Danni Santana, Author at Front Office Sports

by Danni Santana

Fortnite Is A Launch Pad For The Red Cross’ Involvement in Esports

Jan 22, 2020

The International Committee of the Red Cross partnered with Fortnite creative mode developer Team Evolve to launch “Liferun” on January 19.
At a launch event, the organization tapped three popular Fortnite YouTube streamers to livestream the new game mode to fans, resulting in at least 811,000 views. Results, however, are still coming in, the ICRC says.

Partnerships between brands and esports stakeholders are becoming more common throughout the industry, as companies look to increase recognition with millennials and Gen Z consumers on their turf. But as more businesses attempt to ingrain themselves into the minds of game enthusiasts, they are also forced to find unique entry points that are on-brand to receive the best returns on investments, experts say. Given this mandate, the International Committee of the Red Cross’ new partnership with Fortnite may have had […]

Marketing

by Danni Santana

NASCAR’s New Sponsorship Model Speeding Along

By Danni Santana

Jan 21, 2020

The 2020 NASCAR season is bringing a new sponsorship model, moving away from a title sponsor model for the first time in several decades.
“We see this as a real opportunity for us - and that’s nothing against the previous model or previous partners,” said Daryl Wolfe, NASCAR executive vice president and chief sales and operations officer.

NASCAR gambled that its new sponsorship model would intrigue marketing partners enough to double down on existing deals. The bet has so far paid off, as brands have found the value proposition presented by the governing body to be quite lucrative. According to NASCAR, Premier Partners will collectively own exclusive ad inventory during the NASCAR Cup Series championship race and the all-star race this upcoming season. Partners will also be featured in weekly broadcasts, NASCAR’s social and digital content feeds, […]

Media

by Danni Santana

Tokyo Olympics Kicking Off NBC’s Peacock Streaming Service Sports Strategy

By Danni Santana

Jan 17, 2020

NBCUniversal is banking on an ad-supported streaming model to lure consumers to its service, including sports fans, beginning with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer.
After the Tokyo Olympics come to a close, Peacock will delve into other sports to keep sports fans entertained - namely golf and Premier League soccer.

NBCUniveral’s over-the-top streaming service, Peacock, is getting set to launch in April to take on the likes of Netflix, HBO, and ESPN’s parent company Disney in the highly-contested streaming wars with a slate of original series, movies, and content from popular NBC titles like 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. But sports fans have plenty to look forward to as well, beginning with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the company disclosed during an investor presentation at its New York headquarters, Thursday. […]

Esports

by Danni Santana

Esports Betting Growth Trajectory Mirrors Rise In Fan Viewership

By Danni Santana

Jan 15, 2020

Esports betting, much like total viewership, is more popular overseas in countries like China, Denmark, and the U.K. than it is in the U.S.
There are a few hurdles that will keep esports betting from reaching its full potential in the U.S. in the short term, experts say. Namely, the inexistence of a sanctioning body in the country.

As the legalization of sports betting continues to spread across the U.S., operators are jumping at the chance to offer more gambling options to fans. This includes betting on esports, which are quickly becoming a more significant component of operators’ sportsbook offerings around the world – both with live tournaments and fantasy esports that enable fans to create teams of professional gamers using virtual budgets. One of the more prominent online sportsbook operators in the U.S., FanDuel, is all in […]

General

by Danni Santana

Comcast NBCUniversal Launches New Sports Tech Startup Accelerator

By Danni Santana

Jan 14, 2020

The new Sports Tech accelerator will offer startups the chance to undergo pilots with six partnering brands at launch including NBC Sports, The Golf Channel, and NASCAR.
Startups joining the inaugural Sports Tech accelerator will receive a combined $50,000 investment from Comcast NBCUniversal and Boomtown Accelerators in return for a 6% stake in their company.

