The Big Lead
Feb
03
The Super Bowl Weekend Megalinks
Let’s do some linkage on this Super Bowl Weekend.
The Weekend Viewing Picks have my sports and entertainment suggestions.
Time for your links. As you can imagine, many of the stories will deal with Sunday’s Super Bowl.
National
Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks with NBC’s Bob Costas about his past experiences in hosing a Super Bowl pregame show.
The Nielsen Wire Blog has a look at the 10 Most Liked Super Bowl ads in the last five years.
Daisy Whitney at MediaPost says a large portion of viewers go online to look up information about a Super Bowl ad.
Wayne Friedman of MediaPost writes that the Super Bowl is reaching almost half of all female viewers.
Peter Pachal of Mashable says NBC will hold a Google+ hangout to after the Super Bowl to discuss the ads.
Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter talks with NBC Sports Group Fearless Leader Mark Lazarus about the Super Bowl, winning the Olympics and losing Wimbledon to ESPN.
John Eggerton in Broadcasting & Cable writes that a fan lobbying group hopes the FCC will call for the elimination of the NFL’s antiquated TV blackout rules.
John says a Michigan man has been charged with illegally streaming NFL games online.
Thomas Umstead from Multichannel News says Saturday’s UFC pay per view event will be available in 3-D for the first time.
Todd Spangler of Multichannel looks at Verizon’s streaming of Sunday’s Super Bowl on select mobile devices.
Adweek talks with Sports Illustrated/NBC’s Peter King.
Tim Nudd from Adweek notes the return of the E*Trade baby to the Super Bowl.
The International Olympic Committee has awarded the Japanese rights for the 2014/16 Games at a much lower rate than the US rights paid by NBC.
Robert Livingston at Games Bid says the 2014 Olympics in Sochi will be the first to be produced in 3-D TV.
André Lowe of the Jamaica (yes the country) Gleaner says ESPN has gathered some former NFL players in a cruise ship for the Super Bowl at Sea. I’m not making this up.
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch
The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre about his recent profile of ESPN Radio Hack Colin Cowherd.
Allison Stoneberg at ESPN’s Front Row discusses how the network’s producers book guests for the studio and radio shows during Super Bowl Week.
Jack Dickey at Deadspin explains how the New York Times really messed up the story of former Yale quarterback Patrick Witt.
Dylan Stableford at Yahoo’s The Cutline explains why the Puppy Bowl has become so popular on Super Bowl Sunday.
Sports Media Watch delves into the expanded NFL Network Thursday Night Football schedule.
SMW has a few ratings news and notes including one on the Winter X Games.
Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group goes behind the scenes with NBC’s Super Bowl production crew.
Jason Dachman of SVG goes into NBC’s first-ever online streaming of the Super Bowl.
And Dan Daily from SVG writes about this year’s Super Bowl World Feed.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says Wednesday night NHL games are doing well for NBC Sports Network.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe speaks with NBC’s Rodney Harrison on the unspoken revenge factor for the New England Patriots in this year’s Super Bowl.
Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has NBC’s Cris Collinsworth talking about the Super Bowl.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says one of the Mets’ TV partners may help to bail out the team from its financial troubles.
Judy Battista of the Times reports on the expanded Thursday Night Football schedule.
Stuart Elliot of the Times says the Shazam mobile app will play a prominent role during many Super Bowl ads.
A rare appearance by Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News in the links. He has his Top 5 Super Bowl announcing teams of all-time.
Phil Mushnick from the New York Post has some Super Bowl storylines the media has missed.
Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette looks at the NFL Network announcement of five more games added to Thursday Night Football.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has NFL Commish Roger Goodell shooting down rumors of more Monday Night Football doubleheaders.
Pete says Commissioner Goodell is firing a warning shot at Time Warner Cable.
Pete reviews the 11 men who have called a Super Bowl on network television.
The Crossing Broad blog says the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer may be on a slow death march to oblivion.
Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call discusses NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVI.
South
David Barron from the Houston Chronicle notes that NBC’s Rodney Harrison may be an ex-New England Patriots, but he says he can remain fair.
David says NFL Network gets a beefed up schedule next season.
Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman says NBC’s Cris Collinsworth gets to call his second Super Bowl on TV.
Mel notes that College GameDay will be covering the Big 12 on Saturday.
Midwest
John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that one local radio show will be on radio row in Indianapolis today.
