ESPN is getting a head start on Nielsen’s new out-of-home measuring service. In other news, TNT has announced it will launch a new Monday night NBA package, and Conference-USA is reportedly adding beIN Sport to its list of partners.
ESPN to Start Using Nielsen Out-of-Home Measures
- ESPN has agreed to “immediately” start using a new out-of-home measuring system Nielsen plans to introduce next year, its president John Skipper said at the company’s upfront presentation Tuesday. The network will be one of the first to incorporate the data into its viewership estimates, according to the Associated Press, with Skipper calling the anticipated impact “very dramatic.” (Newsday, AP/ABC News via Sports Business Daily)
TNT to Launch Monday Night NBA Package
- Turner Sports, which acquired rights to twelve additional NBA regular season games per year under a new television contract that begins next season, announced during its upfront Wednesday that those games will air on TNT Monday nights after the NFL season has concluded. According to Turner president David Levy, who once ran Turner Sports but now oversees the entire company, the current plan is for the Monday games to differ from the usual Thursday night doubleheader. (Sports Business Daily)
Conference-USA Reportedly Joining beIN Sport
- During its upfront on Monday, beIN Sport revealed that it has reached a deal with Conference USA to broadcast both football and basketball games, Media Life Magazine reported Tuesday. The network, which has thus far focused primarily on international sports, has not previously aired a U.S. collegiate sporting event. It would join incumbents CBS Sports Network and the Sinclair-owned American Sports Network as Conference USA broadcasters, as well as ESPN — which is reportedly replacing Fox Sports as the conference’s lead partner. (Media Life Magazine, Virginian-Pilot)
