FOX Sports Girls & ‘Be A Sports Anchor’ Booth a Hit at Twins & Brewers Fan Fests

The weather  in the Midwest may be frigid, but ideas of spring baseball are brining the crowds out of off-season hibernation! 

• FOX Sports North teamed up with the Minnesota Twins for Twinsfest
• FOX Sports Wisconsin partnered with the Brewers for Brewers On Deck

The annual fan fest events attract thousands of baseball fans during the off-season, and provide the perfect platform for the regional sports networks' marketing team to connect with fans.

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Twinsfest:

• The event attracted approximately 24,000 fans over the course of three days (Jan. 25-27)
• The FOX Sports North Girls were in attendance to meet and greet fans. They signed autographs, participated in many of the interactives, and drove awareness to their social media platforms.
• Hundreds of fans recorded “Be a Sports Anchor” video updates at the FOX Sports North booth:  WATCH
• Thousands of entries received via “register to win” for Twins tickets, providing the marketing team valuable contact information for their database

Brewers On Deck:

• The day-long experience welcomed nearly 12,000 fans. (Jan. 27)
• The FOX Sports Wisconsin Girls were “officially” introduced to Brewers fans. They were able to interact with those in attendance on and encouraged fans to follow them on social media for information on upcoming Brewers events.
•  A total of 110 “Be a Sports Anchor” video updates recorded at the FOX Sports Wisconsin booth: WATCH

Multiple player appearances at the FOX Sports Wisconsin booth, many were interviewed for the special “Brewers On Deck” show scheduled to debut in early February.

Nearly 1,000 entries in the “register to win” Brewers tickets 

Cross-Promotion:

• Production:
• Twins President, Dave St. Peter appeared on Wolves Live pregame show to talk about Twinsfest: WATCH
• Milwaukee Brewers players participated in a Bucks Live postgame instructional in an effort to preview Brewers On Deck: WATCH
• Social Media: Custom social media graphics posted in conjunction with other informative posts
• OAP:  Custom promos were created driving tickets sales and traffic to the FOX Sports booths

• Web:  Multiple interviews conducted for FOXsportsnorth.com and FOXsportswisconsin.com while players were in town

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Cox: Trend of teams starting RSNs has become "major problem"

Cox Statement Addressing Time Warner Cable / Dodgers Deal:

"With any new network, we closely evaluate the cost along with any associated value it brings for our customers. We're extremely concerned about the rising costs of programming, particularly in sports, and the impact it has on our ability to offer a fairly priced video service," Cox said. "At any point in time, less than 5 percent of our customers are watching the games appearing on regional sports networks. The trend of teams extracting themselves from an existing RSN and starting their own channels, and the requirement that distributors continue to pay fees that impact most customers, has become a major problem." 

Time Warner-Dodgers TV Deal Becomes Official This Morning

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Published January 28, 2013

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Time Warner Cable’s 25-year, $7B deal with the Dodgers will become official this morning and will lead to the creation of a sixth RSN for the L.A. market. The Dodgers will launch SportsNet L.A. in '14 through American Media Productions, a fully owned subsidiary that the team quietly launched just last month. TWC will not have an ownership stake in the RSN. Rather, it will handle all ad sales and affiliate sales for the channel. TWC has assumed most of the risk around the channel and promised to cover affiliate fees from distributors who refuse to carry it. 

FOX Sports South Uses Assets to Cross-Promote Daytona 500

2012 Daytona 500 Champion Matt Kenseth travelled to Atlanta on January 16 and made an appearance on the Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets game on SportSouth, to help build excitement for the upcoming Daytona 500 on FOX.

FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Next/Scout Team Up to Promote FOX Sports South’s weekly recruiting show “The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013”

Weeks one and two of “The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013” (Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports South) saw two top ranked high school recruits make guest appearances in studio. To promote each week’s episode, FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Next/Scout teamed up to spread the word to avid gridiron enthusiasts who follow recruiting storylines leading up to National Signing Day on February 6. 

In week one, five star defensive tackle Montravius Adams from Dooly County High School in Vienna, Ga., stopped by, and in week two five star linebacker Reuben Foster from Auburn High School, Al., appeared on the show.  Hosts Desmond Purnell and FOX Sports Next national recruiting analysts Jamie Newberg and Chad Collins discussed recent and upcoming collegiate visits with the recruits and the thought process that goes into making the biggest decision thus far in their lives.

In the days leading up to each show, the FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Next/Scout websites posted video previews (below) and articles to tease the upcoming interviews with the highly recruited high school stars.  FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Next social media channels then shared the videos and articles linking back to the websites, while hosts Purnell, Newberg, and Collins, along with other FOX Sports Next publishers who cover the schools in consideration by the recruits, promoted the shows from their sites and social media channels.  Videos and stories previewing the episodes, behind the scenes photos from the interviews, and tune in messages from the hosts resulted each week in a swell of online buzz and press to promote the upcoming shows.  

Click here for a preview of five star defensive tackle, Montravius Adams, discussing his bright future

Click here to meet Reuben Foster, the #2 overall prospect in the nation, and 

#1 recruit at the linebacker position

On Week 3 of "The NEW College Football Show: Next Class 2013" the nation's second ranked safety, Juwaan Williams, will commit live on air and is expected to choose between 

Oregon and Vanderbilt. Click here to meet Williams.  

