Sun Sports Takes Over Downtown Miami

FOX Sports Florida / Sun Sports turned the temperature up in South Florida by “taking over” Downtown Miami last Wednesday, December 21.  As part of HEAT Week, a week-long celebration in anticipation of the HEAT’s season debut, Sun Sports wrapped five Miami-Dade Transit MetroMover cars in co-branded artwork throughout January and unveiled the vehicles with a massive morning activation at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center that reached thousands of fans.

• Early morning on-site HEAT Week event reaches thousands of commuters

• Millions of impressions for Sun Sports via MetroMover cars throughout January

• PR, Marketing, Social Media, Promotions and FOX Sports Florida Girls elements all combined for successful activation.

FS Southwest, FS Houston score touchdown with Texas High School football state championships

* Nine Title games televised live
* Social Media used to 'own the conversation'
* Bizzare ending attracts over 1.5 million views on YouTube

For the first-time ever all UIL Texas High School football state championship games were played at the same site. FOX Sports Southwest and FOX Sports Houston celebrated the three-day extravaganza played on one of the world's biggest stages with unprecedented coverage from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The event attracted record crowds, featured 34 hours of live television coverage, and ended with a bizarre incident that garnered national attention on YouTube. 

FOX Sports Midwest celebrates hockey at St. Louis Classic

* Thousands of fans gather for giant outdoor viewing party

* Pregame, intermission and postgame shows broadcast live

* Event generated ad sales revenue, earned media coverage, team support

FOX Sports Midwest hosted the second annual St. Louis Classic on Saturday, bringing thousands of fans together to celebrate hockey in St. Louis. Fans watched the Blues road game on a 35-foot screen while ice skating in St. Louis’ Forest Park, and were part of FOX Sports Midwest pregame, postgame and intermission shows that originated live from the rink.

FOX Sports West's "Zone Coverage" Blankets High School Football in SoCal

FOX Sports West's inaugural season of Prep Zone coverage for CIF-SS high school football helped fuel one of the largest and most technologically advanced endeavors in network history.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Live Coverage
- 68 streamed games (14 TV games) in 14 weeks
- Delivered all 15 CIF-SS Division Football Championships live
- Championships featured 6 video streams (see image to the right)

- 275 hours of live HSFB coverage
- 137% increase in Northern Division Championship telecast
- Highest rated all-time Pac-5 Division Championship telecast

FOX Sports Florida Moves Into New Home

Monday, December 19, 2011 marked the beginning of a new chapter for FOX Sports Florida and Sun Sports, as the group officially moved into new offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The studio and office space is located on two separate floors is in the center of the Ft. Lauderdale  business district. The move brings the central business operations under one roof, while still maintaining team members in Orlando and Tampa.

Touchdown for Prep Zone in Wisconsin

Football is a pretty big deal in Wisconsin. (note: undefeated Green Bay Packers) In fact, for many Wisconsinites it reaches far beyond NFL.  With the launch of FOX Sports Prep Zone this season, FOX Sports Wisconsin discovered that high school football is a culture of its own.

FOX Sports Wisconsin created content and conversation surrounding high school football during the season and took coverage to a new level for the state championships games:

*52 football games streamed live on FOXsportswisconsin.com
*14 half-hour Prep Zone shows televised
*7 division state championship games televised live on FOX Sports Wisconsin  
*264,000+ Prep Zone page views on FOXsportswisconsin.com
*586 instant video highlights & over 193,600 views via Snappy TV (details below)

FOX Sports West's Prep Zone Platform Fuels Most Expansive SoCal High School Championship Offering to Date

This Friday and Saturday, FOX Sports West, PRIME TICKET and FoxSportsWest.com will deliver unparalleled coverage of all 13 CIF Southern Section 11-man Division Football Championship games. This marks the first time all 13 Champions will be crowned in front of a live television or online audience. Other highlights include:

-Added ‘sixth box’ allows
for five games to be streamed simultaneously

-FS West & PRIME TICKET complement live streaming with

side-by-side telecasts

-Championship coverage
includes 40+ hours of live
action in two days

Coverage begins this Friday at 6:30PM PT with the "High School Spotlight Live" pre-game show. Online games can be viewed across the country here or via an iPhone or iPad device here. 

