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SBJ Media: Peacock Service Not Focusing On Sports


I know road wins are hard to come by in college basketball. But did my Terps really have to lose in such heartbreaking fashion at Wisconsin? That one will take a while.

 

PEACOCK SERVICE TO FOCUS ON ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMING

  • Don’t expect sports programming to be a key focus when NBCUniversal unveils its Peacock streaming service to investors tomorrow afternoon in New York. Comcast’s answer to Netflix and Disney+, Peacock will spend the bulk of its investor presentation hyping its entertainment programming -- originals with stars like Alec Baldwin and older series like “The Office.” In those strict programming terms, Peacock will look a lot like its streaming rivals.

  • Peacock’s sales proposition goes beyond programming though. Or, as Recode’s Peter Kafka wrote today: “Apple showed up to the streaming wars with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Disney arrived with Baby Yoda and the Avengers. HBO Max is bringing Friends. Now it’s Comcast’s turn. And the cable and TV giant thinks it can get a leg up on its rivals by offering something very different: free video, plus ads.” 

  • The different packages Peacock will offer are unique among streaming companies. It will offer an ad-supported version for free; a limited ad version for $5/month and an ad-free version for $10/month. Comcast subscribers will have access with limited ads for free. So, too, will other pay-TV subs, I’m told. CNBC’s Alex Sherman: “In essence, NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast, is giving away Peacock as a bonus to those who subscribe to traditional television.” 

  • On the sports front, look for Peacock to spend part of its investor conference hyping Olympic programming around this summer’s Tokyo Games on NBC. But don’t expect Peacock to stream anything from NBC’s live sports schedule, like “Sunday Night Football” or NHL games. It is expected to have some taped sports programming -- think of shows like “Feherty” on Golf Channel.

 

 


SNEAK PEAK AT GOLF CHANNEL ANNIVERSARY VIDEO

  • Sports media nerds like myself will love this eight-minute video about Golf Channel’s launch 25 years ago (01/17/95). “Day One: The Making of Golf Channel" premieres tomorrow morning on "Morning Drive," but SBJ Media readers get a sneak preview tonight. It features interviews with the channel’s founders Joe Gibbs and Arnold Palmer and has cameos from Scott Van Pelt and Jim Nantz. The video shows the behind-the-scenes chaos of getting the channel up and running. When he first heard about the channel, Jack Nicklaus recalled thinking, “What a stupid idea. It will never make it.” Nantz: “Any great idea, when it’s first presented, is met with tremendous second guessing, doubt and ridicule.”

  • Golf Channel has been celebrating its 25th anniversary all week. Earlier this afternoon, it re-aired “The Approach” -- the channel’s first show which featured an intro from President George H.W. Bush. GolfPass is offering 25% off an annual membership and GolfNow is offering a 25% off deal all week.

  • I wrote about Golf Channel’s anniversary in this week’s SBJ, remarking that the channel isn’t just a TV network anymore. “It’s a technology company more than anything,” NBC Sports Group President of Golf Mike McCarley told me. He referenced Golf Business Solutions, which has relationships with around 10,000 golf courses in 40 countries. McCarley: “We like to talk about being at the intersection of golf and technology. Anyone who’s been in this business for the last five years completely changed and transformed the way they operate a business. They had to.”

 


VAN PELT COULD SUB IN FOR "PTI" AT TIMES

  • The fact that Scott Van Pelt is moving his midnight “SportsCenter” from Bristol to the D.C. studio that houses “PTI” certainly means that the Maryland alum will become a more regular host on that afternoon studio show, right?

  • I put that question to Van Pelt last week. He talked of calling “PTI” host Tony Kornheiser to make sure he was okay with the move. “His reaction was positive,” Van Pelt said. “Then, of course, Tony adding this caveat. ‘Anytime I don’t want to do ‘PTI,’ you’ll just do it.’ I told him, ‘We’ll see how that works.’ But he was warm to the idea.”

   

 

 

SPEED READS

  • Bleacher Report's footwear-focused sub-brand, B/R Kicks, today premiered Season 2 of its "Unboxed" series on Facebook Watch and Instagram. Kevin Durant headlines the first episode, in which athletes (typically NBA players) showcase the latest sneaker they'll wear on the court. Steph Curry, Conor McGregor and Paul George, among others, will also make appearances. B/R Kicks Director of Strategy John Marcelo told SBJ's Thomas Leary the goal of the second season is to increase viewership (the first season averaged around 2 million views per episode across all social platforms), but also continue to expand the show's roster of talent, extending to musicians, fashion designers and other entertainers.

  • Bellator MMA now will report up to Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza as part of a corporate shakeup within ViacomCBS. Variety’s Cynthia Littleton has the scoop. “Scott Coker will continue as president of Bellator.”

  • It was great to see George Bodenheimer and John Walsh on "GMA" this morning to help Robin Roberts celebrate her 30 years with Disney (ESPN's Chris LaPlaca with a photo bomb in the back!) You should watch the whole touching video.

George Bodenheimer (l) and John Walsh flanked Robin Roberts on the set of "GMA"

 

  • Netflix' three-part Aaron Hernandez docu-series premiered today, with the Boston Globe's Bob Hohler noting the project is "richly enhanced by archival footage, from a haunting portrait of Hernandez’s mud-caked face during his high school football career to an eerie image of Patriots Owner Robert Kraft kissing his cheek after awarding him a $41 million contract." Hohler: "Particularly chilling is Kraft, in an archived news interview, downplaying the dangers of CTE."

  • ESPN's Greg Wyshynski shed light on what he wants from an NHL broadcast in 2020. "I need a play-by-play guy that’s going to be able to not only bring the energy but also maybe wink at us a little bit. … On a national level, Doc Emrick gets dinged by a lot of people. … But when the action gets hot and heavy, he elevates it and doesn’t get in the way. Out of a color-commentator, I want quirkiness and an occasional hard opinion that sneaks through the ‘we’re a rights-holder’ filter." Wyshynski and Dimitri Filipovic on "The Hockey Pdocast" also ranked their top local broadcast teams across the NHL.

  • A producer of "Napoleon Dynamite" is raising funds to buy the sole remaining copy of Super Bowl I. If successful, he would then stream the game online for free, despite the NFL's misgivings. This story from the Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond is worth a click.

  • Hey, ESPN’s Ryan Spoon! What could possibly be so interesting on your phone at that moment????

 

We hope Ryan Spoon was getting an important text when this big play happened in front of him

 




Editor's note: The deadline for nominations for the 13th annual Sports Business Awards is Friday, Jan. 17. Nominations are being accepted in 17 categories. Please be as specific possible in your nomination -- submissions that don’t answer the actual question or provide detailed specifics will not be closely considered. Submit your nomination today. For more information on Sports Business Awards nominations, please contact Awards Coordinator Tracey Allsbrook at tallsbrook@sportsbusinessjournal.com or call 704-973-1566.

 

 

 

 

Enjoying this newsletter? We've got more! Check out SBJ College with Michael Smith on Tuesdays and Thursdays for insights into all the latest news around the world of college sports. Also check out SBJ Football with Ben Fischer on Friday afternoons.

Something on the Media beat catch your eye? Tell us about it. Reach out to either me (jourand@sportsbusinessjournal.com) or Austin Karp (akarp@sportsbusinessjournal.com) and we'll share the best of it. Also contributing to this newsletter is Thomas Leary (tleary@sportsbusinessdaily.com).