FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 14th, 2017
BYTES: NBC SPORTS’ RICK CORDELLA NAMED DIGITAL EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR BY CYNOPSIS
NBC SPORTS DIGITAL “BYTES”
April 14, 2017 – Vol. 103
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.
Rick Cordella Named Digital Executive of the Year by Cynopsis
Rick Cordella, EVP and General Manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports Group, was named Digital Executive of the Year by Cynopsis for “utilizing the final frontier of media platforms, changing the way viewers absorb sports media on digital platforms and raising the bar for future use of technology.” The award was announced at the 6th Annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards at the New York Athletic Club in New York City on April 13.
Under Cordella’s lead, NBC Sports Digital celebrated its best year in 2016, highlighted by 15,000 hours of streaming coverage of more than 10,000 events, including the biggest digital media event in history – the 2016 Rio Olympic Games; setting a new sports category record by reaching 110 million uniques in August (according to multi-platform data released by comScore); launching new products such as end-to-end technology service Playmaker Media and direct-to-consumer streaming service NBC Sports Gold; and acquiring youth sports transactional business SportsEngine.
NBC Sports Regional Networks’ MLB Offering Garners 12 Million Live Minutes Streamed to Open 2017 Season
Since launching live on April 2, local MLB streaming on the NBC Sports Regional Networks have accumulated more than 15 million minutes, with NBC Sports Bay Area’s coverage of the San Francisco Giants’ delivering more than 5 million total live minutes.
NBC Sports Regional Networks have local media rights partnerships with six MLB teams: Chicago Cubs (CSN Chicago), Chicago White Sox (CSN Chicago), Philadelphia Phillies (CSN Philadelphia), Oakland Athletics (NBC Sports California), San Francisco Giants (NBC Sports Bay Area) and the New York Mets (SNY).
NBC Sports Digital Breaks Multiple NHL Season Records
NBC Sports Digital posted its best-ever NHL regular season for live streaming with a total of 923,000 uniques, up 28% versus the 2015-16 regular season, and 126 million live minutes, up 30%. (Does not include All-Star Weekend) The 2016-17 regular season averaged 21,000 unique users and 1.1 million live streaming minutes per game, up 21% and 24%, respectively, from the 2015-16 season.
NBC Sports Gold Launches “Track and Field Pass”
On Wednesday, NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product — announced the launch of a “Track and Field Pass,” giving fans access to more than 25 major marathon, track and field events from April through December 2017. Included in the offerings are the highest-profile, elite events of USA Track & Field (USATF). The direct-to-consumer pass, powered by Playmaker Media, will offer fans unprecedented coverage — much of which cannot be seen on any linear television platform in the United States — live and on-demand, online, on mobile, tablets and connected TV devices.
NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass,” available today for $69.99, includes uninterrupted access to the Boston marathon, and the top USATF outdoor events, including USA vs. The World at Penn Relays and Olympic Rematches at Drake Relays, the Nike Prefontaine Classic, and the USATF Outdoor Championships. Also included are the world’s most anticipated international track and field events, including all 14 Diamond League stops as well as unprecedented coverage of every event from all 10 days of the 2017 IAAF World Track & Field Championships from London. The “Track and Field Pass” can be purchased today by visiting NBCSportsGold.com.
NBC Sports Gold also offers a “Rugby Pass,” which includes access to every Aviva Premiership Rugby match from Round 19 through the 2016-17 season Final, and a “Cycling Pass,” which began with the 2016 Tour de France. Click here for more information.
Golf Channel Digital Carries Q1 Momentum into Milestone Masters
Sergio Garcia’s dramatic playoff victory over Justin Rose at the Masters last week coincided with Golf Channel Digital setting a new milestone for the first men’s major championship of the year. More than 8 million minutes of Golf Central Live From the Masters coverage was streamed over the course of the week, up 49% YoY, the most-ever for Masters week, and the most-ever for the network’s streaming platform surrounding its Live From news franchise overall.
This latest milestone comes on the heels of Golf Channel Digital earning its best-ever Q1 for live streaming metrics, coupled with a strong March, led by nearly 37 million minutes streamed (+40% YoY) and 71 million page views (+2% YoY).
–NBC SPORTS DIGITAL–