Minnesotans Go “Wild” for the FOX Sports North Girls

Fans in Minnesota are going “wild” for the FOX Sports North Girls…literally, Minnesota Wild fans love Jenny and Paige.  The FOX Sports North Girls have only been around for six weeks, but are already getting a lot of attention from both fans and team partners.

*Special appearance requests from Minnesota Wild including recent “Let’s Play Hockey” announcement in front of 17,500+ fans

*Closing in on 2,000 Facebook fans and 1,500 Twitter followers

*Multiple appearances on FOX Sports North pre- and post-game shows 

*Photo gallery top viewed page on FOXSportsNorth.com in November

FOX Sports Detroit Joins Hockey World in Salute of Red Wings Announcer

Prestigious NHL broadcasting award won by popular Red Wings analyst Mickey Redmond was shared with fans via:

* Long form interviews

* Devoted Facebook page

* Personalized web "greetings"
* Devoted WINGSPAN episode 

FOX Sports Detroit's Mickey Redmond -- a fixture as analyst on Red Wings telecasts for 26 years (the last 15 on FS Detroit) -- received the prestigious Foster Hewitt Memorial Award on Nov. 14 as part of the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction festivities.

HS Football Player Kicks His Way Past Disability: FOX Sports Ohio Tells the Story

While preparing to televise its final H.S. football game of 2011 between Eastlake North and Willoughby South, FOX Sports Ohio learned of Eastlake North's place kicker, Anthony Bagliano. 

FOXSportsOhio.com's story that ran on MSN's main carousel packaged the human interest story with a video and photo gallery  less than 24 hours prior to the live game. This is a great example of production and web teams working together to tell an inspirational story. 

*The feature by Sam Amico was the 2nd-highest viewed in the month, drawing more than 30X the audience of a typical front-page article. 

*The photo gallery was the 2nd-most visited in October, earning 8X the page views of the next-highest gallery. 

*FOX Sports Ohio’s high school producer Jeff Platz put together a special video feature  that aired during FOX Sports Ohio’s live telecast of the game as well as on FOXSportsOhio.com. This video had the most hits of any RSN's site during the month of October.

*Despite being a battle of unranked teams, the Thursday streaming (run in parallel with live telecast) registered 3X the viewership of the previous three weeks, and was the 3rd most viewed video stream of the entire season. 

FOX Sports West Partners with Ford Dealer for Local Food Drive, Pep Rally

To capitalize on high school football rivalry week in Southern California, FOX Sports West - in conjunction with season sponsors, Southern California Ford Dealers and Farmer John - hosted the inaugural "Spirit of Giving" pep rally to drum-up anticipation for the CIF-Southern Section Football Game of the Week: featuring Valencia and Hart high schools.

• 3-hour event hosted at Power Ford of Valencia Dealership
  
  
• Charitable component generated $26,000 in food donations for local food bank
  
  
• Respective cheer, dance, hip-hop teams & drumlines performed
  
  
• Farmer John served up hot dogs

FOX Sports North Takes Community Partnership to a New Level

The employees at FOX Sports North are proud of their ongoing community efforts. Earlier this year, FOX Sports North developed a relationship with Feed My Starving Children after the tsunami hit Japan in March. 


FOX Sports North teamed up with the Minnesota Twins and Japanese infielder, Tsuyoshi Nishioka to raise awareness about those in need of food in Japan. From there, FOX Sports North took its relationship with Feed My Starving Children to the next level with a three-month campaign which opened doors to other opportunities.

• Promotion and Education Across All FOX Sports North Platforms
• Employee involvement
• Mike Dimond Travels to Haiti
• Awarded Board of Governor’s Emmy

FOX Sports Ohio's "Countdown to Face Off" Builds Excitement for Blue Jackets Season

In preparation for Columbus Blue Jackets season, FOX Sports Ohio launched a preseason promotional campaign, “Countdown to Face Off,” to create excitement for the upcoming season.