Comcast NBCUniversal is introducing a new startup accelerator intended to bolster the sports media giant’s innovation efforts, while keeping a pulse on emerging technologies coming down the pipeline. At launch, the new Sports Tech accelerator will offer startups the chance to undergo pilots with six partnering brands. They include NBC Sports, The Golf Channel, NASCAR, Sky Sports, USA Swimming, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Startups can now apply for the Sports Tech accelerator through May 15. The three-month program will […]

Media

by Danni Santana

CBS Sports HQ Sees Big Growth in 2019, Amid New Content Strategy

By Danni Santana

Jan 9, 2020

CBS Sports HQ more than doubled its total number of streams by 112% in 2019.
Improved programming, in the form of dedicated TV segments and entire shows around gambling and fantasy sports, was a key factor behind the service's success, one network executive says.

After rolling out a new over-the-top streaming service for sports fans in February 2018, CBS experienced substantial growth last year after fine-tuning its 24/7 offering. CBS Sports HQ more than doubled its total number of streams by 112% in 2019. The service also witnessed similar growth in total minutes viewed, according to the network. Meanwhile, unique users on dedicated OTT platforms like Roku or Apple TV jumped 171% year-over-year. “The first year of CBS Sports HQ was about setting up […]

Marketing

by Danni Santana

NWHL’s Marketing Flexibility Continues To Resonate With Brands

By Danni Santana

Jan 8, 2020

Sponsors have found particular interest in working with the NWHL, following a change in league policy last April where it now splits sponsorship revenue with players evenly.
The NWHL's latest partnership with AccuWeather serves as a way for the league to provide real-time updates to fans and teams commuting to and from games.

When the National Women’s Hockey League partners with brands, it tries to find unique ways that those deals can bring value to both players and its growing fan base. The league’s most recent partnership agreement with AccuWeather, for example, serves as a means to provide fans and teams with real-time updates about inclimate weather that may impact commutes to and from games. With the NWHL season being played in both indoor and outdoor venues across markets like Buffalo and Minneapolis, the […]

Marketing

by Danni Santana

NFL Teams Tap Instagram To Promote New Merch During The Playoffs

By Danni Santana

Jan 7, 2020

Since launching Instagram Shopping back in 2017, the social media app has worked with the likes of the NBA and the NFL to grow retail sales using the service.
The San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers this postseason have already witnessed spikes in online sales and referral traffic, respectively, thanks to individual partnerships with Instagram.

NFL fans are known to buy official team merchandise in droves throughout the regular season. But when the playoffs come around, that demand only picks up amid the hope that their team will lift the Vince Lombardi trophy. To take advantage of that, this NFL postseason franchises like the San Francisco 49ers are leveraging one of Instagram’s shopping features to market championship memorabilia to fans. As part of the user experience, fans tap product tags on individual posts shared by […]

Esports

by Danni Santana

Madden Esports League Sees Steady Growth With The NFL In Its Corner

By Danni Santana

Dec 31, 2019

More than $700,000 was handed out to top Madden players during EA's latest Madden 20 Club Championship tournament in December.
The NFL has become instrumental in the growth of the Madden esports league, acting as a consultant and helping EA form new brand partnerships with brands like Snickers and Pizza Hut.

Over the last decade, Electronic Arts has looked to grow the Madden Championship Series to new levels through several strategic initiatives. Those efforts include the introduction of Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) in 2014, five years after the game developer launched FIFA Ultimate Team, as well as new game modes such as Superstar KO deployed in September. This year, EA also notably changed the dates of its four major tournaments in the Madden Championship Series to align exclusively with tentpole events […]

General

by Danni Santana

Sneaker Demand Fuels Nike Earnings

By Danni Santana

Dec 23, 2019

Among the basketball shoes flying off the shelves at Nike in the company's fiscal second quarter are limited-edition Jordans, plus LeBron James and Kyrie Irving's signature sneakers.
China led all international markets in overall sales growth at 23%, amid continuing political tensions in Hong Kong, according to NIKE CEO Mark Parker.

Nike saw significant growth in the second quarter of its fiscal 2020 year, as sales grew by double-digits in each of its core markets. Demand for limited-edition Jordan sneakers propelled the popular shoe line to its first billion-dollar quarter, according to the company. In recent months, Nike has steadily rolled out multiple variations of the original Air Jordan 1 in different colors which fans have gravitated to, it said. “Our deliberate strategy is to add new styles and colors to […]