Scott Olson of the Indianapolis Business Journal says ESPN is very happy about choosing Pan Am Plaza as its Super Bowl headquarters this week.
The Indianapolis Star has what journalists are saying about the city as a Super Bowl host.
Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says two participants in last year’s Big Game will be on NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Cardinals TV voice Dan McLaughlin will return to call games this season.
Steve Walentik of the Columbia (MO) Tribune calls ESPN’s Jay Bilas, “College Hoops’ Deepest Thinker.” Ok.
West
John Maffei of the North County Times says Al Michaels still loves calling Super Bowls.
Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star says Michaels is hoping for overtime.
Jim has NBC’s Rodney Harrison keeping the David Tyree catch from Super Bowl XLVII in proper perspective.
Richard Varrier of the Los Angeles Times looks at the Fed crackdown on websites that were illegally streaming NFL games.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News talks with former Lakers voice Paul Sunderland and lists the 20 best play-by-play men in Southern California.
Tom has more about Paul in his blog and adds a couple of media notes.
Canada
Susan Krashinsky of the Toronto Globe and Mail explains why Canada can’t see the U.S. Super Bowl ads in real time.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog has NBC’s Super Bowl production by the numbers.
And that’s going to do it for the links. Enjoy the Big Game.
Jan
25
The Mid-Week Linkage
I haven’t provided links on schedule so let me try to do it now.
We begin with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who talks about NBCUniversal’s big plans to blanket Super Bowl XLVI next week.
Wow. The secret organization Anonymous plans to attack ESPN.com over its support of SOPA and PIPA. In case anyone from Anonymous is reading, Fang’s Bites is an ardent critic of both bills.
Adrian Melville of Forbes says Fox is hoping to retain the US rights to the English Premier League.
Jeff Roberts at paidContent looks at USA Today Media Group’s purchase of Big Lead Sports.
Funny post. It’s a long one, but stay with it. Complex provides the 100 Worst Sports Tweets in history.
The Nielsen Wire blog reviews the year in sports advertising for 2011.
Rarely do we link to Self Magazine, but it has a story on ESPN SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele training for the upcoming Disney Princess Half Marathon.
Last week, ESPN’s Front Row PR blog posted part one of its behind the scenes look at Sunday NFL Countdown. Today, it provides part two of that look.
Lacey Rose at the Hollywood Reporter writes that current NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner will host a USA Network reality show that will premiere later this year.
James Hibberd at Entertainment Weekly looks at NBC’s plans for the Super Bowl.
John Eggerton from Broadcasting & Cable says Massachusetts US Senator John Kerry wants DirecTV and Sunbeam to pledge that Super Bowl XLVI won’t be blacked out in Boston. Sunbeam’s WHDH-TV is off DirecTV right now over a carriage dispute and it’s the NBC affiliate.
Tim Nudd of Adweek says clothing retailer H&M is trying to put out a social media firestorm in advance of its first-ever Super Bowl ad.
Ken Wheaton at Advertising Age says CareerBuilder is keeping its lovable chimps for this year’s Super Bowl commercial.
Ad Age’s Michael Learmonth has the best Super Bowl ads ever.
Diego Vasquez from Media Life Magazine speaks with two people from a research firm to find out why some Super Bowl ads fail to connect with viewers.
Karlene Lukovitz from MediaPost’s Marketing Daily says Papa John’s is betting on the Super Bowl coin flip to help sell pizzas.
Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life notes that the NBA’s ratings despite the lockout are way up from last year’s record.
Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid catches ESPN2′s Patrick McEnroe firing off an “F” bomb during the Australian Open coverage last night.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell has some myths and facts about the Super Bowl ticket market.
Mary Alice Gill from the Nashua (NH) Telegraph writes about the DirecTV/Sunbeam dispute that could affect Boston’s watching of the Super Bowl.
Johnny Diaz of the Boston Globe says area bars with DirecTV are scrambling for other possible ways to show the Super Bowl.
At SB Nation Boston, Kat Hasenauer Cornetta looks at how small market New England sports radio stations try to serve the needs of their audience.
Stuart Elliot of the New York Times says the pregame show has begun for the Super Bowl ads.
To Newsday and Neil Best who writes that reporter Kim Jones is leaving the YES network.
Justin Terranova and Phil Mushnick of the New York Post report that Jones is talking with a national network.
Don McKee of the Philadelphia Inquirer has an obituary for the late Andy Musser.
