Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning and talked about trying to turn around NBC. He said, “We always said turning around NBC, the network, is going to take several years, but I think the team is off to a great start. Last week, as a perfect example, we had the Super Bowl, the highest-rated show ever watched by Americans. It was a terrific production, real kudos to the sports group.” Roberts added, “If you saw the broadcast there was tremendous synergy between and amongst all the NBC Universal properties as well as Comcast cable and our properties there.” Roberts said of the Super Bowl broadcast, “Out of it came ‘The Voice,’ season two, which was a fantastic start to the year and one of the highest-rated shows in the history of shows following the Super Bowl” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 2/15).
GET BACK HERE WITH MY SHOW: Time Warner Cable officials said that “a faulty receiver” was to blame for technical issues during Monday night's Kansas-Kansas State game on ESPN. The issues "left ESPN looking green and fuzzy" and knocked out the first half of the game. TWC Dir of Communications Matt Derrick said that “satellite frequencies, or specific feeds, are often changed before live sporting events ... and the process happens automatically.” He added that TWC “will continue to proactively test its equipment to prevent future outages” (K.C. STAR, 2/15).
VIDEO GAMES: Bleacher Report this week is beginning a rollout of four new video programs on its YouTube channel: "B/R 5," a recap of the five biggest or most buzzworthy stories each weekday; "NFL Draft 365," a year-round look at the NFL Draft; "Why We Watch," featuring short-form documentaries examining the nature of sports fandom; and "Full Ride," a weekly program examining college football recruiting. Bleacher Report's deal to be part of YouTube's much broader effort based around branded content channels was first announced last November (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
SERVING IT UP: MEDIA BISTRO’s Felicia Pride reported Tennis Media Company “has launched a new digital magazine called Tennis 15-30.” The digital-only publication for desktops and tablets is “delivered twice each month, on the 15th and 30th.” Additionally, Tennis Media Company will “produce four Grand Slam specials with coverage of the events.” The publication is “produced in collaboration” with the USTA (MEDIABISTRO.com, 2/14).
