M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment North America’s Post

In the Air Tonight: The Rebranding of ESPN’s Monday Night Football #NatpeGlobal There are not so many songs in the history of pop music that have turned into true stadium anthems and continue to be played in arenas all over the world long after they first became hits. Being a former radio guy, I could probably come up with about a dozen of such titles, but for today’s regular sports fans that number would be even smaller. Nowadays, almost every major sports event tries to come up with its own vision and sound for marketing purposes; something that could stick in the minds of people and become associated as “that one thing” lighting up the spirit of the game. Very few of these efforts have been truly successful. Most likely, Phil Collins never thought of his 1981 song In the Air Tonight as one that could ever turn into a stadium anthem. In a Rolling Stone interview from 2016, he says: “I wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of frustration.” Certainly, this description is the absolute opposite to what sports anthems are about – winning, joy, triumph. However, the song’s contemplative, soul-searching lyrics and the build-up to that famous hard-hitting drum roll have turned it into an all-time favorite pre-game tune for the NFL teams. In an ESPN piece from 2021 about the song’s 40th anniversary and its impact on the players, two-time Super Bowl champion Von Miller shares: “To make it to any level of professional sports there is going to be some type of adversity that you will have to overcome, and that’s what this song reminds me of, for sure.” Still, In the Air Tonight was not among the stadium hits at the time but served more as an additional motivation and inspiration for the players ahead of a tough game. Last year, the song got a new rendition featuring country star #ChrisStapleton in collaboration with hip-hop legend #snoopdogg and drummer #CindyBlackmanSantana by #espn, creating a new #mondaynightfootball anthem – the tune that plays at the start of every game telecast to get viewers “in the mood”. That cover, driven not only by the trademark drums of the original, but also by Stapleton’s potent vocals and masterful guitar solo, has resonated so strongly among players and fans that it became a must-play tune at stadiums across the league this season. A true music celebration of the spirit of the game, the Monday Night Football anthem marks a milestone achievement for ESPN’s creative and music teams. Thanks to the song which was part of a multi-year full rebranding of the show, they managed to take the Monday Night Football (MNF) brand to a new level of recognition among fans and viewers, while also creating a new image and added value for both the NFL as an enterprise and Chris Stapleton as an artist. https://lnkd.in/dQcGeTQp #MNF #sports #music #tvbizzmagazine ESPN

In the Air Tonight: The Rebranding of ESPN’s Monday Night Football #NatpeGlobal There are not so many songs in the history of pop music that have turned into true stadium anthems and continue to be played in arenas all over the world long after they first became hits. Being a former radio guy, I could probably come up with about a dozen of such titles, but for today’s regular sports fans that number would be even smaller. Nowadays, almost every major sports event tries to come up with its own vision and sound for marketing purposes; something that could stick in the minds of people and become associated as “that one thing” lighting up the spirit of the game. Very few of these efforts have been truly successful. Most likely, Phil Collins never thought of his 1981 song In the Air Tonight as one that could ever turn into a stadium anthem. In a Rolling Stone interview from 2016, he says: “I wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of frustration.” Certainly, this description is the absolute opposite to what sports anthems are about – winning, joy, triumph. However, the song’s contemplative, soul-searching lyrics and the build-up to that famous hard-hitting drum roll have turned it into an all-time favorite pre-game tune for the NFL teams. In an ESPN piece from 2021 about the song’s 40th anniversary and its impact on the players, two-time Super Bowl champion Von Miller shares: “To make it to any level of professional sports there is going to be some type of adversity that you will have to overcome, and that’s what this song reminds me of, for sure.” Still, In the Air Tonight was not among the stadium hits at the time but served more as an additional motivation and inspiration for the players ahead of a tough game. Last year, the song got a new rendition featuring country star #ChrisStapleton in collaboration with hip-hop legend #snoopdogg and drummer #CindyBlackmanSantana by #espn, creating a new #mondaynightfootball anthem – the tune that plays at the start of every game telecast to get viewers “in the mood”. That cover, driven not only by the trademark drums of the original, but also by Stapleton’s potent vocals and masterful guitar solo, has resonated so strongly among players and fans that it became a must-play tune at stadiums across the league this season. A true music celebration of the spirit of the game, the Monday Night Football anthem marks a milestone achievement for ESPN’s creative and music teams. Thanks to the song which was part of a multi-year full rebranding of the show, they managed to take the Monday Night Football (MNF) brand to a new level of recognition among fans and viewers, while also creating a new image and added value for both the NFL as an enterprise and Chris Stapleton as an artist. https://lnkd.in/dQcGeTQp #MNF #sports #music #tvbizzmagazine