Ray Didinger of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia remembers Musser.
David Jones from Florida Today feels ESPN’s deal with the SEC is bad for the league.
Gregory A. Hall of the Louisville Courier-Journal notes that NBC has brought the Breeders’ Cup back under its fold.
The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron says a long-time local TV sports director is leaving after this year.
Mel Bracht from the Daily Oklahoman notes that the NFL Conference Championship Games drew big ratings locally.
Steve Nitz of the Morris (IL) Daily Herald is no longer a fan of ESPN.
NBC’s Michele Tafoya is ending her Minneapolis radio show.
Jon Bream at the Minneapolis Star Tribune says Tafoya has grown tired of a weekly 7 day grind between her show and Sunday Night Football.
David Brauer of MinnPost.com writes that Tafoya’s ratings weren’t great.
Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star looks at ESPN’s College GameDay’s visit to the University of Arizona campus this weekend.
Anthony Gimino of the Tucson Citizen says CBS Sports Network will have inside access to Rich Rodriguez and the University of Arizona during National Signing Day.
Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail wonders if TSN’s Dave Hodge was reaching when he tried to tweet a connection between Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas and the KKK after Thomas refused to go to the White House earlier this week.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog looks at CBC’s dropping of the Curling’s Grand Slams.
To the Big Lead and Jason McIntyre who has a profile of ESPN Radio Hack Colin Cowherd. Actually it’s a very good profile.
Ryan Yoder at Awful Announcing has the Top 10 Sports Media Busts.
Blythe Brumleve at AA looks at CBS’ client stroke for E-Trade during the NFL Today on Sunday.
Sports Media Watch notes that the NHL is getting increased ratings on both NBC and NBC Sports Network.
Steve Lepore of Puck The Media wants the in-game coach interviews during NHL games to end.
Steve tells us where the AHL All-Start Game can be seen in your market.
SportsRantz says NBC Sports Network is using the Super Bowl to get a ratings boost.
And Morgan Wick informs us what the Breeders’ Cup move back to NBC means.
And that is it.
Jan
24
USA Today Media Group Purchases Big Lead Sports
Here’s a story to start our Tuesday. USA Today Media Group has purchased Big Lead Sports. If you’re a regular visitor to Fang’s Bites, you’ll know that this site is a member of Big Lead Sports, but is not owned by the blogging network and fantasy sports company. Now, USA Today has obtained the assets of Big Lead Sports. It has been a minority shareholder in the group and today announced the full acquisition of the site.
USA Today not only gets a huge blogging network, but now gets into fantasy sports. Financial terms of the acquisition have not been announced.
We have the press release from USA Today.
USA TODAY Sports Media Group Acquires Big Lead Sports Digital Property and Fantasy Sports Ventures
MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 24, 2012 — The USA TODAY Sports Media Group announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Fantasy Sports Ventures (FSV) and Big Lead Sports, the largest independent digital sports property in North America. USA TODAY’s parent company, Gannett Co. Inc., was already a significant minority shareholder of FSV and elected to complete the purchase through an acquisition of FSV’s assets. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
When all FSV assets are ultimately combined with the other properties within the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, the digital property is expected to become one of the top five sports sites on the web based on the most recent comScore metrics. The digital assets that currently make up the USA TODAY Sports Media Group include USATODAY.com/sports; digital outlets associated with 81 local Gannett newspapers and 23 Gannett-owned broadcast television stations; HighSchoolSports.net; and the BNQT Media Group, which includes MMAjunkie.com.
“This deal represents a major step forward for us, giving us dramatically more scale and a great ability to provide engaging, relevant content across the entire spectrum of sports fans,” said Tom Beusse, president of USA TODAY Sports Media Group. “The Big Lead sites fit very nicely into our existing portfolio, and now give us an unmatched sports platform to go along with our existing national and local strengths. These new content distribution outlets will enable us to better serve sports enthusiasts while providing advertisers and marketers with a one-stop solution for all of their sports marketing needs.”
With nearly 19 million unique visitors in the latest comScore report, the FSV and Big Lead Sports property provide distinct and independent coverage of every major sport, including football, baseball, basketball, auto racing, hockey, soccer, college sports, high school sports and fantasy sports. The sites include the TheBigLead.com, a leading source of breaking news and commentary across all sports, as well as well-respected sports sites that include BaseballHQ.com, KFFL.com, TheHuddle.com, Baseball-Reference.com, HoopsWorld.com, HoopsHype.com, and many others.
