Sports was a hot topic throughout NBC's upfront presentation yesterday, with network execs noting that "SNF" was "among the few remaining destinations that boasts a big, broad family audience," according to Rose & Guthrie of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. NBC Sports Group Chair Mark Lazarus "stressed the network's flex schedule, which allows it to select the best matchups for its SNF franchise, an important distinction as CBS rolls out eight games of Thursday Night Football, which historically have not offered the kind of marquee weekly contests that Sunday has." He also "talked up the network's addition of a divisional playoff game" and the Thanksgiving Day Seahawks-49ers matchup. NBCU President of Ad Sales Linda Yaccarino's portion of the presentation to advertisers was "heavy on rhetoric about the network's signature sports platform" -- the Olympics. NBC has "partnered with Nielsen for a deep dive study on how viewers consumed the Sochi Winter Olympics, and those findings will inform future streaming and mobile technology" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/12). VARIETY's Brian Lowry wrote it was "understandable that NBC would exult" in its '13-14 primetime audience numbers during the net’s upfront, where the atmosphere was "buoyed" by a new deal for rights to the Olympics through '32. The presentation's "overall takeaway: Not only do we have a deep-pocketed parent willing to invest in our business, but if you thought we received a significant Olympic boost in this year’s ratings, well, get used to a whole lot more of that -- including the 2015 Super Bowl -- in the years ahead" (VARIETY.com, 5/12). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's O'Connell & Guthrie wrote under the header, "NBC's $7.7 Billion Olympics Deal: Did The Network Overpay Or Get A Steal?" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/12).
DOCTOR, MY EYE: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Marisa Guthrie wrote under the header, "4 Major Questions Facing the Networks for 2014-15." She asked, "Will CBS' Thursday NFL score?" Ad buyers "don't expect the games to rival NBC's Sunday Night Football." Sources said that CBS is "asking for pricing commensurate" to that of "SNF," with a combined rating across CBS and NFL Network ranging from 12.0-12.5. Horizon Media Senior VP & Dir of National Broadcast Dave Campanelli said, "It will be a little bit of a tough push for advertisers." He added, "The games are an upgrade over what NFL Network had, but they're not Sunday night quality." Campanelli said, "That puts them a little bit behind where NBC is." But Campanelli also said, "Buyers want to be there. That's why these games are on Thursday night and that's why CBS went and got them. There's definitely going to be demand for it" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 5/12). Topeka Capital analyst David Miller said that CBS is "most likely to secure the biggest increase" in ad revenue this year with its new "TNF" package. Miller added that he "expects CBS to take the biggest slice of ad dollars" during its upfront, booking $2.55B (N.Y. POST, 5/13).
THURSDAY'S CHILD: In L.A., Joe Flint cited a Nielsen report as revealing that while Thursday is "often seen as a crucial night for advertisers, particularly auto manufacturers and movie studios," it is now "just the fifth-most-watched night of television." An average of 112 million people "watch TV on Thursday night, compared to 125 million on Sunday and 120 million on Monday." Tuesday and Wednesday "also have more viewers than Thursday" (LATIMES.com, 5/12). Meanwhile, SI.com's Richard Deitsch reported CBS' James Brown, Bill Cowher and Deion Sanders have been "chosen as the pregame trio" for the "TNF" studio show. The trio will "appear on both CBS and the NFL Network" from 7:30pm ET "leading up to the kickoff." NFL Network Senior VP/Programming & Production Mark Quenzel said that there will be "both an indoor and outdoor" set as part of the NFL Net's 6:00-7:30pm show and "wants a crowd element as part of its pregame." NFL Net's Rich Eisen, who is "in the middle of contract negotiations," has "not been assigned a role yet" (SI.com, 5/12). CBSSPORTS.com's John Breech noted Brown will "host the weekly pregame show," while Sanders and Cowher will "serve as analysts." The three men "will also fill the same roles during halftime coverage of each Thursday night game" (CBSSPORTS.com, 5/12).
SPANISH CONQUEST: Univision Deportes will have the exclusive Spanish-language rights for the Copa America Centenario, the soccer tournament in the summer of '16 that will feature the best teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. The formal announcement is expected to be made today, when Univision holds its upfront at Broadway’s Al Hirchfeld Theatre. The net bought out a week’s worth of performances of the musical “Kinky Boots” in order to host the presentation at the theatre (Christopher Botta, Staff Writer)....beIN Sports yesterday held its first upfront and touted its "exclusive coverage" of the ‘15 Copa America and Spain’s La Liga. The net also has rights to the SBK Superbike FIM World Championship and the European Handball Federation’s Champions League (CABLEFAX DAILY, 5/13).
