Cbs Sports Network Reaches Multiyear Deal For Mac
CBS Sports, college basketball's leading network broadcaster, has acquired the rights to broadcast men’s college basketball games from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences through an agreement with ESPN. The multi-year agreement begins with the 2012-2013 college basketball season.
Cbs Sports Network Reaches Multiyear Deal For Macbook Pro
This season's second episode of HBO's 'Hard Knocks' aired last night, and producers 'returned to the tried-and-true 'Hard Knocks' formula of focusing on two or three rookies or players on the bubble,' according to David Barron of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. In this case, those rookies Texans DB Charles James, LB Lynden Trail and WR Jaelen Strong. As for the veterans, it is 'clear every episode will feature a conversation' between DE J.J. Watt and DT Vince Wilfork 'on topics great and small.' This week's topic 'was food - specifically, each player's favorite meal.'
Watt said, 'I love breakfast' ( ). NFL.com's Dan Hanzus writes under the header, 'Cushing A Compelling Bully.' Texans LB Brian Cushing's memorable lines during the episode included, 'I don't even go to Starbucks. I mean, I used to. And then I realized I wasn't a chick.'
Cushing spent much of his screen time 'acting like the antagonist in a 80s teen comedy.' His ability to 'taunt, tease and manhandle' RB Alfred Blue in a one-on-one blocking drill made him a 'proper villain.' But Cushing's 'softer side' is seen later in the episode while at home with his family. Hanzus writes, 'Don't muddle the narrative, 'Hard Knocks' ( ). TOP BILLING: CBSSPORTS.com's Will Brinson writes under the header, 'Bill O'Brien Is Emerging As A Cranky Superstar On 'Hard Knocks.'
' The Texans coach is becoming the 'most interesting character' on the show, which is 'pretty hilarious. Because there's a zero percent chance it's what he wants to happen.' O'Brien is 'an old-school football guy, born of the Bill Belichick/Patriots school of thinking.' He is 'embracing 'Hard Knocks' in a '(bleep) it, pretend the cameras aren't here and let's do football' kind of way.' O'Brien has a 'mix of severe and aloof that makes him come across in a serious-but-not- too-serious fashion' ( ). The CHRONICLE's Barron notes O'Brien last night 'had the unofficial lead' in the 'closely watched cuss bucket' over Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel ( HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/19).
S.F.-based mobile ticketing company Gametime is expanding into college football, adding tickets to more than 50 NCAA programs into its app. The company, which specializes in last-minute, mobile-based orders, piloted college football ticket availability last year with Cal and Stanford, and now will offer inventory for Ohio State, Oregon, Baylor, USC, LSU and Michigan, among many others. 'Increasing access to college football is a natural next step, and will appeal to our demographic that is younger than the traditional sports consumer,' said Brad Griffith, Gametime Founder & Chief Exec.
Meanwhile, Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement yesterday entered into a multiyear partnership with ReplyBuy in which clients have the ability to sell tickets and merchandise via text-to-buy technology. Through the integration, mobile 2D barcode tickets will be delivered to a registered buyer’s phone instantly upon replying to the text and can be scanned at the event. “ReplyBuy has great technology and has been getting some traction in the sports and athletics market,” said Spectra VP/Marketing Craig Ricks.
“They have an easy-to-use technology that will resonate really well with fans, especially the millennial generation.” In conjunction with the deal, Ricks said that Auburn today will announce a partnership with Spectra that coincides with the start of college football. He added that Auburn is looking to leverage the partnership “as an opportunity for exclusive offers.” Ricks: “Building out a text database is very similar to building out an e-mail database in that you can offer a coveted opportunity to a member simply on their phone. It really is frictionless.
There is no need to even log in.” He added that the company is in the process of finalizing deals to “roll out with a few other clients in the short term” ahead of the college football season. CBS Sports Network has hired former NFLer Jay Feely as a college football game analyst for Army and MAC games. He will be teamed with Ben Holden on play-by-play and John Schriffen as the sideline reporter. The network will produce 63 games this season, culminating with its first bowl game - the AutoNation Cure Bowl. Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor and Jenny Dell return as the network’s lead announce team.
Rick Neuheisel will be an analyst on the Tuesday night studio show “Inside College Football” with host Adam Zucker and analysts Brian Jones, Randy Cross and Taylor.
CBS Sports Network yesterday announced that it has reached a multiyear deal to televise Mid-American Conference football and basketball games via a sublicensing agreement with ESPN. The deal takes effect this season and continues through '18-19. The net will carry up to 12 football and 12 basketball games annually, with the first year calling for six football games and up to seven basketball games. The '15 football schedule will include two Thursday and three Saturday games, plus one the Friday after Thanksgiving ( CBS).
In Cleveland, Elton Alexander noted the MAC last year ' through the '26-27 season for an estimated $100M. There have been 'no numbers on the deal' with CBSSN.
MAC Media Relations Dir Ken Mather said that the deal 'was done through ESPN as part of its sub-licensing agreement with the MAC, so the MAC will not get a cut of that deal.' Mather added that for this season, the 'majority of the football games on CBSSN, but not exclusively, will be conference games' ( ). GO TIME: NBCSPORTS.com's Kevin McGuire wrote under the header, 'With Media Rights Deal On Horizon, Conference USA Needs Big 2015 Season.' The conference 'has three existing media rights deals set to expire' at the end of the '15-16 seasons for football and basketball, 'which means it needs to come on strong as the negotiating is ongoing.' And this is 'not talking about on the field or court.'
C-USA 'needs to show up in the TV ratings.' The conference has a five-year deal with Fox Sports and a six-year basketball contract with CBS Sports 'expiring in the coming year.' C-USA also has the rights for its football championship game up for grabs as its 'five-year contract with ESPN' is expiring. C-USA is due close to $130M between football and basketball deals in the coming year, 'but if it is going to stay in the same territory as its other Group of Five conferences and not downgrade to a media presence similar to the Sun Belt Conference, now is the time to rally together and bring in the best TV ratings possible' ( ).