., JAN. 8 1 P.M. Tulsa 66ers vs. Idaho Stampede 3:45 P.M. Colorado 14ers vs. Anaheim Arsenal 6:30 P.M. Bakersfield Jam vs. Austin Toros 9:15 P.M. Utah Flash vs. Los Angeles D-Fenders Source: NBA D-League
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Basketball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. |
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Monday, 24 November 2008 19:57 |
|
 To coincide with the beginning of the 2008-2009 pro-basketball season, SGN, a social gaming company, today launched iBasketball for Apple’s iPhone. iBasketball leverages the accelerometer mobile technology platform for the iPhone to let basketball fans, sports and gaming enthusiasts play on-the-go.
"By expanding our series of experiential social games with iBasketball in addition to realizing our vision for engaging people across multiple platforms and social networks with the recent release of iFun Golf, we are continuing to push the boundaries of social gaming to engage and connect people from around the world through creative use of platforms such as the iPhone," said Shervin Pishevar, CEO of SGN. "The success we have seen with all of our recent game releases with nearly four million downloads demonstrates the demand for this kind of entertainment for a global audience." The iBasketball application for the iPhone allows players to practice basketball skills such as dribbling and shooting layups and free throws in a simulated 'Around the World' or 'HORSE' style game. Players also have the opportunity to challenge a friend to a game and track shooting success against an opponent. By visiting the 'Open Challenges' scoreboard and through optional score notification emails, players are instantly notified when a challenger takes a turn and of their progress. iBasketball also features life-like spectator and simulated game sounds such as the ball bounce and 'swish' of the net. The development of iPhone games marks SGN's expansion in mobile and social gaming technology. Source: SGN
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Basketball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. |
|
Internet News
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Wednesday, 29 October 2008 18:55 |
 NBA Digital today announced that for the first time ever fans can subscribe to a full season of live NBA game webcasts directly on NBA.com with NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND. The enhanced subscription service will provide fans with access to 40 live NBA games online each week. A special free preview is available now for all fans. NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND on NBA.com will allow fans to follow their favorite out-of-market teams and players throughout the league. This year’s package will feature a new mosaic video player, allowing fans the ability to watch multiple out-of-market games at the same time and an on-demand archive that makes games available for 48 hours. NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND was previously only available to fans as an extension of NBA LEAGUE PASS, the regular season digital cable and satellite television package providing fans with NBA live games outside their local market. Fans that subscribe to the NBA LEAGUE PASS television service will continue to receive access to NBA LEAGUE PASS at no additional cost to their subscription. BROADBAND “NBA Digital is committed to providing fans with the most innovative and comprehensive coverage of the game they love by offering more options to follow their favorite teams and players throughout the season,” said Bryan Perez, SVP and GM of NBA Digital. “Whether it is on television or online, NBA LEAGUE PASS puts the viewing experience in the hands of fans across the country.” - NBA LEAGUE PASS and NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND will offer new features and free previews to fans.
- NBA LEAGUE PASS offers access to televised NBA LEAGUE PASS out-of-market games and the broadband webcasts on NBA.com.
- NBA LEAGUE PASS Stats Central is a television channel dedicated to displaying real-time updates including scores and stats of every game.
- A free preview is now available with early bird pricing of $169.00.
- NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND offers access to webcasts of out-of-market games online at NBA.com.
- A new mosaic video player will allow fans to watch multiple games simultaneously.
- The broadband channel makes games available for 48 hours via a special on-demand archive.
- A “Free Preview Presented by NBA LIVE 09” is now available with early bird pricing of $84.95.