PEAK have done a lot of work on the big USA sports this year. Earlier in the year we were working on NBA and more recently we’ve been looking at what happens with the next NFL USA domestic cycle for a client. Streamers at full scale, audiences comparable with the networks, higher CPM’s, more revenue levers, new competition squeezing the options for the networks, timing is good. It’s such a sophisticated model already so growth can’t be exponential but it’s still there in our view. But it's going to be tough if you don’t have a diversified OTT play to go with your network….. While PEAK are best known for their work in European football with La Liga and the recent Ligue 1 domestic rights the team know the USA market well after years working on and with the NFL and NBA rights on both sides of the table including earlier this year. The team do sales, strategy, research and valuations which are data driven, bottom up, operator led. This chart is a summary of NFL revenue by match pack, with some subtle shifts in operator post 2029.

Not that many people like American Football! 🏈 With over 123 million average views, this year's Super Bowl was the most-watched ever, with a 7% increase in viewership from the previous record!! I guess a lot more people love American Football? …..Nope, think again! This year's Super Bowl was a perfect example of how to use social currency as publicity and how personal branding is as important to sporting teams as sporting talent. Sporting events are the new Oscars, and here’s why! It didn't take long to spot the who's who of celeb culture all strolling down the red carpet in Las Vegas last week during the Super Bowl. All to see Kansas City Chiefs' two biggest superstars; Travis Kelcey and Patrick Mahomes. And I don’t mean sporting stars….I mean social stars. Mahomes and Kelcey hold both the 2nd and 3rd spots of the most followed current American Football players on Instagram, with a combined following of 12.8 million. That’s a lot of people!! But that’s not the impressive part…. The real secret weapon is much, much more than that….. …..Try 350 million followers more!! And they come in the form of social media sensations KSI & Logan Paul, who recently inked a prime athlete deal with Mahomes….. And yes, Kelce’s new bae, Taylor Swift!! With arguably three of the biggest influential voices for Gen Z culture all emotionally invested in Kansas City Chiefs, it’s no wonder this year was by far the biggest Super Bowl, not just by viewership numbers but also interest, with fans and celebs alike. ‘Taylor Swift at Chiefs game’ was the top related Google search alongside Kansas City Chiefs leading up to the big game. Wild!! Moral of the story, athletes & sport franchises need to start investing in personal branding and not shy away from leveraging social media, allowing fans an insight into the players' lives, and personalities all year round. Social Currency is worth big bucks $$$. But are we starting to see sporting events get overshadowed by the full experience, rather than the actual sport itself? It seems like filling stadiums with true fans isn’t the priority anymore, the race to become the coolest and most relevant event on the internet is. P.S. I’m already putting $10 on Taylor performing the halftime show next year. #superbowl2024 #superbowl #creatoreconomy #socialmedia #traviskelce #patrickmahomes #taylorswift #ksi #loganpaul #creatormarketing -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey 👋, I'm Jacques, I write about all things Creator Economy and Events. ❤️ Liked this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring the bell on my Profile 🔝 Connect with me (I'm friendly, I promise 😊) 📫 Drop me a DM

The Varsity 1. Diamond Sports Group took a step closer to leaving bankruptcy by cutting a deal with Comcast. Next up: it needs an National Basketball Association (NBA) deal. 2. Everybody's trying to predict how Warner Bros. Discovery's lawsuit against the NBA will end. One thing seems certain: The NBA is not creating a fourth media package. 3. Another swirling hypothesis is that WBD will work out an expensive deal to license 'Inside the NBA' to Amazon, NBC Sports, or even ESPN. But WBD sources tell me that the chances of that happening are so small that it’s not worth discussing. 4. WBD's marketing campaign bombed, and my NBA and Amazon sources pointed a finger at Robert Gibbs, the former Obama White House press secretary who just started as WBD’s comms chief. But it’s possible the blame is misplaced. As Dylan Byers noted, “Edelman’s work with WBD long predates Gibbs’ arrival. And it’s not clear whether he bears some responsibility for this campaign, or if it represents the latest manifestation of the misguided communications strategy he’s been brought in to fix." 5. I know we're two full seasons out. But a good source texted the other day with a suggestion worth considering. “Would NBC use the NBA as the lead-out to next year’s Super Bowl? It makes a ton of sense.” Plus, a prelude to the epic carriage fee showdown between Comcast and an NBA-less TNT. https://lnkd.in/emugbsZK

