Sunday, June 26, 2011

Quick Hits: Around the Web in 80 Seconds

Offside welcomes the Team 1260 from Edmonton. I've appeared on the morning show with Nielsen and Chase, and it's always been a lot of fun. Thanks for the link guys.

One more thank you to Nielsen and Chase. They were kind enough to mention that Offside broke the story that the NHL would announce on Tuesday May 31 the move of the Thrashers to Winnipeg. Here's the short clip from Nielsen and Chase.

You've heard by now that the Winnipeg NHL team will be called the Jets. The name will be the same but the logo will change. With fans strongly in favour of the Jets name, this is a good compromise. It strikes a nice balance between historical recognition and merchandising pressures.

On the To Do list is transferring the WINNIPEG JETS trademarks back to the Winnipeg franchise. Right now, the trademarks are owned by the NHL, which took over ownership when the Jets moved to Phoenix. Here are the trademark registrations:


ESPN has reported that the NFL is proposing giving players "48% of all revenue", and that this percentage would never dip below 46.5%. The NFL is no longer asking for an additional $1 billion off the top. Under the previous CBA, players received approximately 60% of revenue, but that did not include $1 billion that the NFL took off the top as an expense credit. According to the NFLPA, under the old formula, players were actually receiving around 53% of all revenues instead of 60%.

According to ESPN, owners still will get some expense credits that will allow funding for new stadium construction.

NBPA head Billy Hunter on the NBA's CBA proposal: "Their demand is gargantuan, and we just can’t meet it". That sound you're hearing is a chorus of doors being locked around the league. Since many NBA teams have lost money, there is an obvious incentive not to open doors until teams have a deal they feel they can live with.

IMG and Brooks Brothers have reached an agreement for a “line of licensed college merchandise.” The partnership, the first of its kind for Brooks Brothers, will see apparel sold through schools like Harvard, Princeton, Cornell and Georgetown. The clothing line, which is for men only, will comprise sweaters, dress and polo shirts and ties. This feels like Dead Poets Society meets Jerry Maguire.

Pepsi sports marketing chief Jeff Dubiel has resigned from the company after 13 years. Since November 2008, Dubiel headed the sports marketing portfolio for the $57.8 billion beverage and salty snacks company, which includes sponsorship rights for MLB, NFL, NHL and the Dew Tour, and deals with Hendrick Motorsports that include drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon (SBJ).

“This was entirely a personal decision,” Dubiel said. “I’ve had a lot of fun and satisfaction doing sports marketing for Pepsi, but after 13 years, I just decided it was time to think about something new.”

ESPN continues to expand the live content on its 3-D network with five “Friday Night Fights” telecasts this summer.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is stepping up its international expansion initiatives, aiming to increase TV broadcasts, live shows, DVDs, merchandise sales and other revenue streams in nations that have some of the world’s largest economies. WWE has enjoyed great success abroad. International business generates about 25%  of WWE’s revenue annually, and reached 28.3% in 2010 with $135.3 million.

The NBA champion Dallas Mavericks saw the biggest gains in the number of Facebook “likes” and number of Twitter followers among all 16 playoff teams during the 2011 postseason, up 156% and 97% respectively.

AT&T's wireless division spent an estimated $366 million in 2010 on sports ads according to The Nielsen Co. Auto makers, telecom and quick service restaurants/pizza are the top 3 spenders when it comes to ad spending. Anheuser-Busch dedicates 80% of its budget to sports ads.

One thing is clear: in an increasingly fragmented viewership marketplace, sports advertising continues to be favorite ad platform for much of corporate America. The top 50 advertisers spent a combined $6.6 billion on sports advertising last year, a 27% jump over 2009.

According to the Sports Business Journal, here are the top 50 spenders on sports advertising:

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