ESPN to Air 10 Hours of 3D Coverage of 2011 Masters

Coverage of the 2011 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club will expand with 10 hours of programming in 3D, impotent it was announced by host broadcaster ESPN with content going out via their 3D network, story including two hours from all four rounds of Tournament action.

ESPN 3D’s live five-day Masters telecasts begin with the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, herbal April 6. 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 of this year. 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.

ATI Becomes Official Physical Therapy Provider of Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs has inked a new legacy partnership with ATI Physical Therapy who will be the Official Physical Therapy Provider of the Major League Baseball (MLB) outfit.

The long-term agreement unites two organizations rich with tradition and a dynamic vision for the future.

“An affiliation with the Cubs has been in our sight for some time, and on behalf of the entire ATI team, we are thrilled to be entering into this long-term partnership,” said Dylan Bates, Chief Executive Officer of ATI. “The future and direction of the Cubs, as well as the development project around Wrigley Field, makes this an extremely exciting time to form this Legacy Partnership. We look forward to many successful years with the Cubs organization.”

“The Cubs are thrilled to welcome ATI Physical Therapy as a Legacy Partner who will help us achieve our goal to bring winning baseball to Wrigley Field,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. “Our partnership with ATI includes ensuring our team has access to the best physical therapy in the nation, as well as a meaningful presence within a restored Wrigley Field and Lakeview community. Our players, fans and neighbors will all benefit from this partnership.”

The partnership will give the Chicago Cubs access to rehabilitation services from the preeminent physical therapy and sports medicine provider in the nation. ATI will also provide athletic training assistance to the Cubs’ medical staff.

Additionally, ATI will have exclusive category advertising rights within Wrigley Field, as well as Cubs Park during Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona. 

Sky Deutschland to Launch Sports News in Germany/Austria

Sky Deutschland, a German pay-TV operator, has announced plans to launch a rolling 24-hour sports news channel in Germany and Austria within a year, mirroring the Sky Sports News format of the channel of the same name that airs through sister company Sky Sports in the UK.

Sky Deutschland’s Sky Sports News will start broadcasting in the winter and be available in standard and high definition. Sky Deutschland will also offer the new channel through mobile platforms and the internet, with around 100 people – including 50 journalists – set to be recruited to support the launch.

A US$66.2m loan from News Corp will help to finance the project, and Sky Deutschland is in the process of obtaining a licence for the new channel from the media authorities.

Sky Deutschland CEO Brian Sullivan stated: “At the moment Sky is at an exciting phase. A pioneer in the field of sport in Germany and Austria, with the launch of Sky Sports News HD we are again setting our focus on high quality and cutting-edge coverage of all sports.”

Sullivan added: “Last year alone we have the exclusive HD rights for Wimbledon tennis, the big European golf tournaments and the US Masters.”

Borussia Dortmund Sign Capri-Sun Partnership

Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund have partnered with kids beverage brand Capri-Sun.

The focus of the cooperation will be to increase youth development and youth work. Among other Capri-sun support, symptoms future BVB projects will be created such as the Kids Club and the EVONIK football school.

“Working with the little ones, unhealthy it makes sense to work with competent partners such as Capri-Sun to get on board, ambulance ” said Carsten Cramer, BVB Director of Sales and Marketing.

“BVB-Kids Club, it goes along with numerous activities around football about promoting children in their social development and to inspire for different topics and projects. This approach fits well with Capri Sun and we are delighted to support the club and its fans as a small partner,” said John Schmalenstroer, Vice President Sales & Germany at Capri-Sun.

FA Cup TV Viewing Figures Increase Despite Low Attendances

Despite attendances at English soccer’s FA Cup clashes dropping way below that of the league, the competition received a huge boost after the viewing figures for the weekend’s action was revealed.

English Premier League giants Manchester United’s narrow win over non-league Crawley Town drew in an audience share of 33 per cent, exceeding that of Arsenal’s Champions League win against Barcelona, which received 31 per cent of the audience. 

The match, covered on ITV1, drew in almost 8.5 million viewers at its peak, while the following day, Manchester City v Notts County attracted over 4 million viewers to the screen. 

The viewership on ESPN for the FA Cup round also showed impressively; Everton v Chelsea and Leyton Orient v Arsenal both received peak audiences of over 800,000.

PGA Tour Golfer Hunter Mahan Extends PING Endorsement Deal

PGA Tour golfer Hunter Mahan has signed a multi-year agreement to continue playing PING golf equipment, try announced John A. Solheim, order PING Chairman & CEO.

In 2014, Mahan continued his winning ways, capturing his sixth PGA Tour victory at The Barclays and making history as the only player to advance to the Tour Championship every year since the inception of the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007. He had six top 10s, including at the PGA Championship, on his way to earning more than $3 million. He recently competed on his third U.S. Ryder Cup team.

“Hunter impresses us year in and year out with his consistency, and that’s a testament to how hard he works to maintain his status as one of the game’s best,” Solheim said. “He combines talent with a great work ethic and a very likeable personality that connects with fans. Hunter has been a loyal PING player since college and we’re proud to continue our affiliation with him.”

As part of the agreement, Mahan will wear a PING hat, carry a PING staff bag and play PING equipment. Financial terms and the length of the agreement were not disclosed.

He is currently playing a G30 driver, i25 hybrid, S55 irons, prototype PING wedges, and a Scottsdale TR Anser 2 putter. He is 21st in the most recent Official World Golf Ranking.