Highlights include:
*Special preseason programs, including a Summer Tour show shot in Canada
*Fans selected Showcase Games via voting on FOXSportsOhio.com
*Marketing campaign including player profile spots, tune-in spots, digital advertising, & on-site events
*Social media promotion resulting in 10% increase in FOX Sports Ohio Facebook fans
*Hour-long live pregame show Opening Night on the arena plaza & pregame party

FOX Sports Girls Concept Now Launched in Five Regions; Web Traffic Surges from Girls' Content in Detroit

FOX Sports North's Paige and Jenny joined the team this past weekend. 

• FOX Sports North and FOX Sports Florida Join FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports Arizona, and FOX Sports Midwest with Fan Ambassador Initiative

• FOX Sports Detroit Girls On Pace to Provide Most-Viewed Content on FOXSportsDetroit.com for Third Consecutive Month, Enhancing Value of Digital Platform; Monthly Page Views Could Approach 3 Million

• FOX Sports Girls Engage Directly with Fans Through Social Media and Live Appearances at Fan Fests and Pep Rallies

• Initiative Helps to Strengthen FSN's Connection with Local Fans, While Encouraging Passion for Hometown Teams

The newest additions to the roster-- FOX Sports Florida's Meghan, Annilie, and Jordana  take care of the Panthers' littlest fan at the team's home opener this past weekend.

FOX Sports Midwest's Aimee and Jessica pose with a happy young Blues fan.

FOX Sports Detroit's Allison (left) and Lauren (middle) rally with fans at the tailgate at Saturday's Michigan vs. Michigan State game at Spartan Stadium

FOX Sports Arizona's Mallory (l.) and Danielle (r.) rally with a family of Sun Devils fans prior to ASU's Oct. 1 game vs. Oregon State. 

FOXSportsFlorida.com Shatters One-Day Traffic Records

No NBA? No problem! FOXSportsFlorida.com had a banner day yesterday eclipsing previous record one-day numbers of monthly uniques and page views by 150% and 147%, respectively.
  
Buoyed by the heads-up writing efforts of web producer Sam Gardner, three articles made it to MSN in one 24 hour period.

FOXSportsOhio.com Celebrates Record Month for Web Traffic

FOXSportsOhio.com had a record September despite the lack of performance by major Ohio teams.

• Showed that we can generate significant traffic by jumping on news rather than simply covering games.

• Set new traffic record for monthly unique visitors and page views: achieved largest number of unique visitors in a day, surpassing previous high by 17%.

• Views exceeded unique visitors, indicating visitors were returning to the page or flipping through comments to take part in the conversation.

• The additional discussion has led to a 30% increase in pages viewed per visit over the last five months vs. the first four months of the year.  

FSN Uses Social Media to Ignite MLB Playoff Fever

With FSN having 6 of 8 teams playing in the postseason, there was an opportunity to use social media to engage local fans and create and drive the conversation around the MLB division series.

Highlights:


* Thousands of responses from fans on Facebook and Twitter, including comments, "Likes," replies, and re-tweets.


* The use of rivalry hashtags on Twitter (#BeatMIL, #BeatAZ, #BeatTB, #BeatTX, etc) that galvanized fans and bubbled up to trending topics in Milwaukee, Dallas, and Tampa.


* Live chats with talent on the web and Facebook


* Behind-the-scenes photos and video posted by personnel on site and shared with fans.

FOX Sports North Earns 10 Emmys, Including Night’s Highest Honor

The Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) hosted the Emmy awards on Saturday, September 24 in Minneapolis. Each of the awards presented to FOX Sports North represents the passion and dedication shown by the staff at the regional sports network.

• FOX Sports North awarded 10 Emmys

• Received night’s “top honor,” the Board of Governor’s Emmy, recognizing excellence in community partnerships where broadcasters and their partners work together to educate, inform, and improve our community.

A recap of FOX Sports North Emmy’s outlined below:

Cards set all time FOX Sports Midwest ratings record

* Ratings soar: Wednesday’s Cardinals game was the highest-rated event ever on FOX Sports Midwest and the highest-rated MLB game on any RSN this year.

* Coverage captivates: FOX Sports Midwest cameras capture players' live reaction to Braves loss and clubhouse celebration.

* Fans engaged via social media: Hundreds of fans tweeted the postgame show; photos garnered thousands of views.

