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The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network: Ron Artest Plans to Interview Brawl Instigator
The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network: Stanley Cup Final Game 5 "Instant Classic" Garners Huge Ratings. 79% Higher Than Last Year
Sports Bash: NASCAR.COM and TNT Launch ‘RaceBuddy’ to Provide Multiplatform Race Experience
Ron Artest Plans to Interview Brawl Instigator
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
Sacramento Kings’ forward Ron Artest has recently created his own personal segment on KHTK, a local radio station in Sacramento. He calls it “Radio Ron-Ron”, and uses this platform to discuss any and all hot topics. He tested his interview skills with Kings’ center Spencer Hawes last week, and is scheduled to interview ESPN’s Marc Stein next week. After that, he plans to interview John Green – the Detroit fan who threw a cup of beer at Artest during the “Malice at the Palace” brawl in 2004. As reported by the Sacramento Bee: Apparently, Green has already been tracked down and appears to be on board with ...
'80s Flashback: Celtics Beat Pistons, Will Meet Lakers in Finals
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
Paul Pierce scored a very efficient 27 points (shooting 8-12 from the field and 10-13 from the free throw line) as the Boston Celtics rallied from a 70-60 fourth quarter deficit to beat the Detroit Pistons 89-81 in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics will face the L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals in a matchup of the two most storied franchises in league history. Ray Allen added 17 points and six rebounds; he did most of his damage in the first quarter but in these tight, defensive struggles every point counts. Kevin Garnett got off to a woeful start, making just 2 of his first 10 field goal attempts, but he anchored Boston's defense ...
Joe Axelson, Former NBA Exec That Helped Move Kings, Dead at Age 80
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
Joe Axelson, the former front office executive and general manager, first for the Cincinnati Royals, and then remained with the franchise when it moved to Kansas City-Omaha, where they became the Kings, and then traveled to the West Coast to Sacramento, has died at the age of 80. Cause of death has not yet been determined. As reported by The AP: Over his career with the Royals-Kings franchise, he was responsible for some controversial trades, including swapping Oscar Robertson to Milwaukee in 1970 after Robertson squabbled with coach Bob Cousy and asked to leave Cincinnati. The Royals had ...
TNT's NBA Playoff Coverage Sees 14% Increase From Year Prior
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
Turner Network Television (TNT) claimed victory with its 2008 NBA Playoffs coverage which featured 41 games in 40 nights that averaged a 2.6 US rating (2,943,000 households), up 14 percent in average total viewers (3,801,000) over the 43 games the year prior. ...
Ad Sales May Increase for NBA Finals on ABC
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC and ESPN, may boost ad sales from their broadcast of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, according to a UBS Securities LLC analyst. As reported by the Bloomberg News: Playoff ratings this season are 31 percent higher than last year on ABC and 28 percent higher on ESPN, analyst Michael Morris wrote today in a report. Ratings gains will bolster ESPN, which gets the ad sales, ABC and its Los Angeles station KABC, he wrote. The four most recent finals featuring the Lakers had an average 11.4 rating, almost double that of the 2007 finals between the San ...
Stanley Cup Final Game 5 "Instant Classic" Garners Huge Ratings. 79% Higher Than Last Year
The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network —
Last night's Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, a game on NBC earned a 4.3 overnight rating and an 8 share (8 p.m.-12:45 a.m. ET), the best overnight rating for a Stanley Cup Final Game 5 in six years (2002 - Carolina-Detroit, 4.5/8) and the best for an NHL game on NBC since NBC reacquired the NHL in 2004. The rating, which peaked at a 5.8/10 from 11-11:30, was up 79 percent over last year's Game 5 on NBC (Anaheim-Ottawa, 2.4/4). Also, NBC's Saturday night Game 4 coverage captured the night in Adults 18-49, the first primetime victory for the NHL in seven years (see below). The Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 triple overtime “instant classic” victory over ...