“We are very proud that we built Big Lead Sports into the No. 1 independent online sports property,” said Chris Russo, founder and chief executive officer of Big Lead Sports. “Joining the USA TODAY family will enable Big Lead Sports to grow further and provide a new and bigger platform for our talented writers, contributors and advertising partners.”
“The Big Lead sites have done a great job developing unique, independent voices and distinct points of view,” said Dave Morgan, the USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s senior vice president of content and editor-in-chief. “This acquisition extends our reach and deepens our engagement with core sports audiences, and is a strong complement to our position as a leading national sports property.”
The acquisition also provides USA TODAY Sports Media Group with a strong initial footprint in fantasy sports. Last year more than 32 million consumers in the U.S. actively participated in fantasy sports. Among the assets in the FSV/Big Lead Sports property are more than 25 fantasy games and products, with more than 500,000 active and paying subscribers.
The USA TODAY Sports Media Group encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY, as well as Gannett Co. Inc.’s 81 community newspaper properties, 23 broadcast television stations, HighSchoolSports.net, BNQT.com and MMAjunkie.com. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc.
The sale should not effect the operation of Fang’s Bites unless USA Today wants to purchase us as well. I keed.
Aug
02
Big Lead Sports To Premiere Fantasy Sports Shows on Sirius XM
Big news from Big Lead Sports, tonight is the night the independent blog network gains more exposure with shows on Sirius XM’s Fantasy Sports Radio. The usual disclaimer now, Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned blog and is part of The Big Lead network, but is not participating in these shows. Big Lead Sports personalities will host shows Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays focusing on baseball, basketball and football. All shows will air at 10 p.m. East. We have the press release from Big Lead Sports and Sirius XM.
Exclusive shows will debut Tonight and air nationwide on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio channel
NEW YORK – Sirius XM Radio and Big Lead Sports have teamed up to offer fantasy sports fans a lineup of nightly talk shows on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, the exclusive 24/7 channel dedicated to fantasy sports.
SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio – available to listeners nationwide on channel 87 on XM and channel 210 on Sirius Premier (formerly known as “The Best of XM”) – offers fantasy sports advice and news and covers a full spectrum of fantasy sports, including football, baseball, basketball, NASCAR, hockey, soccer and golf.
Big Lead Sports is the leading online sports property, owned and operated by Fantasy Sports Ventures, Inc. (FSV). The company reaches more than 17 million unique users per month via its owned and affiliated web sites, including TheBigLead.com, HoopsHype.com, HoopsWorld.com, KFFL.com, TheHuddle.com, BaseballHQ.com, and many others.
“Big Lead Sports boasts some of the most knowledgeable fantasy sports minds in the game,” said Steve Cohen, SiriusXM’s SVP of Sports Programming. “These experts have been helping fantasy sports players win their leagues for years and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports roster. Their addition further enhances our channel as a must-have for fantasy fans across the country.”
“We are excited to partner with SiriusXM on this unique programming initiative,” said Chris Russo, CEO of Big Lead Sports. “In addition to our weeknight programs, we look forward to developing special event broadcasts and other distinctive content for the SiriusXM audience.”
Starting tonight, Big Lead Sports personalities will host every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, talking with listeners from coast to coast about the latest fantasy sports news, drafts, injury updates, stats, roster moves and more.
Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM with Steve Kyler
Tuesdays (10:00pm – 1:00am ET)
HoopsWorld.com publisher and sports talk veteran Steve Kyler offers fantasy football and fantasy basketball insight each week.Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM with Ryan Bonini
Wednesdays (10:00pm – 1:00am ET)
KFFL.com expert Ryan Bonini covers the worlds of fantasy football and fantasy baseball.Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM with David Dorey and John Tuvey
Thursdays (11:00pm – 1:00am ET)
Fantasy football talk from TheHuddle.com founder and noted analyst David Dorey and senior NFL analyst John Tuvey.Additionally, BaseballHQ.com founder Ron Shandler, one of fantasy baseball’s leading statistical gurus, along with other baseball experts, will be regular guests on the channel. In February, Shandler will begin hosting regular fantasy baseball shows leading into and throughout the season.
SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio is also available to listeners on SiriusXM Internet Radio and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for the Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and several BlackBerry and Android-powered smartphones. For more information, visit www.siriusxm.com/fantasysportsradio.