“Starting a new season this week, it’s amazing to think that PING and I go back to my days at Oklahoma State,” Mahan said. “All along, it’s been the performance of their products that has given me the consistency that’s necessary to succeed at every level. Out on tour I have complete confidence in my equipment but also in the PING team, which does a great job making sure I’m dialled in and comfortable with my clubs. I’m thrilled to continue my relationship with a company that is an industry leader.”

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NBA’s Suns Agree Long-Term TV Rights Deal with FS Arizona

Yesterday, February 23, FS Arizona agreed a new long-term broadcast rights deal with National Basketball Association (NBA) side the Phoenix Suns as of the 2011-12 season.

Under the terms of the agreement, FS Arizona will air about 75 Suns games a year, making it the exclusive local TV provider for teams games. The side’s previous rights agreement with RSN saw only the Suns home games televised. 

FS Arizona previously split telecasts with KUTP-MYT, and FS Arizona Senior VP & General Manager Mike Connelly said that the net offers 96 per cent penetration “in the Phoenix market and more distribution to Tucson and Yuma.”

Phoenix’s National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the Coyotes and Major League Baseball (MLB) side the Arizona Daimondbacks also have exclusive deals with FS Arizona, but the Suns will continue producing and selling their games and hiring the broadcasters.

Abbott to Title Sponsor World Marathon Majors

Global healthcare company Abbott has secured a new partnership with the World Marathon Majors to become the race series’ first-ever title sponsor.

The series – comprising six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world: Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York City Marathon – will be renamed the Abbott World Marathon Majors starting in 2015.

As part of the deal, Abbott’s race activation will include pre-race expo presence; Abbott employee engagement such as dedicated on-course cheer zones; and event and on-course signage.

“Abbott has always been about delivering the enabling power of health so that people – in all places, aspects and stages of life – can achieve more and live not just longer but better,” said Paul Magill, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Abbott. “Whether you’re stepping out to walk or run your first mile or training to complete a marathon, good health is the starting point for accomplishing your best. This partnership is an important building block for us as we build our corporate identity around the world.”

“As the global leader in elite and mass participation marathons, the World Marathon Majors shows how people – wherever they’re from in the world – are capable of doing amazing things when they’re at their healthiest,” said Carey Pinkowski, Bank of America Chicago Marathon executive race director. “As a company that helps people around the globe achieve their goals through better health, Abbott is a natural fit as the first ever title sponsor of the World Marathon Majors.”

“BMW BERLIN-MARATHON runners are unified in the sacrifices they’ve made just to get to the start line and their commitment to being the best they can be through good health,” said BMW BERLIN-MARATHON race director, Mark Milde. “So we’re excited to welcome Abbott, a company whose mission is to help people achieve their goals through better health, to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2015 as the title sponsor of the World Marathon Majors.”

FA Will Oppose UEFA Rights Proposals

Any deal that may see television rights for some England national soccer team games sold collectively by UEFA would be forbidden by the Football Association (FA) if it meant that broadcast revenue would be slashed.

The FA is currently in negotiations with European soccer’s governing body, which wants to centralise the awarding of such rights for European Championship – and possibly World Cup – qualifiers.

As a result, that could significantly reduce cash-flow for the FA, which is insisting upon being compensated for any shortfall, according to the Daily Mail.

A spokesman for the governing body stated: “The FA will not sign or agree to any deal that results in a reduction in broadcast revenue.”

The TV rights to England games are currently bundled in with those for the FA Cup and were worth US$687m domestically, and a further $242.5m in overseas contracts, when the FA signed a four-year deal with ITV and Setanta in 2007.

The collapse of Setanta meant that the FA had to seek a new deal and agreed a different contract with ESPN, which is now out of step with the ITV contract.

The soccer associations of Italy, Spain, Germany, France and Holland are also said to be seeking assurances about compensation for any shortfall they might suffer, with UEFA wanting all 53 member federations to sign over their broadcast rights in time for the annual congress in Paris next month.

Any such deal would mirror the way in which TV rights are awarded for Champions League and Europa League matches.

NBA Extends Cisco Partnership in Multi-Year Deal

The National Basketball Association (NBA) have inked a multi-year extension with networking equipment manufacturer, Cisco Systems.

Cisco will remain the league’s official technology partner after signing on as partners in 2007.

Cisco will maintain a series of category rights for the NBA, WNBA, NBA D-League and USA Basketball.

The new deal, however, contains a series of new elements, including a larger role with the WNBA. Cisco will help create a new Cisco WNBA Inspiring the Future Award recognizing exceptional female leaders in tech education.

The extension also calls for the creation of a committee involving NBA and Cisco execs to “enhance courtside connectivity within NBA venues.”

NBA Exec VP/Global Marketing Partnerships Emilio Collins said, “Cisco has consistently incorporated innovative technology solutions into our partnership, from enabling connections with our fans to transforming collaboration among our employees.

“As we continue to look at growing the game experience and the ways in which it can be presented and consumed, we know that Cisco will play a vital leadership role with us.”

“Today’s partnership extension reflects our mutual and ongoing commitment to bringing innovation to the NBA and the game of basketball through the Internet of Everything,” said Blair Christie, Cisco SVP and Chief Marketing Officer.

“Together we are enabling new fan experiences and, with our new research and development initiative, will see the amazing things that can happen when we connect the unconnected. We also look forward to extending our relationship into Brazil and impacting that country in new ways by bringing their sport and fan experiences to a new level.”

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