ESPN today at its upfront announced that it will simulcast its coverage of an NFL Wild Card game this season on ABC, marking the first time the broadcast network will carry an NFL game since '05 when it had “MNF.” ESPN said it made the decision to simulcast the game “in conjunction with the NFL to maximize the audience across the two networks.” ESPN last season carried its first NFL playoff game. The Panthers-Cardinals game averaged 21.7 million viewers, becoming the ninth most-viewed telecast in cable TV history. ABC last carried the NFL on Feb. 5, 2006, when it produced Super Bowl XL. The Wild Card game also will be available on ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN (John Ourand, Staff Writer). Meanwhile, ESPN at its upfront announced "30 for 30" topics planned for the fall, including a documentary on the Bills’ Super Bowl run of the early '90s, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, golfer John Daly, the NBA Kings, Baltimore’s legendary Dunbar High School and the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield rivalry. ESPN also announced the creation of a live 7:00-9:00am ET block of "SportsCenter," as well as a contract extension with anchor Scott Van Pelt that places him as the solo host of the midnight ET "SportsCenter." The new morning "SportsCenter" block represents part of a heightened commitment to weekday morning programming. The new morning "SportsCenter," combined with the impending relocation of "Mike & Mike" from Bristol to N.Y., reflects tighter integration with ABC’s "GMA" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).
ONE VISION: ADWEEK's Brian Flood noted ESPN also announced a "first-of-its-kind data deal with a cable TV provider." The agreement "combines audience data from Cablevision ... with ESPN viewing habits." Advertisers "will be able to see how long ESPN's audience spends on a particular sport and the time of day they're most engaged." ESPN President of Global Customer Marketing & Sales Ed Erhardt: "We kind of mutually said, 'What if we were to marry both of these?' It would be a first. And because we have the scale, we can offer something substantial to the advertiser." Cablevision Media Sales President Ben Tatta added, "We're really pleased they embraced us. ... The ultimate goal in this is really to measure advertising ROI and the value of the ESPN impression across platforms." Flood wrote ESPN "might be the main beneficiary of the deal, but the agreement also applies" to Disney. Erhardt: "We hear from customers all the time: getting access to set-top box data, relative to how (ESPN) is consumed, is vital. Now we've got access to it" (ADWEEK.com, 5/11).
RATE OF RETURN: In N.Y., Sydney Ember notes Coca-Cola is "just one of many brands now shifting advertising budgets to digital and social media, which offer the promise of better consumer data and the ability to reach targeted audiences." As advertisers "rethink their campaign strategies, broadcast and cable networks are adapting their sales pitches to marketers as well." Fox COO Chase Carey: "The consumers in the digital world are not going to be captive viewers that will sit through 16 minutes of ads an hour." Meanwhile, at NBC's upfront, the net "heavily promoted live sports programming" like "SNF" and its '16 Summer Games coverage (N.Y. TIMES, 5/12).