NBA LEAGUE PASS and NBA LEAGUE PASS BROADBAND excludes access to games on national networks and the local, in-market network. Additional information is available on www.NBA.com. The 2008-09 season marks the inaugural year of the NBA’s partnership with Turner Sports to manage the NBA Digital portfolio which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS,NBADLeague.com and WNBA.com. NBA TV will offer a full line-up of 96 live games beginning on Sat., Nov. 1 with a doubleheader starting at 7:30 p.m. ET featuring the Washington Wizards @ Detroit Pistons followed by the Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns. To launch the new season, a free preview of NBA TV is now available, allowing cable and satellite distribution partners the opportunity to showcase NBA TV to all of their viewers during this time. Source: Turner Sports
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Basketball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. |
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Monday, 07 July 2008 12:47 |
 Bryan Perez has been named to the newly created position of senior vice president and general manager for NBA Digital, it was announced today by David Levy, president of Turner Sports, and Adam Silver, Deputy Commissioner and COO of the National Basketball Association. Earlier this year, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and the NBA announced a ground-breaking expansion of their long-running partnership, through which the companies will jointly manage a portfolio of the NBA’s digital businesses that Turner will operate out of its Atlanta production facility. In his new role, Perez will oversee all day-to-day operations for NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour digital television network, NBA.com, WNBA.com, NBADLeague.com, NBA League Pass, as well as the league’s broadband and wireless businesses. He will provide leadership for all aspects of the business, including programming, operations, editorial, ecommerce and marketing. Perez, who will assume his new role in mid-July, will be based in Atlanta and report directly to Levy and Silver. “Bryan ’s professional credentials are extensive, diverse and impressive and he will bring great creative energy and smart business sense to his new role,†said Levy. “ Bryan ’s impressive track record of experience and leadership has helped build the growth of several sports and entertainment organizations. He brings vast experience within the digital arena and I am confident with Bryan as its head we will successfully grow NBA Digital among our key constituents.†“Bryan 's experience and proven track record make him the perfect leader for our new venture,†said Silver. “With our full suite of digital and television assets combined with the scale, expertise and resources of Turner Broadcasting, NBA Digital is poised to deliver a revolutionary experience to our fans.†“I am thrilled to lead this new endeavor, backed by the world-class assets and resources of Turner and the NBA,†said Perez. “The cross-platform opportunities of NBA TV and the league’s online properties together with Turner’s deep digital programming expertise and best-in-class production will enable us to drive great innovation for NBA fans, delivering content anytime, anywhere and any way they prefer it. In addition, this platform and partnership will allow us to create exciting new revenue opportunities for both partners.†Perez’s extensive and diverse professional background includes most recently serving as CEO of Live Nation’s Global Digital division. In this position, Perez established and built the new division and was responsible for the company’s worldwide internet, wireless, ticketing, and IT strategy and operations. Perez also previously worked as executive vice president of strategy and business development for Clear Channel Entertainment. Before joining Clear Channel, Perez was executive vice president of Marketing and Communications for the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars, where he oversaw all ticket sales, new media, marketing and broadcasting efforts for the team. Preceding that tenure, he was an executive vice president of Business Development for the predecessor of Hicks Sports Group, where he was responsible for business development, broadcasting and new media for all of its entities. Perez also served as the director of Business Development for Madison Square Garden. Perez earned a bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin . He also earned his juris doctor degree and MBA from Stanford University. Source: TBS, National Basketball Association
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK - Passing Gas? Rays, Hess to Give Away $5 Cards on 7/18 - The Biz of Baseball
- All-Star Game Starters, Reserves, and Pitchers Announced - The Biz of Baseball
- 214.7 Million Votes Cast Online for All-Star Game - The Biz of Baseball
- Is the Ed Wade/Shawn Chacon Altercation a First? - The Biz of Baseball
- McNamee Requests that Clemens Suit Be Dismissed - The Biz of Baseball
- You Really Like Me! Rays See Highest TV Ratings Ever - The Biz of Baseball
- Cellphone to Throw Away at the All-Star Game - The Biz of Baseball
- Six GMs on the Hot Seat - The Biz of Baseball
- Chicago's Wrigley Field to Host Next Outdoor Classic on New Years Day - The Biz of Hockey
- Jaromir Jagr First Major NHL Player to Crossover to Continental Hockey League - The Biz of Hockey
- Free Agent Signings - July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey
- NHL Free Agent Listing As of July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey
- Ducks owner Henry Samueli Suspended by NHL - The Biz of Hockey
- NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey
- Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey
- XM Satellite Radio Locks Up SEC. Adds Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Vanderbilt - The Biz of Football
- Don Imus, "Pacman" Jones and Media Correctness - The Biz of Football
- 15,000 General Admission Tickets for London NFL Game Sell Out in 30 min. - The Biz of Football
