BROADCASTING & CABLE's Jon Lafayette notes the NBA used broadcasts of Summer League games to "try out ways to keep viewers tuned in longer and create more value for sponsors." One technique "designed to keep people tuned in during commercials is what the NBA calls a continuous break -- game action stops, but instead of cutting to a bunch of spots, sponsor messages are woven into the broadcast as basketball content continues." NBA Dir of Broadcasting Management Paul Benedict said that last season, Turner "did a 45-second continuous break in which the announcers delivered a message for Straight Talk Wireless." Benedict: "Between free throws and dead balls, we have the ability to implement six-second ads pretty easily" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 7/23 issue).
BAG MAN: BUSINESS INSIDER's Tyler Lauletta noted Francesco Molinari's Open Championship win "continued a trend among major winners this year: playing with a mixed bag." While Molinari "has an endorsement deal with Bettinardi for his putter, he could fill the rest of his bag to his liking, as he is a free agent when it comes to his clubs." The same "has been true of the previous two major winners," Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. There is "hardly an easier check to cash in golf than sponsorship deals." While that "might seem like leaving an easy check on the table, don't be surprised if you see more players doing the same" (BUSINESSINSIDER.com, 7/23).
BIG BOOMER: Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione said that there "hasn’t really been pushback" after the football team switched from Nike to Jordan Brand. In Tulsa, Eric Bailey notes being in an "exclusive group of football schools wearing the Jordan brand made it a big draw." Castiglione: "It was quite a very interesting dynamic to have the young men and young women identify so much with this brand." He added, "The limited amount of apparel that has been in the marketplace has literally just been gobbled up" (TULSA WORLD, 7/24).
