FOX Sports San Diego Uses Social Media to Jump Start Padres Ticket Promotion

On September 4th, viewers watching the Padres at Dodgers broadcast on FOX Sports San Diego (FSSD) were given the "FOX Sports San Diego Hook Up", an offer allowing fans to buy one ticket to the Padres vs. Rockies game on September 15 (also Jerry Coleman Day at Petco Park) and FSSD would pay for their companion ticket.

FOX Sports Midwest participates in FOX Gives' Project Backpack

As part of FOXGives, FOX Sports Midwest staff assembled 300 FOX Supports backpacks to distribute to kids at Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club’s in St. Louis.

"Words cannot express our sincere gratitude to you for leading an outstanding drive to round up 300 book bags for our Education Program this fall.  With the school year just starting this gift couldn’t be more timely!  The smiles on the faces of the youth you met are being magnified three-fold as the youth and parents continue to stream into our organization for their bags."

Barbara Washington
VP, Public Relations & Special Events
Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club

Fox Sports is Cheering for USC

By Joe Flint

September 4, 2012, 9:31 a.m.

USC students and alumni weren't the only ones singing "Fight On" last Saturday. Fox executive Dan Shell was also screaming his lungs out at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the Trojans trounced Hawaii, 49-10, albeit for slightly different reasons.

Shell is in charge of selling sponsorships for USC's athletic programs. But while Shell's title is vice president and general manager of USC Sports Properties, his checks come from Fox Sports. He is part of a new unit there that as of this year is handling sponsorship sales for USC Athletics.

"Aligning the Fox brand to the USC brand makes a lot of sense," Shell said. Advertisers seem to agree. So far, Shell has signed up JetBlue, Nike, Coca-Cola, Audi and MillerCoors. 

The deals go beyond just a sign at a stadium. For example, there are now "JetBlue luxury seats" inthe Coliseum.

With USC expected to be the top college team in the land and quarterback Matt Barkley a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, it's a good time to be selling the Trojans, especially now that the ban on the school appearing in bowl games has been lifted.

"No question that has helped things, there is a buzz around here," said Shell.

Fox isn't expecting to make a fortune out of this deal. The way it works is that Fox guarantees USC revenue up front and then both sides share revenue after hitting certain benchmarks. Prior to the deal with Fox, USC is said to have taken in about $6 million a year in sponsorship and marketing money. Fox expects that figure to double. The agreement for Fox to manage USC's rights runs for 10 years.

It is not unusual for big colleges to outsource their sponsorship efforts. Prior to joining Fox at the start of this year, Shell worked at the sports management and marketing agency IMG doing the same thing.

However, it is unique to have a TV company handling sales. For Fox, which will carry some USC games on its broadcast network and also owns two local cable sports channels here, the bet is that its resources and packaging ability will be a lure for advertisers. 

"We can do a great job at running this property," Shell predicted.

For now, Fox is not looking to expand beyond USC, but Shell didn't rule that out down the road. "The vision is to grow this together, and Fox can see what they think of the business."

Hopefully Shell's own college, the University of California at Berkeley, won't mind his new allegiance.

Fox, Facebook Sign Multiyear Deal For Content Integration

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Published August 31, 2012

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Fox Sports has signed a multiyear deal with Facebook to create a series of content integrations between the net's college football coverage and the social media platform. The two will combine on a new Fox Sports Social Poll, tracking consumer sentiment on major college football topics each week. The poll, distributed on Fox Sports' Facebook page, Facebook's own sports page and other spots such as the Facebook pages for Fox RSNs, will be shown on air, particularly during Saturday night primetime game coverage. Fox is currently seeking an additional corporate sponsor for the poll. Also, Fox Sports is purchasing some advertising inventory within Facebook, and Facebook is supplying the network with exclusive consumer data related to college football fandom. The two outfits also are developing additional elements, including a fan-of-the-week contest. Financial terms were not disclosed. "We've wanted to be formally connected to Facebook for some time, and we now have a partnership that has a lot of levels and really allows [us] to get into content creation with them," said Fox Sports Media Group Senior VP Chris Hannan. "We see this as the beginning of a much larger relationship with Facebook." Fox Sports is developing some similar social media integrations for its coverage of the MLB playoffs in October, but plans are not yet finalized.

Around-the-Clock Negotiations Continue for New MLB Postseason TV Rights

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Published September 3, 2012, Page 1

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News that Major League Baseball had reached a nearly $6 billion media deal with ESPN had not yet gone public when the league was again embroiled in round-the-clock negotiations for its next media package.