- Papa Replaces Gumbel as NFL Network’s Play-by-Play Announcer - The Biz of Football
- NFL Network May Partner Up With ESPN - The Biz of Football
- NFL Players Help Hometown Tornado Victims - The Biz of Football
- Recently Retired Strahan Joins Fox NFL Pregame Show - The Biz of Football
- Anheuser-Busch to Sponsor New Meadowlands Stadium - The Biz of Football
- TNT Lands Full Slate of Sponsors For “Wide Open Coverage†Telecasts - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. |
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Tuesday, 15 April 2008 05:16 |
|
The NBA and computer solutions company SGI today announced a multiyear extension of their relationship to expand the league's digital workflow and media management system, the NBA Digital Media Management System. NBA Digital Media Management System was launched during the 2006-2007 season with SGI and allows the league to simultaneously ingest and archive footage from up to 14 NBA games, edit the archival content on the fly, provide full game broadcasts, clips and other NBA content to 214 countries worldwide. The new agreement will allow the NBA to accelerate and double the historical digital archiving effort by ingesting 60,000 hours of video content each year. Overall, the entire history of the NBA archive, which contains more than 400,000 hours of content dating back to 1946, will ultimately be digitized. "Continuing to work with SGI on the expansion of the NBA Digital Media Management System ensures the digital preservation of the entire history of the NBA," said Mike Rokosa, Vice President of Engineering for the NBA. "Additionally, with this groundbreaking digital system, we can easily develop, store and retrieve NBA content for our media and business partners around the world and distribute it on a variety of platforms." Source: National Basketball Association
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Friday, 11 April 2008 17:38 |
|
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently leading three major traffic categories on NBA.com this 2007-08 NBA season. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant leads the top 10 list as the most popular NBA player page on NBA.com, with more than 2.5 million page views received to date, marking the second straight season his player page has been the most viewed. Lakers trade acquisition Pau Gasol currently leads all international players with more than 1.3 million page views, and the Lakers are leading all NBA team Web sites with nearly 50 million page views to date.  During March 2008, NBA.com set the all-time monthly traffic record to the site with more than 191 million visits, breaking the previous record of 172 million visits set in February, 2008. NBA.com has established new all-time monthly traffic records in three of five months this season (November, February and March). NBA.COM’s TOP 10 RANKINGS INCLUDE | NBA.com Team Sites | NBA.com Player Sites | NBA.com  International Player Sites | |  1. Los Angeles Lakers |  1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers |  1. Pau Gasol (Spain) – Los Angeles Lakers | |  2. Phoenix Suns |  2. LeBron James – Cleveland |  2. Steve Nash (Canada) – Phoenix | |  3. Boston Celtics |  3. Allen Iverson – Denver |  3. Jose Calderon (Spain) – Toronto | |  4. Miami Heat |  4. Pau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers |  4. Yao Ming (China) – Houston | |  5. Cleveland Cavaliers |  5. Shaquille O’Neal – Phoenix |  5. Yi Jianlian (China) – Milwaukee | |  6. Houston Rockets |  6. Kevin Garnett – Boston |  6. Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) – Dallas | |  7. Toronto Raptors |  7. Dwight Howard – Orlando |  7. Juan Carlos Navarro (Spain) – Toronto | |  8. Orlando Magic |  8. Tracy McGrady – Houston |  8. Hedo Turkoglu (Turkey) – Orlando | |  9. Chicago Bulls |  9. Steve Nash – Phoenix |  9. Andrea Bargnani (Italy) – Toronto | | 10. Detroit Pistons | 10. Dwyane Wade – Miami | 10. Manu Ginobili (Argentina) – San Antonio | Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James trails close behind Bryant with 2.2 million page views, while Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson has garnered 1.4 million page views. Along with the Lakers Bryant and Gasol, the Phoenix Suns’ Shaquille O’Neal (1.2 million page views) and Steve Nash (1.0 million page views) also rank in the top 10. After Gasol, Nash ranks second among all NBA international players while the Toronto Raptors’ Jose Calderon (924,000 page views), the Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming (923,600 page views) and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Yi Jianlian (826,000) currently rank in the top five.  The Lakers, Suns (33.9 million) and Boston Celtics (33.2 million) currently constitute the top three NBA team Web sites. The Celtics’ Web site has grown in popularity by increasing its ranking in page views to third this season after placing 11th among all NBA teams last season. NBA.com On Pace to Shatter All-Time Traffic Records Overall this season, NBA.com is on pace to shatter all-time traffic records to the site including overall visits, page views and video streams. NBA.com is currently averaging more than 5.3 million daily visits and 23.7 million daily page views, an increase of 57 percent and 42 percent respectively, when compared to last season.  NBA.com is also receiving more than 1.4 million video streams per day, an increase of more than 70 percent when compared to last year’s totals. Source: National Basketball Association
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
|
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Friday, 21 March 2008 23:58 |
 CBSSports.com, in partnership with CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the NCAA, today released traffic figures for NCAA March Madness on Demand for the first day of the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. In total, there were 1,751,956 unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player, a 122% increase over 2007 figures.
