The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Alex Ben Block noted an "ambitious new TV broadcast service targeting African Americans in the southern United States called the Soul of the South Network plans to spend at least $10 million by early next year to launch in at least 50 markets offering entertainment, sports, news and cultural programming." SSN Media Group Chair Edwin Avent, whose company is the new net's parent company, said that organizers are "negotiating deals for studio library programming that features African Americans in a southern setting, as well as rights to regional and local sports such as football, basketball and baseball games from black colleges, universities and high schools in their key markets" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/31).
PERFORMANCE ART: U.K.-based digital sports company the Perform Group has launched a new online college network called Total College Sports, featuring a series of daily short-form programming. Perform has secured video highlight rights from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12, and that content will be supplemented by studio content featuring Sean Salisbury and LaVar Arrington. Total College Sports will be a channel within Perform's ePlayer that appears on more than 250 partner websites throughout the U.S. "Total College Sports addresses a huge niche in the market," said Perform North America Managing Dir Juan Delgado. Perform will be aligned with Silver Chalice New Media's Season ad network for sales against the Total College Sports effort (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
NUMBERS GAME: L.A.-based sports simulation outfit AccuScore has launched a public beta of its first Facebook social game, SKL. The game is based in statistics-based sports trivia, and features a variety of mini-games, challenges and extended progressions. The game will focus on college and pro football, and the EPL (Fisher).