That’s it for now
Jun
06
Time For The Monday Linkage
After being in the Massachusetts office this morning and needing to run a few errands for the main RI office, I’m now ready to provide links provided I don’t get interrupted at work. You never know. And with the decision to eventually close the MA office due to the slow economy, I may be looking for work so if any blogging networks want to bring on a sports media blogger full-time, please contact me. I’m available any time.
Let’s get to your links.
We start with USA Today’s Michael Hiestand who looks at the Olympic bidding that began today.
Stephen Wilson of the Associated Press reports from Switzerland where the US networks are meeting with the International Olympic Committee, that in its bid, Fox has committed to airing four Olympiads (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020).
Sports Business Daily including reporter Tripp Mickle who’s on the ground in Switzerland looks at the Fox presentation to the IOC today.
While many observers are already handing the Olympics to ESPN or Fox, John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal writes that new NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus isn’t coming into these Olympic negotiations cold and raw.
Tripp and John have a podcast at Sports Business Journal in which they predict the winner of the Olympic bidding. Their picks might surprise you.
Funny article from Spencer Hall at SB Nation saying it would be bad if Fox got the Olympics.
Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter also looks at the Fox bid.
Over at Geneva Lunch in Switzerland (I believe this is the first time I’ve linked to a publication from Switzerland), Ellen Wallace looks at Lausanne hosting three American networks for the Olympic Games bidding.
Lawrence Donegan of the London (UK) Guardian says there could be a changing of the guard for the US rights to the Olympics.
Anthony Crupi at Adweek notes that ESPN could very well come out on top of the Olympic bidding when all is said and done.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times handicaps the Olympic bidding.
To non-Olympic bidding stories now.
John Ourand at SBJ wonders how high is too high for sports rights fees.
Kudos to SportsbyBrooks which continues to investigate Mel Kiper Jr.’s relationship with NCAA-scrutinized 7-on-7 summer football camps and why ESPN has been covering it up.
Dwayne Dunham at Technorati speaks with The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre about his blog. Disclaimer: Fang’s Bites is a member of The Big Lead Sports blogging network.
Jason Fry writing for the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center looks at the writing for free-writing for pay debate.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell says it’s not a surprise that Tiger Woods has left agency IMG after his own agent left the company.
Newsday’s Neil Best notes that hoops beat the Yankees and Mets head-to-head on two separate occasions.
Neil talks with ESPN Radio New York’s Michael Kay about his YES workload.
Neil says it’s time to go live around the clock with the Olympics.
Neil also reviews the Borg vs. McEnroe HBO documentary.
It’s like the old days when I used to have multiple links to Neil!
Phil Mushnick of the New York Post gives Shaquille O’Neal a backhanded compliment.
Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times enjoys Mike Milbury’s commentary.
David Barron at the Houston Chronicle has a few thoughts on this week’s sports media news.
Ed Sherman of Crain’s Chicago Business wants the Big Ten Football Championship to be played out of doors.
Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post reviews HBO’s McEnroe/Borg documentary. I’ve seen the first half of the doc and it’s very good.
Ron Kantowski of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes the death of former Sporting News Radio host “Papa Joe” Chevalier. A couple of readers wondered why I didn’t do anything on him. First, I didn’t know he died and second, Sporting News Radio didn’t have an affiliate in Rhode Island so I never got the opportunity to hear him. From the story, he sounded like a good host. Never had the chance to listen.
I’m leaving the office now so I’ll have to end the links right here. I’ll be back later to finish up.
UPDATE, 6:10 p.m.: Time for more links.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the sports calendar for this week.
Tom notes that Marv Albert is the latest addition to the NFL on CBS roster.
Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says we must pay attention to Captain Blowhard. I say no!
Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says HBO won’t be putting a Canadian NHL team on 24/7 in anticipation of the Winter Classic.
The Canadian Sports Media Blog is surprised that CBC did not set a ratings record on Saturday for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Sports Media Watch notes that NBC saw over a decade ratings high for the French Open men’s final.
Ben Koo at Awful Announcing can’t believe that Fox is in even in the discussion to get the Olympics.
Dan Fogarty of SportsGrid has Charles Barkley feeling someone at ESPN or TNT would lose his job if Shaquille O’Neal is brought on board.
That’s all.
May
24
Big Lead Sports Names New Lead Exec
This coming from the corporate offices of Big Lead Sports. For disclosure purposes, Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned blog that is part of Big Lead Sports’ network. So we have this press release about a new CEO/CFO for the company.