According to TweetReach Analytics more than 260,000 Impressions were garnered for tweets that referenced "Reuben" and "FOX Sports South," leading up to Week Two of "Next Class" and also showed the most shared content came from FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Next messages: 

PRESS CLIPS: 

FOXSportsSouth.com

AL.com 

BleacherReport 

SB Nation

Auburn247sports 

WTVY/Dothan, AL 

ALEKIN.com

AUBURN Scout  

TIDEFANS

SCOUT 

SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: 

A different game for DirecTV

Company was built on sports, but soaring programming costs force it to take a new strategy

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Published January 21, 2013, Page 1

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Floating above Sun Life Stadium during the BCS championship game this month, DirecTV’s blimp delivered a simple message to the 80,000 fans in attendance: True sports fans subscribe to DirecTV.

As Alabama trounced Notre Dame on the field, the blimp rotated messages touting DirecTV’s many sports offerings, from its exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package to MLB’s out-of-market Extra Innings package.

That message is not a new one for DirecTV. Since it launched in 1994, the satellite provider has embraced sports more than any other distributor, seeing it as the best way to attract subscribers away from cable operators.

But that embrace isn’t as strong as it once was. 

FOX Sports North’s 7th Annual "Hockey Day Minnesota" Earns Record Ratings & Praise Across the ‘The State of Hockey'

FOX Sports North, in conjunction with the Minnesota Wild and Wells Fargo, televised the seventh annual Hockey Day Minnesota on Saturday, January 19.  The day-long event included over 21 hours of hockey-related programming.

With frigid weather conditions in Northern Minnesota, (approximately -30 wind chill) the setting on Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids was picture perfect. Devoted hockey fans anxiously awaited the television event filled with highly anticipated games, inlcuding two top-rated high school match-ups, a historic college rivalry and the NHL season opener for the Minnesota Wild.

• 3.3 average rating for all original content televised throughout the day
• 7.65 rating for Minnesota Wild game, highest-rated regular season Wild telecast ever on FOX Sports North
• 5.5 rating for Gopher Hockey telecast and impressive high school ratings
• 249% increase in website page views on FOXsportsnorth.com, compared to Hockey Day 2012
• 90 instant video highlights shared via QR codes and other multiple media platforms
• 6,989 uses of designated #HDM and #FanOftheNorth hashtags, providing a constant social media presence
• Pre and post-event media coverage received through print, radio and TV outlets

*Special guests from the FOX Sports L.A. office braved the elements to experience the day. (Pictured: Mike Connelly and Ron Gralnik with FOX Sports North EP, Tony Tortorici)

  

More on Hockey Day Minnesota 2013…

Time Warner Cable's split personality with TV sports

By Joe Flint

January 23, 2013, 9:27 a.m.

Few cable companies have been as vocal about the rising costs of sports programming as Time Warner Cable.

"What was a minor problem is turning into an astronomical problem," Time Warner Cable chief executive Glenn Britt told the Wall Street Journal just over a year ago. "The ultimate solution is to get that programming on some sort of smaller packaging scheme."

But Britts' words don't match up with Time Warner Cable's actions. As of late, few cable companies have been as instrumental in driving up sports costs as Time Warner Cable. 

Bettman Encouraged By Early-Season NHL TV, Attendance Numbers

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Published January 23, 2013

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Early TV and attendance numbers suggest that fans have started returning to the NHL, a development that has caused NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to breathe a sigh of relief. "We could be hopeful all we wanted, but we didn't take anything for granted," Bettman said. "We are grateful and we are excited." NBC saw its highest regular-season TV audiences (excluding the Winter Classic) for its opening games on Saturday, and all local NHL ratings posted a collective 32% increase versus the same number of games at the start of last season. 

Sources: Fox May Have Matching Rights for TWC's Dodgers Deal

Sources: Fox May Have Matching Rights for TWC's Dodgers Deal

While media reports say Time Warner Cable is close to a $7B deal to pick up the Dodgers' local TV rights, sources say Fox Sports has certain back-end rights that may give it the right to match or object to any deal, depending on the specifics of the contract. TWC and the Dodgers' majority owner, Guggenheim Partners, were close to finalizing the deal late last week. One of the hold-ups was in trying to craft a deal that would get around Fox' right to match, sources said. It is believed that Fox would be able to match a straight rights deal or any deal that gives TWC an equity interest in a new channel. Matching rights would not kick in if the Dodgers launch a channel on their own and get TWC to agree to carry it with no equity stake, sources said (John Ourand, THE DAILY). 

FOX Sports North Cuts the Ribbon on New Headquarters

The new FOX Sports North headquarters are officially open for business.

The staff and production team in Minneapolis made the move back in July, but the new space was introduced to the public on Monday, January 14 at a Grand Opening event.

The event hosted over 100 guests including the Mayor of Minneapolis, the President of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, neighbors, team partners, affiliates, ad sales clients and employees.  The crowd gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony as Mike Dimond formally introduced the new FOX Sports North location. 