Brewers Clinch: FOX Sports Wisconsin Joins the Celebration

When the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central Division on Friday evening, it was the first Division Championship for the team since 1982 and FOX Sports Wisconsin played a major role in the excitement and owned the conversation both on-air and online:

* On-Air:  Stellar ratings for the game and 90-minute postgame

* Local web traffic soars: triple-digit boost after MSN.com links to stories

* Fan engaged through social media: thousands of “likes” and comments recorded via Facebook and Twitter

FOX Sports North Honors Military with “Operation Home Base” – 7 Week Campaign

In support of the First Lady’s national “Joining Forces” campaign, FOX Sports North launched a seven-week campaign in August, designed to pay tribute to local military. FOX Sports North also encouraged fans to show their support of the troops by sending “messages of thanks.” The finale aired on the ten year anniversary of September 11.

The seven week campaign was presented by Miller High Life and included the following:

• Eight military themed broadcasts from eight different locations in the FOX Sports North region

• Finale on Sunday, September 11 with a special tribute from the Minnesota National Guard Headquarters, the Minnesota State Capital and from a National Guard base in Kuwait.
• Numerous “messages of thanks” recorded by Twins players and coaches
• Endorsements by the Minnesota Governor, North Dakota Governor and celebrity Josh Duhamel

Operation Home Base was embraced across multiple platforms. FOX Sports North departments worked together to make the military tribute a success, highlights from each week of the campaign are outlined below.

FOX Sports Southwest Raises $156,000 for Shannon Stone Memorial Fund

In-game auction exceeds expectations, raising more than $156,000

FSSW works with team partners & sponsors to donate auction items

Fans bid on one-of-a-kind sports & entertainment packages

Texas Rangers baseball fans stepped up to the plate when FOX Sports Southwest hosted a special benefit during a recent Rangers telecast to raise funds for the Shannon Stone Memorial Fund established by the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation in honor of a local Texas firefighter who passed away from injuries suffered in a tragic accident this summer at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The on-line auction was a resounding success and exceeded the network’s expectations by raising $156,375.

FOX Sports North Connects with Thousands at the Minnesota State Fair

If it’s “Minnesotan,” chances are you’ll find it at the Minnesota State Fair- which is exactly why FOX Sports North had a major presence at this year’s “Great Minnesota Get-Together,” Aug. 26-Sept. 1.

FOX Sports North has had a presence at the Fair for the past seven years, but stepped it up a notch this year by acquiring a new building in a prime location. With a few renovations, thousands of giveaways and the time and energy of many employees, FOX Sports North was able to connect with thousands of Minnesotans in a new way:

·         Recorded over 700 “Be a Sports Anchor” updates

·         Handed out over 6,000 giveaways & 25,000 team pocket schedules

·         Over 6,000 people registered to win “Hometown Team” team tickets

·         Hosted first ever State Fair viewing party  

·         Promoted events across multiple platforms

FOXSportsWest.com Opens New Playbook for HS Football in SoCal

FOXSportsWest.com unveiled the highly anticipated PREP ZONE and PREP ZONE LIVE platforms last Friday, garnering over 20,000 combined page views and 16,000 SnappyTV views from 57 clipped highlights.


As the PREP ZONE rolls out across the regions, FOXSportsWest.com brought an especially unique perspective to Southern California by featuring four live streaming games plus an integrated host channel simultaneously. In total, 60 streamed games and 17 televised games will provide SoCal fans with more HS football coverage this season than ever before including:



- A diverse schedule featuring both powerhouses and lesser-known schools including Avalon High on Catalina Island

- Integrated host channel mirrors the look and feel of the NFL's Red Zone, providing fans with the best action of the night


- Additionally, a relaunched high school webpage, dedicated eNewsletter, marketing street team, social media engagement, cross promotion and media coverage enhanced the launch.

FOX Sports Ohio’s “Web Minutes” Become a Reds Pregame Staple

As the Cincinnati Reds began their 2011 season, FOX Sports Ohio prepared to launch a new segment in Reds Live Pregame Show, “Web Minutes”. Running every game since Reds Opening Day, this quick-hitting pre-game segment features a snapshot of the day’s hottest news, available only on FOXSportsOhio.com.

FOX Sports Ohio Expands High School Football Coverage

FOX Sports Ohio expands high school football coverage with 36 games state-wide & successfully launches Prep Zone.