“BIG LEAD SPORTS” NAMES BRIAN LaROCK CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Veteran Financial Leader In The Digital Space Joins #1 Independent Online Sports Property in U.S .
NEW YORK, May 24, 2011 – Big Lead Sports (BLS), the number #1 independent online sports property in the U.S., today announced that Brian LaRock has been named to the newly-created position of Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer. LaRock has more than 25 years of experience in financial management and strategy, most recently as CFO of 5min Media (which was sold to AOL) and UGO Entertainment (which was sold to Hearst).
“Brian LaRock is one of the most accomplished executives in the digital space, and we are very pleased that he is joining us during an exciting period of growth for our company,” said Chris Russo CEO of Big Lead Sports. “In addition to bringing a unique financial and operating background, Brian has an exemplary track record of success, having managed two companies to successful exits over the past four years.”
“I am very excited to join Chris and his team at Big Lead Sports,” LaRock said. “I have had the pleasure of working at a number of emerging digital businesses, and I think that we have a successful model here at Big Lead Sport — great independent content packaged in a way that makes sense to brands seeking to engage avid fans. This is a unique opportunity to grow the business, based on the quality of our original content and size of our audience.”
LaRock most recently was CFO of 5minMedia, the leading syndication platform for broadband instructional, knowledge and lifestyle videos on the web. LaRock helped revamp and restructure the company’s financial portfolio, and oversaw all business aspects of its sale to AOL in 2010. Prior to 5minMedia, LaRock was CFO of UGO Entertainment, helping lead record growth for one of the industry’s leading digital media publishers, as well as overseeing its financial transition when the property was purchased by the Hearst Corporation. He has also held senior financial governance and leadership positions with Experience.com, MAPICS, and other emerging companies throughout his career. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
LaRock joins Big Lead Sports at a time of rapid growth for the company. In April, BLS reached #5 in the U.S sports category more than 16 million unique users, and ranked #1 in the U.S. sports category in unique users among properties not controlled by major media companies or sports leagues.
That’s it.
May
24
Time For Some Tuesday Links
As the temps reach the high 70′s in Southern New England, it’s time to bring you the linkage on this Tuesday.
In Sports Business Journal, John Ourand takes away ESPN’s arch-rivalry with NBC from the new book “Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World of ESPN.”
USA Today’s Mike McCarthy notes a couple of book tidbits which discuss Hitler references either on the air or on ESPN.com.
Also from USA Today, Michael Hiestand says ESPN’er Kevin Negandhi partied like a rock star when he learned he was hired by the Alleged Worldwide Leaer.
Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly has a review of the new ESPN book.
Bruce Jenkins of Sports Illustrated likes Tennis Channel’s coverage of the French Open thus far.
Marisa Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter notes that HBO will pick up a new reality series devoted to boxing trainer Freddie Roach.
Tim Baysinger at Multichannel News says Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals scored for TNT.
Anthony Crupi from Adweek tells us that the NBA Conference Finals have been averaging just about 11 million viewers for the first three games.
At MediaPost, Barry Janoff reviews last week’s ESPN Upfront presentations.
Marcus Vanderberg of SportsNewser reports that Big Lead Sports has hired a new CEO/CFO. Fang’s Bites is an independently-owned blog that is part of the Big Lead Sports network.
Phil Swann at TV Predictions wonders if DirecTV and Dish Network will merge?
Neal E. Boudette of the Wall Street Journal profiles USA Olympic Women’s Hockey player Angela Ruggiero who is working as an IOC member to bring the Games back to US soil.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell looks at Fred Wilpon’s quotes about his New York Mets that were published in a New Yorker Magazine article.
Darren says the battle over the Mike Tyson tattoo in “Hangover 2″ is not over yet, despite a court ruling in Warner Bros. favor today.
Jason Dachman at Sports Video Group writes that the Miami Heat are providing their own postseason programming online.
Steve Collins of the Bristol (CT) Press talks with the mayor of the town to discuss some of the not-so-kind things said about Bristol in the new book about ESPN that was released to the public today.
Newsday’s Neil Best talks about the new mixed martial arts channel that launches on Cablevision systems today. Cablevision also owns Newsday.
In Fishbowl NY, Jerry Barmash talks with ESPN Radio New York’s Jared Max who came out on the air last week.
Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has two potential NBA Finals scenarios.
Pete talks about TNT moving the Inside the NBA show from outside AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami after an incident involving Charles Barkley.
Greg Auman at the St. Petersburg Times says the Big East is looking for a big payday when its TV rights go up for bid.
The University of Texas Athletics site has an interview with the Vice President of ESPN’s Longhorn Network, Dave Brown.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes about the new “This is SportsCenter” ad featuring the Reds’ Joey Votto.
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says ESPN has named its studio analysts for the Women’s World Cup.
Bob notes that five Brewers games have been selected for MLB Network’s June schedule.
Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times says Dick Ebersol’s resignation from NBC should serve as a warning shot to long-time network executives about Comcast.
The Toronto Sports Media blog wonders if the Toronto Globe and Mail spiked a story from media critic Bruce Dowbiggin about colleague Stephen Brunt’s jumping the gun on the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg.
Bob Bender of Awful Announcing notes that ESPN ripped off TNT during last night’s Oklahoma City-Dallas NBA Western Conference Final game.
Sports Media Watch notes that NBC saw ratings declines for the NHL Conference Finals this past weekend.
Steve Lepore at Puck The Media says Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference Final on Versus did not do well.
Joe Favorito says sports is coming together on Celiac Disease and raising awareness about gluten-free diets.
I think I’ll end it there.
Sep
27
Fantasy Sports Ventures To Rebrand As Big Lead Sports
Back in June, noted sports blog The Big Lead was purchased by Fantasy Sports Ventures for the now famously reported “low seven figures”. As mentioned back then, Fang’s Bites is available for purchase for $3 if the right buyer is around. Anyway, it was big news back then and it came shortly after Fang’s Bites became a part of the Fantasy Sports Ventures Network.
I’m happy to say that FSV has been wonderful to me and the blog since I became part of the network.
In any event, we have news about Fantasy Sports Ventures as it rebrands and relaunches to become “Big Lead Sports by FSV”. Not only does FSV continue to keep its roots in fantasy sports, it also shows it’s been branching out into other sports areas.
It also showcases The Big Lead which has been in the forefront of the sports blogosphere along with Deadspin in shaping the way sports has been covered over the last four years.
We have the press release from Big Lead Sports.
FANTASY SPORTS VENTURES LAUNCHES “BIG LEAD SPORTS” by FSVLeading Independent Digital Sports Property Unveils New Brand Identity“Big Lead Sports” Features Unparalleled Depth and Breadth of Content in All Major Sports; Reaches More than 15 Million UsersNEW YORK, September 27, 2010 – Fantasy Sports Ventures (“FSV”), a top 5 online sports destination, today unveiled a new brand identity. The property will now be called Big Lead Sports by FSV and will continue to provide breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive features from more than 1000 independent sports journalists. While FSV was founded four years ago with a focus on fantasy sports, the new branding reflects the company’s move into all areas of sports coverage, while maintaining a leadership position in fantasy sports.“We are very excited about our new brand positioning and believe that we can better serve our users, advertisers, and partner sites as Big Lead Sports,” said Chris Russo FSV CEO. “When we launched Fantasy Sports Ventures in 2006, we never expected to become a top 5 sports property or reach 15 million users. Given the growth and evolution of our business, the re-branding will help us communicate our distinctive products and leadership position to the marketplace.”FSV consistently ranks in the top 5 of all online sports properties. In July, 2010, the company reached its highest ranking to date, #4 in the U.S., according to comScore.Top 10 Sports Sites Unique VisitorsSite (000s)
- Yahoo Sports 39,064
- ESPN.com 27,197
- Fox Sports.com 25,951
- BIG LEAD SPORTS by FSV 15,420
- CBS Sports.com 14,702
- MLB.com 12,136
- SI.com 9,923
- NFL.com 9,744
- AOL Sports 9,666
- NBC Sports.com 7,845
Source: comScore, July, 2010FSV worked with New York based branding company SME Inc. to create the new “Big Lead Sports” brand identity. SME is a global strategic brand development firm with a wide range of brand building services and over 20 years of expertise in sports and entertainment, higher education and non-profits.
Congratulations to FSV and Big Lead for the new rebranding.
Jun
30
Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 39
It’s another edition of the Sports Media Weekly Podcast and the guest is Jason McIntyre, editor of The Big Lead.
