NBC’s focus in the coming months will be to integrate its broadcast, cable and digital platforms, said NBC Sports Group Chair Mark Lazarus during a one-on-one interview at the Sports Media & Technology conference today in N.Y. Lazarus: “We’re not going to push aside one platform for another. We do believe in broadcast television. It’s an important part of the viewing and economic experience.” Lazarus cited the company’s 11 RSNs and dozens of digital, cable and broadcast properties, saying, “The trick and challenge that our team has is to organize them well to compete in a vast media world where everyone is trying to gain audience and eyeballs and clicks and uniques.” Lazarus emphasized NBC’s digital strategy: “We have a lot of runway to grow. When you've accumulated all of these assets, they’re on different platforms. We’re going to build a common back-end platform so people know what to expect from us.”
THE REMAKING OF VERSUS: Lazarus also shed more light on the planned re-brand of Versus, which will become NBC Sports Network on Jan. 2. NBC will have Bob Costas unveil the new network on-air during the NHL Winter Classic. Live programming will serve as the base for the new network, which also has rolled out sports-talk content and a sports business show. Success will hinge on building audience trust, Lazarus said. “You cannot get an audience to trust you if you’re all over the place.” Right now, Lazarus said sport fans do not fully understand everything the network offers: “We want sports fans to know what to expect when they come to one of our properties. They should expect quality production, quality storytelling and talent who know their business and can articulate it well.”
QUICK HITS: On replacing former NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol: “You don’t replace Dick in what he did. I’m going to take the best of what I think he brought to the group … and put my own stamp on it, adding to his legacy of storytelling and production and treating people well and working with partners as the best partner in sports television.” On how NBC will cover the '12 London Games: “Every event will be available live on one platform or another. We’re going to do 1,700 hours of live television.” On the challenges of golf programming: “The big challenge with golf is how we gain more audience Monday to Wednesday. We will do this through daily relevant content and through original programming.”