*High School Football Game of the Week features 12 games on FSOhio & FOXSportsOhio.com

• Week 1 boasts national game, competitive rating & sellout crowd 

*FOX Sports Prep Zone features 24 additional games produced exclusively on FOXSportsOhio.com

• Week 1 streamed 5 games & featured clip sharing via Snappy TV

Prep Zone: Experiencing High School Football Like Never Before

* Four Games Live Streamed on FOXsportswisconsin.com Every Week

* Viewers Can Share Instant Video Highlights via Email, Facebook, Twitter, & Mobile

* Other Regions to Launch Prep Zone Including FS North, FS West, FS Ohio, and FS Detroit

Friday Night Lights: FOX Sports Southwest Style

* FOX Sports Southwest Expands High School Football Coverage with 6-Hour Friday Night Programming Block

* "HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRIDAY" to Feature Red Zone-Style Scoring Highlights from Around the State


* FOX Sports Houston to Live Stream 12 Games Starting Tonight



This Friday night, FOX Sports Southwest will launch one of the most comprehensive blocks of high school football programming ever developed. FOX Sports Southwest and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine, two of the most recognized brands for Texas high school football coverage, are joining forces to own high school football coverage with six consecutive hours of live programming each Friday night.

FOX Sports North Gets Social: Twins Host "Social Media Night" to Connect with Fans

• Hundreds of new @fsnorth Twitter followers
• Tweets scrolled at the bottom of TV screen via Tweetcaster technology
• #Tfans a trending local topic, many posts included #FSNpost

• Twins open "Social Media Deck" at Target Field 

The topic of conversation during last Friday’s Twins vs. Yankees game on FOX Sports North: #Tfans.  #TFans, short for “Twins fans,” was identified as a hashtag for Twins fans looking to join the live social media conversation.
FOX Sports North teamed up with the Twins to host some of the Twin Cities most influential bloggers/”tweeps” at the game on the Twins private deck. With fans joining the conversation at home via the broadcast and the support of the Twitter-ers at the ballpark, Social Media Night was a great success.

FOX Sports North's Topic of Conversation: 600 Home Runs for Thome

A historic milestone that only a select few have ever and will ever reach: 600 home runs. FOX Sports North had the privilege of televising Monday evening’s Twins vs. Detroit game and Jim Thome’s 600^th home run. The network captured the momentous occasion and shared it with baseball fans near and far across multiple platforms.

·      Significant increase in TV ratings after the 600^th home run was hit

·      Exclusive postgame interview with Thome and his father as well as impressive “Congratulations Thome” videos from Hank Aaron and Willie Mays

·      A drastic increase in unique visitors at FOXsportsnorth.com  

·      Extended social media coverage, with hundreds of comments and feedback recorded

FS Arizona Inspires the Human Hashtag: Using Twitter to Spark a Trend

As the Arizona Diamondbacks battle the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West, FOX Sports Arizona is using the Twitter world to increase local excitement and get more people talking (and tweeting) about the team and its telecasts.

FSN Descends on College Football Media Days

* FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Southwest, and FOX Sports West create an abundance of multi-media content for SEC, ACC, Big 12, C-USA, and Pac-12 media days


* RSN websites offer dedicated conference web pages to house video content, photo galleries, and more (FS South SEC, FS South ACC, FS SW Big 12, FS SW C-USA, FS West Pac-12)
SEC

Big 12

Pac-12

FOX Sports Southwest Fan Express Connects with Outer Market Viewers

* VIP Luxury Bus Transports Fans to Rangers Games

* Promotion offered to Radio Stations in Texas Rangers Radio Network

When the Texas Rangers were looking for ways to take advantage of last season's first-ever trip to the World Series to grow their fan base, they turned to long-time television partner FOX Sports Southwest for assistance.

FS Southwest Sr. VP/GM Jon Heidtke and Marketing Director Mary Hyink put their creative minds to work during the offseason and developed a successful promotion that is attracting fans from the team's outer markets. The FOX Sports Southwest Fan Express, a 56-passenger VIP luxury coach wrapped in full-scale Rangers player images, is transporting fans from across the Southwest to and from Arlington during the 2011 season.