Jason is on for the entire podcast and Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I ask him about how he began his blog. We also talk about the recent purchase of The Big Lead by Fantasy Sports Ventures (as you’re probably aware from the banner on top of Fang’s Bites, my blog is part of the FSV network).
In addition, we talk about the impact of sports blogs on the mainstream media. And we look at the future of blogs and blogging networks like Fantasy Sports Ventures.
There’s no news of the week segment in this podcast, just Jason as our distinguished guest. You can head to iTunes to download the podcast or
to listen.
Jun
02
The Big Lead Purchased By Fantasy Sports Ventures
We learned about this last night in a story by Richard Sandomir of the New York Times. When a blog is bought out by a big company, it always has other bloggers seeing dollar signs. In this case of The Big Lead being purchased by Fantasy Sports Ventures (Fang’s Bites is a member of the FSV network as you can see from the banner above), it makes me quite happy. First, I know Jason McIntyre who’s run the blog for about a year now and he’s become a friend. Second, I’m glad to see a blog do well as in the case of The Big Lead which has over 3 million page views a month. Third, Jason proves that if you provide good content, you will be recognized. And fourth, I like when a blogger gets “F.U.” money. Jason will definitely have that as he will continue to run the site for Fantasy Sports Ventures.
We have a release and you can read it below.
FANTASY SPORTS VENTURES (FSV) ACQUIRES THE BIG LEAD,ONE OF THE WEB’S MOST INFLUENTIAL SPORTS SITESEnhances FSV’s Leadership Position as #1 Independent Online Sports Property in U.S. with more than 15 Million Unique UsersNEW YORK, June 2, 2010 – Fantasy Sports Ventures (“FSV”), the largest independent online sports property in the U.S., today announced that it has acquired The Big Lead.com, one of the web’s most influential sports sites. Founded and published by Jason McIntyre, The Big Lead provides distinctive coverage of sports news, personalities, and media. The Big Lead joins a family of other FSV owned and operated web sites such as Hoopshype.com, the leading independent voice for pro basketball news, Baseballhq.com, the top fantasy baseball analysis site, and Kffl.com and TheHuddle.com, two of the most respected and followed independent fantasy football content sites. In total, audience from FSV’s owned and affiliated web sites now exceeds 15 million unique users per month (comScore, April 2010), placing FSV #5 in the U.S. among all sports sites and #1 among sites not owned by major media companies/sports leagues.“Jason McIntyre has created one of the most compelling sports news and pop culture sites on the web, and we are very excited to work with him and his team at The Big Lead,” said Chris Russo, CEO of Fantasy Sports Ventures. “FSV continues to evolve beyond our fantasy roots into a destination where sports fans now enjoy the best independent coverage on any topic. The Big Lead furthers this evolution and enables us to provide fans with a truly original and creative perspective on sports.”“I look forward to working with FSV to take The Big Lead to a new level.” McIntyre added. “With the added resources of FSV, we will bring new elements and features to the site while preserving The Big Lead’s independent spirit.”The Big Lead has become the quintessential example of an independent blog that grew well beyond its original incarnation, both in terms of content and popularity. McIntyre, who previously worked in newspapers and magazines, founded the site in February of 2006 as a hobby, focusing on coverage of sports media personalities. He ran the site anonymously until March, 2008 when his identity was finally revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated.Over the past few years, The Big Lead has grown dramatically in traffic and popularity via its coverage of sports news and events, sports media, and off-the-field pop culture and personalities. McIntyre, an award winning journalist, has freelanced for ESPN.com, CBS Sports.com, ESPN Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News and was a staff writer at The Record newspaper in New Jersey.One of the sites’ most popular features are its interviews with high profile figures in sports and media, ranging from sitdowns with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NBC broadcaster Al Michaels, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, the Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon and Fox broadcaster Joe Buck and many others. The site has also been a lightning rod for controversy at times, most notably in 2007 when ESPN’s Colin Cowherd was scolded publicly by ESPN Ombudsman Leanne Schrieber after Cowherd implored listeners to crash the site following a critique of ESPN by McIntyre on the blog.The Big Lead has earned high praise and a high level following from the sports media world, and was selected by Sports Illustrated in 2009 as one of the five most influential sports blogs of the decade.Following the acquisition, McIntyre will continue to run The Big Lead, serving as its Editor and General Manger.
Congratulations to Jason and this makes Fantasy Sports Ventures even stronger. Now if I can up my asking price to $3, I think someone may be able to buy me out…….
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