FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 11th, 2016

BYTES: NBC SPORTS BRINGS IMMERSIVE FAN EXPERIENCE TO SXSW WITH THE NBC SPORTS LAWN

NBC SPORTS DIGITAL “BYTES”

March 11, 2016 – Vol. 86

NBC Sports Digital “Bytes” is a collection of highlights, information and metrics for NBC Sports Digital properties. Previous editions can be found on NBCSportsGroupPressbox.com.

NBC Sports Brings Immersive Fan Experience To SXSW With The NBC Sports Lawn

NBC Sports is bringing the best in sports to Austin with the NBC Sports Lawn at SXSW – giving SXSW attendees a place to recharge with free beverages, lawn games, charging stations, live sports and programming throughout the weekend. Fans will also be treated to a sneak peek into this year’s Rio Olympics coverage, with a discussion covering what it takes to cover, produce, market, and compete in the Games in the digital age. Additionally, visitors will receive behind-the-scenes access to NBCSN programming and have various opportunities to share the sports they love via social media.

Open daily at the Four Seasons from today, March 11, through Sunday, March 13, the NBC Sports Lawn at SXSW will feature Rio Olympic and NASCAR America discussions with NBC Sports executives, commentators, and NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Austin Dillon live from Phoenix International Raceway, the location of this weekend’s big race; a Premier League watch party hosted by NBC Sports Premier League analyst and former MLS star Kyle Martino; and a $10,000 check presentation to the winner of CPTR’D – NBC Sports’ short-form video contest.

Most NBC Sports Lawn activities, including both discussions, will be streamed live on Periscope. Viewers can submit questions through NBC Sports’ Facebook (NBC Olympics and NASCAR on NBC) and Twitter (@NBCOlympics and @NASCARonNBC) accounts. Fans can also share their experiences and join the conversation by using #NBCSportsAtSXSW on social media. Click here for more information on special programming and events, click here for more information about NASCAR related programming, and click here for more information about CPTR’D.

ProFootballTalk Tackles NFL Free Agency

This week, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, Paul Burmeister, Jonathan Vilma, and Chris Canty took over a studio at NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center to provide their reactions and analysis of all of the latest NFL free agency news, which were produced and distributed in real time as 1-minute short-form videos on NBCSports.com and on NBC Sports’ social media channels. Click here to check out the videos.

NFL Prospect Eli Apple’s breaking news Propels the Comcast Network’s “Breakfast on Broad” To Strong week of Social Media Engagement

Last week, the Comcast Network’s “Breakfast on Broad,” featured a key interview with NFL prospect Eli Apple and his revelation about questions during the NFL Combine. This interview captured national attention and was picked up by ESPN, CNN.com, NFL.com and many other national news outlets.

Eli’s interview and a number of other high profile guests, dramatically increased “Breakfast on Broad’s” social media engagement with Facebook reach jumping 617%, and increasing engagement nearly 1400% over the previous week. Twitter’s daily impressions were also up 48%, with profile visits up 22% compared to February’s averages.

CSNBayArea.com Launches Giants and A’s Insider Podcasts

CSNBayArea.com and CSNCalifornia.com has launched podcasts for the 2016 MLB season – “The Giants Insider with Alex Pavlovic” and “The A’s Insider Podcast with Joe Stiglich.”  The weekly podcasts will feature interviews with players, coaches, alumni, front office executives, broadcasters and MLB insiders.

NBC Sports Ventures Joins Latest Funding Round for Digital Sports Media Company Whistle Sports

Whistle Sports, a leading digital sports media content company and community focused on serving millennial fans globally, announced a Series C with funding from NBC Sports Ventures, TEGNA Inc., Sky and Emil Capital yesterday.

Whistle Sports brings together 400 of the world’s most engaging digital and social media sports stars and creates compelling cross-platform content with them that is actively shared and supported by a community of fans and followers. The community recently topped 170 million aggregate reach across all social channels and has been growing by more than two million a week. TEGNA Inc. and NBC Sports Ventures are new investors in the company. Series C participants Sky and Emil Capital announced a previous investment in the company in 2014 during its Series B. Click here for more information.

ICYMI on NBC SportsWorld, NBC Sports Digital’s Long-Form Website

Peyton Manning has retired, so it’s time to put his career into context, writes Joe Posnanski. When considering his natural ability and work ethic, he would have been a star in any era, writes Posnanski.

Ten years ago, Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick forged one of the great rivalries in college hoops history. Rob Dauster goes straight to the source for this oral history of the 2006 campaign.

Before there was Stephen Curry, there was a sharpshooter named Mark Price. Joe Posnanski tells the story of basketball’s current best player through the eyes of a retired hoopster who walked the same path.

— NBC SPORTS DIGITAL —