TSN and the NHL Reach Six-Year Broadcast and Digital Rights Deal
The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network —
TSN and the NHL have agreed to a new six-year broadcast and digital rights deal that provides the NHL on TSN with more coverage of Canadian teams than ever before, it was announced today by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc. The agreement commences with the 2008-09 season and runs through 2013-14. Reportedly, the deal is worth approx. $100 million, with TSN’s rights fees possibly half that. “This landmark agreement provides TSN with its strongest NHL package ever. Giving Canadian hockey fans more coverage of their teams has always been a top ...
NASCAR.COM and TNT Launch ‘RaceBuddy’ to Provide Multiplatform Race Experience
Sports Bash —
Kevin Garnett, Celtics and adidas to Release Extremely Rare Limited Edition Team Signature Commander Shoe. All Proceeds to Charity
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
NHL Renews Agreement with Anheuser-Busch for Bud Light
The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network —
The National Hockey League (NHL) announced today it has reached an agreement with Anheuser-Busch, Inc. for Bud Light to remain the Official Beer of the NHL through the 2010-11 season. Simultaneous renewals with Anheuser-Busch and Labatt, which markets and distributes Bud Light in Canada, gives the brand category exclusivity and a brand presence in-game and at retail across North America. Bud Light has been the Official Beer Sponsor of the NHL since 1998 and, at the local level, sponsors 21 of the League’s 24 U.S. teams. In addition to remaining the official and exclusive beer sponsor of the NHL All-Star Game, Bud Light gains the same ...
NHL.com Breaks All-Time Record for Number of Fans Consuming Streaming Video
The Biz of Hockey :: The Business of Sports Network —
After Monday night’s triple-overtime thriller during Stanley Cup Final Game 5 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, on Tuesday National Hockey League (NHL) fans consumed more streaming video at NHL.com than any other single day in the history of the site. On Tuesday, fans flocking to the NHL Network Online, and tuning to the Game Highlights Channel presented by Verizon Wireless, consumed 50 percent more streaming video than NHL.com’s previous daily record. The achievement is particularly notable because the amount of highlight video consumed in the wake of Game 5 eclipsed nights when the NHL has had 15 games being ...
NBA's Steve Herbst Hired to Manage CBS' College Sports Network
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
The NBA’s Steve Herbst was hired by CBS on Wednesday, and was named executive VP and general manager of CBS’ College Sports Network. As reported by Mediaweek: “Steve is the perfect executive to continue the momentum at CBS College Sports Network,” said Sean McManus, president [of] CBS News and Sports. Steve takes over the role formerly held by Tony Petitti, who was recently hired as the president and CEO of the MLB Network. Herbst started his career with NBA Entertainment in 1989 as a production assistant. From 1990-93, he was a producer for NBA Inside Stuff. From there, ...
City of Seattle Claims Sonics Have Intentionally Limited Team Exposure
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
In attempt to allow the testimony of Seattle’s KJR-AM radio personality Mitch Levy, the city of Seattle has filed a motion claiming that the Sonics have intentionally limited their team’s exposure over the last year. In the motion, attorney Michelle Jensen outlines several reasons why the media members should be allowed to testify. As reported by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Levy would be asked by the city's lawyers to explain how Clay Bennett's Professional Basketball Club has undercut its own marketing efforts in Seattle by severely limiting player and coaches interviews on KJR-AM ...
Sporting Goods Retailer Sport Chalet Pens Three-Year Deal with Lakers
The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network —
Sport Chalet, Inc., one of the top sporting good retailers in the country, announced an exclusive sponsorship agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The three-year deal will make Sport Chalet the “Official Sporting Goods Retailer of the Los Angels Lakers.” As reported by PRNewswire: "Our customers and our employees have grown up watching the Lakers winning championship after championship, from the great times of the '60s to 'Showtime' to the Phil Jackson era and now Kobe. This franchise is a model of greatness," said Craig Levra, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sport Chalet. "On behalf of ...