$331M in value for the NFL/Chiefs is insane and everything 🤯 ... But the marketer in me wants to know HOW MUCH earned media value was generated from this story... on earned media value, lol. Salute, Apex Marketing Group, Inc + Front Office Sports 🙂. We need to do a case study on such a masterfully-timed, strategic release. #marketing #brandawareness #taylorswift https://lnkd.in/eFirNRgE

Interesting view from Peak. But maybe a bit naive in our opinion given the likelihood of further US media market consolidation and the uncertainties over tech platform regulation in the next few years. Safe central forecasts of modest growth may be the least likely in the future even if comforting. Far better for investors to focus on the likelihood of inflexion points - up and down -something you can only do properly if you work on media and tech market strategy and regulation as well as sports market scenarios in our view. Not just a need for a different forecast but a new way of approaching the use of forecasts in a sector experiencing much more volatility than in the past. What Roger Mitchell sometimes refers to as underpriced risk. There are ways to deal with such an environment and that's what O&O works on for investors and others. The past may no longer be a great guide to the future.

WATCH THE BLACKHAWKS FOR FREE! (Also the Bulls & White Sox...) There's a whole lot of interesting chaos happening in the media world right now. More honestly than any one person can follow. But the chaos in professional hockey is especially awesome and entertaining. Here in Chicago, the Hawks, Bulls & White Sox have terminated their contract with NBC Sports Chicago and started their own sports network (named Chicago Sports Network - points for clarity!) The BIG revelation is that the Hawks will broadcast their games for FREE over traditional airwaves in the Chicago market (Tune in at 62.2 & 62.3). For the millions of people like me who have cut the cable, this is incredible news. Perhaps, more importantly, it supports a theory/idea/cause that I'm a champion of. And that is that sports teams need to broadcast to the largest possible audience and reach the most amount of people with a minimum amount of cost and friction to the viewer. With the exception of football, viewership is both decreasing and aging in all major sports. (Kudos to you NFL for keeping your product available and top of mind.) The leagues and teams have continuously tried to drive revenue by locking their product behind paywalls. This has increased the rate of viewership shrinkage, locked out new audiences and ignored the young people that hockey, basketball and baseball need to grow and survive as American demographics rapidly change. So kudos to the Hawks, Bulls & White Sox for getting ahead of this trend and putting fans first in their quest to succeed in the new, uncharted and chaotic media world. And, more importantly, CHEERS to all the Hawks Fans who either can't or don't prefer to pay incredible fees required to have a cable package that is high priced and low value. Now, let's just hope the Hawks can have a more successful season than they did last year. Media and sports friends, I'd love to hear your thoughts... Geary Yonker Justin Kaufmann Ben Eng Tom Long Danny Wirtz Bill Figel

The Super Bowl isn't just about football - it's a showcase of some of the most innovative and memorable commercials that set the tone for marketing trends each year. Our team at Refresh Digital Strategy had our eyes glued to the screen, not just for the game but for the ads that made us laugh, think, and even tear up a little. Here are our top picks: 🏆 Bryan loved the NFL's "Born to Play" commercial. The blend of children's joy and the passion of football players tugged at the heartstrings, echoing the pure love for the game. It’s a reminder of the powerful narratives that connect us all. https://bit.ly/48nyAKt 🏆 Alex couldn't get enough of BMW's "Talkin' like Walken" - a clever twist featuring a celebrity impression that had us all chuckling. It’s a testament to the impact of humor mixed with star power in advertising. https://bit.ly/3UD2yXJ 🏆 Kayla was all about Homes.com's "Launch" with Daniel Levy. The combination of humor and a well-loved personality made for an unforgettable ad, and it’s a great example of leveraging pop culture to create a sticky message. https://bit.ly/49Ef8ul 🏆 Morgan was impressed by the brevity and wit of Duolingo's "Do Your Lesson, No Buts" - sometimes the shortest messages are the most impactful, and this 5-second spot was a stroke of comedic brilliance. https://bit.ly/48mhxZC What these ads all have in common is the ability to capture attention, evoke emotion, and stay memorable long after the 30-second spot. That’s the power of great marketing! What were your favorite Super Bowl commercials, and what marketing takeaways did you glean from them? Let’s discuss below! 📣 #SuperBowl #SuperBowlAds #SuperBowl2024Ads