NHL Drops Puck on Shortened Season

After Lockout, Questions Abound about Ratings, Advertising Support

By: Mike Reynolds Jan 18 2013 - 10:47pm

With the lockout behind it, the National Hockey League is positioning its truncated 2013 regular season, which faced off on Jan. 19, as a 99-day sprint to the playoffs.

 The professional puck circuit reasons that each contest will take on heightened significance, that every one of its 30 clubs will expend maximum effort as each – even those who might not have the talent over the usual 82-game haul – has a realistic chance to make the postseason.

FOX Planning to Flip Fuel into FOX Sports 2

With 1 not done, Fox goes for 2

Fuel would convert into Fox Sports 2

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Published January 21, 2013, Page 1

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Even though Fox Sports has not formally announced its planned national cable channel Fox Sports 1 yet, the company already has moved forward with plans to flip Fuel into Fox Sports 2 this August.

Dodgers TV deal could mean another sports channel for Los Angeles

By Joe Flint

January 21, 2013, 12:08 p.m.

Get ready, Angelenos, another regional sports network may be headed your way!

Time Warner Cable is in advanced talks with the Dodgers for a deal involving the storied franchise's television rights. According to the Los Angeles Times, Time Warner Cable is prepared to pay upward of $7 billion for the right to be in business with the Dodgers for the foreseeable future. A contract could be announced as early as later this week. This would be the biggest local sports contract in television history.

Sports costs not the only reason for rising multichannel bills

By Derek Baine

There has been quite a bit written in the media recently about rising sports costs, and how multichannel operators are unable to pass these hefty rate hikes onto consumers. Although there is no question that sports costs are part of the story, most media reports miss two other important points. 

FOX Sports Midwest is ready for hockey

The St. Louis Blues and NHL seasons start Saturday, and FOX Sports Midwest is ready. FOX Sports Midwest planned several layers of season launch collaboration with the Blues during the extended offseason featuring the team's new tagline, Long Live the Note.

A 80-foot banner on the side of Scottrade Center.

Banners on downtown street poles.

An on-air promotion and social media counting down the days 'til opening night. The Blues shared it with their 375,000+ Facebook and Twitter followers. 

Facebook cover art available to fans from FOXSportsMidwest.com.

Talent TV and radio interviews promoting the new season.

FOX Sports Midwest's Emmy-winning coverage of Blues hockey features John Kelly (play-by-play), Darren Pang (analyst), Hall-of-Famer Bernie Federko (rinkside), Pat Parris (host) and Jim Hayes (reporter).

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Blues broadcasters eager to get back to work

Fox tries ‘double box’ to keep viewers tuned in during timeouts

At first, it felt like a gimmick when Fox Sports went to the Cotton Bowl’s first commercial break during its Jan. 4 telecast.

Rather than going to a traditional commercial break, Fox went to a “double box.” It put live video from the stadium — shots of cheerleaders, bands, coaches, etc. — in a small box in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. In a larger box that took up about two-thirds of the screen, GM ran a traditional 30-second ad. GM’s logo and sponsor message ran as a “skin” along the bottom of the screen. Allstate, Subway and Dr Pepper also ran commercials in that format during the first-quarter ad break, while Fox featured four different advertisers in the same format during a break in the second quarter.

The idea is to keep fans engaged during commercial breaks. With countless options and the presence of second screens, networks and advertisers always are looking for ways to keep viewers’ interest during ad breaks. In the past, several networks have used a similar format during NASCAR races when there are not natural breaks in the action. But this marked the first time a network used the double-box format when a sports event went to a timeout. 

Ad dollars likely to follow NHL players onto the ice

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/14/2013 12:01:00 AM

WITH THE National Hockey League getting its Zambonis warmed up after ending a lockout that cost half of its regular season, NBC Sports is looking to thaw out advertisers’ cold cash. 

ACC Hires Wasserman Media Group to Explore Possible TV Network

By Michael Smith & John Ourand, Staff Writers - January 14, 2013

The ACC has formed a committee of athletic directors and hired Wasserman Media Group to explore the financial benefits of launching its own conference network.

While its media rights are tied up with ESPN for the next 15 years, that hasn’t stopped the conference from beginning the process of deciding whether such a channel is feasible. It hasn’t had formal talks with ESPN, which would have to play a big role in any ACC channel since the network controls the league’s rights. 

FOX Sports Detroit Girls Dress Up for Pistons’ Theme Nights

In honor of the Detroit Pistons Star Wars Night on Friday, January 4^th, Lauren dressed up as modern day Princess Leia. She took photos with fans and signed autographs at Power Hour on the concourse of The Palace of Auburn Hills from 6:30 pm – 7:50 pm, where she met Billy Dee Williams, who was Lando Calrissian in Star Wars. She was also featured on the video board from courtside seats during the game.

Lauren with Pistons fans at the Jan. 4 game vs. the Hawks. 

Lauren met Billy Dee Williams before the game as part of 

Star Wars night. 

Lauren surprised a family of five in nosebleed seats with 

courtside tickets for a seat upgrade. 

See the full Photo Gallery of Star Wars Night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.