Last Monday, Fox Sports’ top executives — co-presidents Randy Freer and Eric Shanks and executive vice president Larry Jones — were in the midst of wall-to-wall meetings in New York City to try to retain a package with the league, with whom it has had a relationship since 1996.

Fox acted aggressively and told MLB that it wanted to maintain its current deal, which includes the World Series, one league championship series and the All-Star Game.

But there was a new element: MLB had told networks that it was considering merging the existing Fox and Turner packages. So, Fox’s new offer included Turner’s MLB package, which includes the rest of the playoffs. Instead of putting those games on Fox’s broadcast channel, it said it wanted to place those games on its planned all-sports channel, which it is calling Fox Sports 1, sources said.

MLB executives were intrigued. They listened as Fox Sports executives told MLB officials that they would switch Speed from a motorsports channel to an all-sports channel. But to do that, Fox needs programming, like MLB.

So Fox’s bid would be a mix. It would place the World Series and most of the league championship games on its broadcast network. The earlier playoff rounds and most regular-season games, including some Saturday “Game of the Week” telecasts, would be on the cable channel.

Sources close to the discussions said Fox’s initial offer last week was not high enough. The company was following ESPN, which set the market when it agreed to double the price of its package. That means that Fox would have to approach an average of $800 million a year for two available packages. Fox now pays $257.1 million for its package, while Turner pays $148.6 million for its package.

Fox executives flew back to Los Angeles without a deal late last week. It was unclear whether Fox would be able to reach a deal.

But one thing is certain: It is not the sole bidder.

Multiple sources said Turner Sports’ top executives were in close contact with MLB last week to try to not only maintain its package but possibly pick up Fox’s.

Turner executives discussed a structure that looks a lot like its March Madness partnership with CBS. Turner has told MLB that it would put baseball’s biggest events, like the All-Star Game, the World Series and some league championship series games, on CBS. The remaining programming would go to TBS. This would return CBS to covering baseball for the first time since 1993. Over the past couple of months CBS Sports executives have reached out to MLB about their interest in the package and desire to carry the World Series and All-Star Game on their broadcast network.

Both plans would combine the current Fox and Turner packages into one package.

As of late last week, MLB had some decisions to make. It had to decide whether it wanted to combine Fox’s and Turner’s existing packages into one, or keep them separate.

And it had to figure out what kind of package it would give to its own cable channel, MLB Network.

As of late last week, NBC Sports still was in the picture and potentially could bid on both packages, which it would place on NBC and NBC Sports Network. Last week, an NBC insider described the mood inside the network’s Manhattan offices as that of an underdog in the bidding process. NBC Sports has not met internally to discuss an MLB offer in at least a week.

Meanwhile, executives at ESPN, which will carry one wild card playoff game as part of the new deal but has no postseason rights now, have told MLB that it is willing to pick up more playoff games if available. MLB already rebuffed an ESPN offer for the MLB playoffs, though, and the network is not expected to be a significant player in these negotiations.

Big 12 TV deals with Fox, ESPN could be done by end of the week

By Chuck Carlton

Staff Writer

September 2, 2012

WACO – The long-awaited, much-anticipated Big 12 TV deals with Fox and ESPN could be done by the end of the week, commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Sunday.

“I fully anticipate we’ll have an announcement in the next five or six days,” Bowlsby said. “We’re very much at the end of the 11th hour and we expect to get it done in the next few days.”

The Big 12, Fox and ESPN have had an agreement in principal for 13-year deals that would be worth a combined $2.6 billion, about $200 million a year or $20 million per current member. As soon as the agreement is finalized, Big 12 members have agreed to grant their TV rights to the conference for the life of the deal – essentially locking them in place and assuring stability.

The completion of the deal has been slowed by the involvement of 13 different legal teams pouring over details.

The final move for completion would be a vote of the Big 12 board of directors, presumably sometime this week.

Bowlsby also indicated that Big 12 and Southeastern Conference got five responses (publicly identified as Arlington, Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans and San Antonio) for the Champions Bowl. A site selection is expected by the end of the month.

He said his campus tour would continue with Texas Tech on Tuesday.

Rangers Bloggers Click With Fox's Game Connect App

FOX Sports Southwest recently invited a group of bloggers to a Texas Rangers game to participate in a special Game Connect  themed telecast.

Bloggers were asked to take the second-screen interactive platform for a test drive during the game and offer their feedback. Some even appeared on the telecast.