"Our decision to open up NCAA March Madness on Demand to other major sports, video and social networks across the web has not only proven a great formula for tremendous growth but also proves the mission of CBS Interactive to distribute our content in an open, non-exclusive manner using many great partners," said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com. "Fans have clearly indicated that NCAA March Madness on Demand has become the most significant sports event online and, in turn a tremendous success story for our advertising partners that is complementary to the CBS Television Network."
2008 NCAA March Madness on Demand traffic figures through Thursday, March 20
- 1,751,956 unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video player (2007 figure was 789,045 - 122% growth)
- 571,297 VIP registrants (2007 figure was 468,720 - 22% growth)
- 1,225,089 clicks of the "Boss Button" (figure not available for 2007)
CBS reports that a large factor in the year-over-year traffic escalation with NCAA March Madness on Demand is the decision CBSSports.com made to drop registration
requirements for the product, giving fans immediate admission to the video player. This one-click access gives CBSSports.com the ability to distribute links to NCAA March Madness on Demand to a network of more than 200 sites across the Internet, including websites such as ESPN.com, Yahoo! Sports and SI.com, social networking sites such as Facebook, online video leader YouTube as well as the CBS Audience Network, including sites for CBS television and radio affiliates.
2008 marks the first time that NCAA March Madness on Demand gives users the ability to view all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, from the first round of the tournament through the Men's Final Four(R) in San Antonio, including the Championship game. NCAA March Madness on Demand also gives users the option to listen to live play-by-play audio from Westwood One Radio for all games of the tournament.
Since its inception in 2003, NCAA March Madness on Demand has traditionally provided live video of 56 games from the first round through the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship as they are broadcast by CBS Sports, with local broadcasts being subject to blackouts.
CBS further reports that full game video and audio archives and highlight packages will be available on demand for all games of the tournament via the NCAA March Madness on Demand player. Additionally, highlight packages are available on the CBS Interactive Audience Network as well as YouTube. The NCAA March Madness on Demand player and archival footage are accessible through April 21. Source: CBS OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK First Ever Yankees Fantasy Baseball Camp to Be Held - The Biz of Baseball MLBPA Hires Two New Key Lawyers - The Biz of Baseball Yankee Fans Informed of Costlier Top Seats - The Biz of Baseball Lake Elsinore Storm Offer Barry Bonds Front Office Position - The Biz of Baseball Checking or Rubbing? Stars’ Modano Welcomes NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson to the Ice - The Biz of Hockey Can’t We All Just Get Along? Mainstream Media v. Alternative Media - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports Ford Field Sues AAFL - The Biz of Football CFL: Commissioner Cohon Working to Bring Team Back to Ottawa - The Biz of Football |
|
Written by Maury Brown
|
|
Thursday, 20 March 2008 06:08 |
|
 The Sports Illustrated "March Madness Preview" edition will be hiitting the streets, with not one, or two different covers, but six. The different covers will be distributed by region.
The cover athletes include: Kevin Love - (Center) UCLA Brandon Rush - (Gaurd) Kansas DaJuan Summers - (Forward) Georgetown Jeff Adrien - (Forward) Connecticut Drew Lavender - (Guard) Xavier Chris Lofton - (Guard) Tennessee OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK: Extra Innings in HD: No for Comcast. More for DirecTV - The Biz of Baseball Blackhawks Lead Charge into Hi-Tech Future - The Biz of Hockey Raiders Close to Deal With Former Falcon Hall - The Biz of Football FSN, Portland Beavers, Finalize New 20-Game TV Schedule - The Biz of Baseball
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Internet News
Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook
