2017 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards - Results

Anyone who’s anyone in sports media was at the New York Athletic Club on Central Park South to honor the winners and honorable mentions at the 6th annual Sports Media Awards Breakfast. The event attracted a record-setting group of the sports community elite who cheered each other on as they were awarded and lauded in a lively two-hour ceremony. High points included Vision Award winner Michael Whan (LPGA Commissioner) talking about the importance of “passing the ball on to others,” laughter rippling through the room during Sapient Razorfish’s “The Art of the Craft for Dunkin’ Donuts,” and joking from Turner President David Levy, Legacy Award recipient, who asked people at the event, “Is somebody trying to tell me something? I think we should change this award to Network Executive of the Year. Am I really that old?”

A big thanks to this year’s lineup of presenters, which include NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Miami Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross, NASCAR’s Steve Phelps, NBC Sports’ Paul Burmeister, LSC Communications’ Tim Quinlan, NHL Network’s Michelle McMahon, Monumental Sports Network’s Zach Leonsis, ViewLift’s Rick Allen, NBC Sports Radio’s Seth Everett, Walk Swiftly Productions’ Bonnie Bernstein, and CBS Sports Radio’s Damon Amendolara.

Thank you to our 2017 sponsors:

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2017 Results

Athlete in a Web Series/Special/Spot: This award honors an Athlete in scripted or unscripted series produced for the web, or an actor that transitioned from a web series/special/spot

Winner

Red Bull – Blake Griffin’s Path to Musical Bliss | 30 Days in LA

When Blake Griffin isn’t busy jumping over cars, making cameos on Broad City, or playing basketball for the Los Angeles Clippers, he’s leading group meditation classes and helping people find happiness. The goal is unity through transcendence via a monthlong music series

Honorable Mentions

espnW Presents Foudy Does It
Intersport – PlayStation’s Path to Greatness
Outside Television – Beyond Adventure: Flying Swell
SNY – Amazin’ Life: Noah Syndergaard
The Players’ Tribune – Tuesdays with Richard on Thursdays
Turner Sports/NCAA Digital – Alexa Strange: A Sight in the Sand

B2B Program: It’s a win-win situation for these initiatives, which drive dollars for both parties.

Winner

NBCUniversal – 2016 Rio Olympic Games Resource Site

NBCUniversal’s Content Distribution group developed an enterprise-level resource website to support unprecedented coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, adhering to the International Olympic Committee’s usage guidelines and providing MVPD clients with one destination to meet their Olympic marketing needs.

Honorable Mentions

Miami Marlins – Baseball to Business Program
NASCAR – NASCAR Fuel for Business
TD Garden – Business Network

Best Podcast Series: Which podcast series, primarily dedicated to sports, set the world ablaze? These shows took on this red hot genre and elevated the industry.

Winners

DGital Media – Yahoo! Sports presents The Vertical Podcast with Woj

An authoritative voice on all things NBA, Adrian Wojnarowski (Woj) delivers access inside the league with exclusive conversations with sports newsmakers, powerhouse personalities, journalists and experts.

ESPN – espnW’s The Trifecta with Spain, Jane & Kate

The only show currently on ESPN Radio hosted and produced entirely by women, The Trifecta discusses everything from women’s rights, sexual assault and domestic violence to the best athletes around the world.

Honorable Mentions

ESPN – espnW Presents Be Honest with Cari Champion
FOX Sports South – College Countdown
MLBAM – MLB.com Statcast
The Players’ Tribune – The Players’ Tribune – Giant Steps
UFC – UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra – Best Podcast Series nomination

Brand Activation at Live Events: Whose brand marketing became an event within the event? This category recognizing brand marketing excellence and innovation that occurred during a live sporting event.

Winner

LeadDog Marketing Group – Audi Player Index into the Audi Football Summit

LeadDog amplified Audi’s sponsorship of MLS and the International Champions Cup with the launch of the Audi Player Index, a new form of soccer intelligence that allows fans to follow, celebrate and view MLS games in a way they never have before.

Honorable Mentions

Engine Shop – Bud Light Down South Tailgate Tour
Lagardère Sports and Rooftop2 Productions – MetroPCS brings you #CloserThanEver to the UFC
New York Jets – Toyota Sienna Storage Challenge at MetLife Stadium
Optimum Sports – State Farm RoadHouse
Turner Sports – TNT Roadshow at NBA Tip-Off

Documentary Series: Recognizing the quality of a TV or A web series produced specifically about an event that took place in the world of sports

Winner

Major League Baseball & Smithsonian Channel – Major League Legends

Smithsonian Channel and MLB teamed to tell the stories of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams – four players who transcended the National Pastime and left legacies as true American icons.

Honorable Mentions

Big Ten Network – The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2016
ESPN Films and espnW’s Run Mama Run
Lagardère Sports/Turner Sports/PGA of America – The American Captain Presented by Mercedes-Benz
MLB Network – MLB Network Presents
Stone and Company, Crazy Legs Productions, IMG Original Content – A Season With Florida State Football

Documentary Special/TV Movie: Recognizing the quality of a special or TV movie produced specifically about an event that took place in the world of sports.

Winner

Spike TV / Spike Sports – Documentary Special – Kimbo Slice: One of a Kind

Spike TV takes a look a combat sports fighter in this one-hour original documentary, featuring rarely before-seen-footage and interviews. From feared street fighter to globally renowned MMA sensation, he became one of the sport’s first mainstream and crossover stars.

Honorable Mentions

Big Ten Network – The Game: 2006 Remembered
ESPN Features: SC Featured – Pin Kings
FOX Sports Originals – Confessions of a Cubs Fan
USA Swimming – The Last Gold
Golf Channel – 86
Turner Sports/NBA TV – Allen Iverson

Live Coverage of Sporting Event (National): The big game! The award honors a live, single broadcast of a game or match by a National network or station.

Winner

NBC Sports Group – The 145th Open

The task was to provide unprecedented coverage of golf’s original championship, The Open, from the first tee shot to the final putt. Led by NBC Sports’ 30-time Emmy Award-winning producer, Tommy Roy, NBC Sports Group aired nearly 50 hours of live coverage of The Open – the most ever for a major championship.

Honorable Mentions

CBS Sports – CBS Sports – Super Bowl 50
FOX Sports – The World Series
NBC Sports Group – The 2016 Rio Olympics
NBCU Telemundo Enterprises – Rumbo al Mundial: Panama vs Mexico (aired on November 15, 2016)
UFC – UFC 205: ALVAREZ vs. MCGREGOR
Univision Deportes: Copa America Centenario

Live Coverage of Sporting Event (Regional/Local): The big game! The award honors a live, single broadcast of a game or match by a Local network or station.

Winner

FOX Sports Southeast: Celtics vs. Hawks Game 5 of NBA Playoffs

With the NBA playoffs tied at two games apiece, a crucial Game 5 between the Celtics and the Hawks was played at Philips Arena. FOX Sports South’s multi-Emmy Award-winning production team stepped up to the occasion with images capturing the atmosphere of the arena, giving the TV viewer the best seat in the house.

Honorable Mentions

FOX Sports Midwest – This One’s For You — Cardinals Telecast to Troops
MSG Networks – Live coverage of New York Knicks telecast – MSG Networks
YES Network – Frank Lampard Scores Two Goals On Day He Is Honored For His 300th Career Goal

Live Stream Presentation: A single sporting event designed to be viewed online alone or in conjunction with a television network.

Winner

CBS Interactive – CBS Sports’ Live Stream of Super Bowl 50

The Super Bowl 50 live stream gave viewers access to CBS Sports’ pregame, halftime and postgame coverage, available for free for the first time on the CBS Sports app for Connected TV devices.

Honorable Mentions

NBC Sports Group – The 2016 Rio Olympics
NeuLion – UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor in 4K
The Players’ Tribune & Spacestation – Michigan Football: Signing of the Stars 2016
Tough Mudder – World’s Toughest Mudder Livestream
Univision – Premios Univision Deportes: Facebook Live
WWE – WWE Network Live Stream Presentation of WrestleMania 32

Marketing Campaign (National): Recognizing the creative use of marketing platforms to promote a sports-themed series or event that generated higher awareness and viewership for the National broadcast.

Winner

Turner Sports – 2016 NCAA March Madness Live Campaign

Tasked with creating awareness and driving cross platform consumption of March Madness, Turner Sports’ marketing campaign generated nearly 1.5 billion impressions with almost 180 million fans engaged across platforms. The National Championship game on April 4th delivered the second largest college basketball audience in cable television history.

Honorable Mentions

Major League Soccer – Orlando United
NASCAR – OEM Chase Platform
National Basketball Association – This Is Why We Play Marketing Campaign
Optimum Sports – State Farm RoadHouse
Univision Deportes: Copa America Centenario
WWE – WrestleMania 32

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Marketing Campaign (Regional/Local): Recognizing the creative use of marketing platforms to promote a sports-themed series or event that generated higher awareness and viewership for the Regional/Local broadcast.

Winner

Intersport – BCBSNC Ride of Your Life

Tasked with creating content for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina that lifted brand awareness and favorability, Intersport used a one day production shoot to capture three surprise-and-delight moment for NASCAR fans, complete with Jimmie Johnson as a personal taxi driver.

Honorable Mentions

FOX Sports South – FOX Sports South: April in the ATL
FOX Sports South – FOX Sports South: Farewell To The TED
Optimum Sports – State Farm 2016 Chicago Cubs Playoffs/World Series
SapientRazorfish – The Art of the Craft for Dunkin’ Donuts
Whistle Sports – Whistle Sports & Wawa – #WawaMornings

Marketing Initiative: What one new, untried tactic launched a thousand+ ships for an event, team or show?

Winner

Turner Sports – Project Instant for NBA Tip-Off

Utilizing first-to-market, high-impact partnerships to run campaigns that benefit the Fan Tactics, Turner Sports teamed up with DoubleClick to use the “Project Instant” prototype and programmatic video platform to help fans feel like they were at the NBA Tip Off games.

Honorable Mentions

Big Ten Network – BTN Tailgate
Major League Baseball – Caps On
Major League Baseball – Ponle Acento
Maxus – Deloitte Look Again USGA
Turner Sports – Charles Barkley’s Shining Moment (for March Madness)

Mobile App: Sure there’s an app for that, but who did it the best? This category recognizes excellence in developing a mobile application produced by or for a media network, sports league or team that is designed to engage sports fans on the go or create a second screen experience.

Winner

NeuLion – BTN2Go: New Apps with Personalization

BTN2Go provides fans of the Big Ten Conference a mobile destination for live events, news, analysis, originals, behind-the-scenes content and past events. Previously a “game-day app” with 95% of viewership attributed to live games, it was revamped to convert subscribers to BTN Plus and turn the app into a Monday through Friday destination.

Honorable Mentions

MLBAM – MLB.com At Bat
Outside TV Features
Turner Sports/NBA Digital – NBA app
Turner Sports/RyderCup.com – Ryder Cup apps
WWE – WWE App with WWE Network
You.i TV – Canadian Football League (CFL) Mobile App

Network Branding Campaign: Recognizing a long-term multiplatform promotional strategy designed to build an engaged fan base for a game or sports series.

Winner

Spike TV / Spike Sports “Fighters First” -Network Sports Branding Campaign

Spike is dedicated to serving fans by focusing on letting the fighters become the stars. The Fighters First campaign highlights combat sports legends and strong newcomers, including Tito Ortiz, Benson Henderson, King Mo, Liam McGeary, Joe Schilling and Phil Davis, as well as female combat sport athletes, including Denise Kielholtz, Keri Melendez and Anastasia Yankova.

Honorable Mentions

ESPN – ESPN on the power of live sports: Moviez/Queue
FOX Sports Networks – FOX Sports GO

New Sports Show: This category honors the best-sports-themed series in any category launched in the US Between Jan 1, 2016 – Jan 1, 2017.

Winners

Monumental Sports Network – Wiz Got Next: 70’s Throwback Night

Wiz Got Next features short-form segments packed with info about that night’s game – key dynamics, trends, match-ups, stats, memes and more — all packaged into a viewing experience that can be consumed in one shot or distributed piece-by-piece socially.

Big Ten Network – Campus Eats

Spotlighting restaurants in Big Ten campus towns that fit a certain theme, Campus Eats became a BTN favorite. In addition to each 30-minute episode, single restaurant visits were edited separately to air when games ran short or long.

Honorable Mentions

NBCU Telemundo Enterprises – TITULARES Y MAS COORS LIGHT: FIN DE SEMANA
Outside Television – Liftoff
Turner Sports – NBA TV’s Beyond the Paint

Over the top (OTT) Content Service: Recognizing the app/service with a proven ability to delivery of sports’ video, audio and other media content over the web without a multiple system operator being involved in the control or distribution of the content.

Winner

NFL Media – Game Pass: More Football

The NFL educated fans about its Game Pass service through a campaign that combined humor and information, with fun spots showing how Game Pass could improve their football experience.

Honorable Mentions

FloSports – FloSports
MLBAM – MLB.TV
Olympic Channel
Monumental Sports Network powered by ViewLift
WWE – WWE Network

Overall Social Media Excellence: The best campaign utilizing social media platforms that brought remarkable viral attention and creativity to a team, sports or sports-themes series.

Winner

NASCAR Social Media

NASCAR set the tone for the 2016 season with a massive social promotion. It organized the sport’s first-ever Twitter fan race; leveraged a new partnership with Snapchat to introduce NASCAR and the race-day experience to younger audiences; and maximized the reach of key NASCAR moments using the new Facebook Live.

Honorable Mentions

Atlanta Braves – Atlanta Braves #AskCoppy
Lagardère Sports and Rooftop2 Productions – MetroPCS brings you #CloserThanEver to the UFC
NBCU Telemundo Enterprises – Telemundo Deportes – Rio 2016 Olympics en Español
Pac-12 Networks
Turner Sports – Turner Sports Social
WWE

Partnership with an Athlete: Honorees in the category would have maximized an alliance with an athlete to him/her synonymous with the brand and spike sales/tune-in as a result.

Winner

SapientRazorfish – The Art of the Craft for Dunkin’ Donuts

With the help of Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants, Dunkin’ Donuts created a campaign to let New Yorkers know that their Cold Brew Coffee had arrived in stores. Odell drove the style and tone of the jingle, The Art of the Craft, as Cold Brew Coffee took center stage in the form of a music video and documentary.

Honorable Mentions

Gatorade – For the Love of Sports” campaign w/Paul George, Elena Delle Donne, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, and April Ross.
SNY – Amazin’ Life: Noah Syndergaard
Under Armour – Stephen Curry/Curry 3s
Visa – Visa Olympic partnership w/ refugee Yusra Mardini

Pro-Social Campaign: A great use for a great cause. This category recognizes the importance of an on-air or off-air campaign leveraging sports fans to benefit a pro-social initiative.

Winner

Turner Sports – #SagerStrong

As the NBA prepared to tip off its 2016-17 season, Turner Sports used its position to honor and amplify support for iconic sideline reporter, Craig Sager, who was battling leukemia, partnering with Twitter to create a custom emoji featuring a flashy suit and a SagerStrong filter for Snapchat.

Honorable Mentions

Discovery Education – NBA and Discovery Education Math Techbook™ Partnership
MaxPreps – Touchdowns Against Cancer
SapientRazorfish – “Sorry” for Canada Basketball
Undefined Creative – Hockey Fights Cancer 2016 Campaign
WWE – WWE and Susan G. Komen Partnership

Production Innovation: You’ve upgraded the viewing experience and audiences can now experience the game like never before! This category honors the new productions elements that transformed the telecast, from graphics to data to cameras and more.

Winner

The Drone Racing League – DRL

The premier international drone racing circuit for elite pilots, DRL has transformed the exciting but difficult-to-watch hobby for drone enthusiasts into the sport of the future.

Honorable Mentions

FOX Sports – Protracer at US Open
FOX Sports South – FOX Sports South – Farewell To The Ted
NextVR – 2016 T-Mobile Home Run Derby in VR
Turner Sports/PGA.com – Hazeltine Explorer

Radio Program: Music to our ears. Best regularly scheduled local or national sports series that was broadcast through a local or national radio platform.

Winner

CBS Radio – WFAN’s “Boomer and Carton”

Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton’s morning show finished first in the prime Males 25-54 demographic in the Fall 2016 Nielson survey for the New York market and continues to gain a national following.

Honorable Mentions

CBS Sports Radio – “The Jim Rome Show”
SiriusXM – “Mad Dog Unleashed” with Christopher Russo
SiriusXM – “The SiriusXM Blitz” with Brett Favre and Bruce Murray

RSN of the Year: Which regional sports network stepped up its game and delivered knockout productions, terrific analysis and audience growth to match?

Winner

FOX Sports Midwest

The home of the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Royals and Indiana Pacers, FOX Sports Midwest once again ranked as the highest-rated regional sports network in the country, and added live streaming of MLB and NHL games in-market in 2016.

Honorable Mentions

FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio – FOX Sports Ohio / SportsTime Ohio
MSG Networks – RSN of the Year – MSG Networks
SNY

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Seasonal Coverage (National): From the opening match to the national championship, this category honors national networks that have dedicated extensive resources into covering every kick, pass, throw, hit and/or maneuver from athletes at a single league throughout a single season.

Winner

Univision Deportes: 2016 MLS Season

To expand the audience for Major League Soccer and deliver a premier on-air experience, Univision Deportes applied more cameras and paths that were fibered back to the control room at its Miami headquarters, delivering a truly live broadcast.

Honorable Mentions

ESPN – College Football
MLB Network – 2016 MLB Season
NBC Sports Group – Sunday Night Football
Turner Sports – 2016-17 NBA Season
Turner Sports – ELEAGUE Season 1 and 2

Seasonal Coverage (Regional): From the opening match to the national championship, this category honors regional networks and stations that showcase programming dedicated to the local team throughout a single season.

Winner

SNY – New York Mets on SNY

The official television home of the New York Mets, SNY enjoyed a historic 2016 becoming the most-watched local broadcast in Major League Baseball. The network provides viewers with exclusive year-round coverage of the team, featuring live games and more than 400 hours of originally produced Mets programming.

Honorable Mentions

FOX Sports Arizona – Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball
FOX Sports South – 2016 Atlanta Braves on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast
McClatchy Video Lab / Fort Worth Star-Telegram – Titletown, TX

Sports Blog: The best blog that covers news and updates about teams, leagues, players and the sports industry in general.

Winner

ESPN – espnW.com

A global multiplatform brand dedicated to engaging and inspiring women through sports, espnW.com offers total access to female athletes and the sports they play. It takes fans inside the biggest events and captures the biggest trends in sports lifestyle, providing a unique point of view on the sports stories that matter most to women and highlights the crossroads of sports and culture.

Honorable Mentions

Pro Football Focus – www.profootballfocus.com
SNY – MetsBlog.com
The Players’ Tribune – The Players’ Tribune
TMZ Sports – TMZ Sports

Spot (30 Seconds): An outstanding single 30 second video-based spot used to market or promote a specific sports program or event.

National:

Winner

Showtime Networks Inc. – Inside the NFL “Welcome Back”

The “Welcome Back” campaign, promoting the return of James Brown, used cinematic storytelling, props and iconic music to get the audience excited again about a familiar football experience.

Honorable Mentions

El Rey Network – Lucha Undergroud
WNBA – Watch Me Work
NFL Media – TNF: Anything can happen on Thursday
Turner Sports – Charles Barkley’s Shining Moment (for March Madness)
Turner Sports – NBA on TNT : Anderson .Paak

Regional:

Winner

FOX Sports South – Let’s Go!

A promo campaign combining the sights and sounds of the games with the streaming app on which to watch them came together as something so catchy that you couldn’t get it out of your head.

Honorable Mentions

SNY – Streaker
YES Network – Yankees’ Three-Headed Bullpen Monster

Spot (Over 30 Seconds): An outstanding single 30+ seconds video-based spot used to market or promote a specific sports program or event.

Winner

National Basketball Association – 2016 NBA Draft

The “This Is Why We Play” NBA Draft showed the personal journeys of the league’s new crop of players , including supporters who stood by them through their ups and downs.

Honorable Mentions

FOX Sports Networks – FOX Sports University: NYC FC
NFL Media – NFL Draft: I Am
SapientRazorfish – #ImBack for Lavazza
Showtime Networks Inc. – One & Done: Ben Simmons
Univision Deportes: Copa America Centenario

Studio Show: Best Television Series: An outstanding regularly scheduled program that aired in 2016 with eight or more episodes that specifically revolved around sports.

Winner

MLB Network – MLB Tonight

Unrehearsed and largely unscripted, MLB Tonight, the flagship studio show of MLB Network, averages more than seven hours of live programming each night during the season, providing baseball fans with comprehensive coverage of the game on a nightly basis, with news, live look-ins at games in progress, and analysis.

Honorable Mentions

CBS News 60 Minutes – 60 Minutes Sports
FOX Sports – MLB on FOX – The World Series
NBC Sports Group – Football Night In America
Turner Sports – NBA TV’s GameTime
Univision Deportes: Republica Deportiva de la Noche
YES Network – Yankees Pre- and Post-Game Shows

Talk Show: What program was able to break down a game or a signing, debate a personnel move with fellow analysts and keep audiences riveted along the way? This award recognizes excellence in a regularly scheduled series that is primarily interview-based and/or in a roundtable format discussing the state of a sport or sports.

Winner

Golf Channel – Feherty

David Feherty has made a name for himself not only through his show, but as one of the most irrepressible personalities calling golf over the past two decades.

Honorable Mentions

CBS – We Need to Talk
MLB Network – MLB Now
NBCU Telemundo Enterprises – TITULARES Y MAS COOR’S LIGHT
Turner Sports – Open Court

Tune-In Promotion: Best use of an overall promotional campaign designed to drive viewers to a specific series or televised event.

Winner

Turner Sports – Charles Barkley’s Shining Moment (for March Madness)

TBS celebrated its initial airing of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with a new spin on a classic song, One Shining Moment, which has been the anthem of March Madness’ ultimate game. The new spot put Charles Barkley in the spotlight and resulted in lots of laughs and attention when it debuted on Super Bowl Sunday and throughout the tournament.

Honorable Mentions

Animal Planet – Puppy Bowl XII
ESPN – 2016 ESPN Radio Mike & Mike on the Road to the College Football Playoff
Golf Channel – The 145th Open
NFL Media – TNF: Anything can happen on Thursday
Turner Sports – NBA on TNT Anderson .Paak
WWE – WrestleMania 32

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Use of Facebook: Sure fans liked your Facebook campaign, but will the judges? This category honors innovation and efficiency in driving and engaging sports fans on your Facebook page. This category is for entries directly representing or independently covering a sports network, show, team or league.

Winners

Fox Sports Breaking The Huddle Presented by DR PEPPER

FOX Sports and Dr Pepper created Breaking The Huddle, a weekly College Football aiming to engage fans and provide impactful content, with guests ranging from writers Stu Mandel and Bruce Feldman to fellow on-air contributor and former Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart.

Univision – Univision Copa America Centenario 2016: Facebook

Univision sought to become the ultimate destination for all things Copa America Centenario by providing fans with a fully interactive environment, complete with exclusive access to stadiums, players, teams and coaches. Through their multi-platform delivery, they were able to permeate the lives of fans, stay top-of-mind during the tournament, and become a resource for both the avid and casual soccer fan.

Honorable Mentions

Big Ten Network – BTN Field Pass
Lagardère Sports and Rooftop2 Productions – MetroPCS #CloserThanEver Purple Couch
Turner Sports – Facebook Live
WWE

Use of Instagram: Whether you grow your photo/video feed organically or utilize sponsored posts, this category honors innovation in engaging sports fans with your Instagram account.

Winner

WWE

WWE’s Social Team delivers the conflicts and controversies to a dedicated global fan base that expects fresh, unique content across digital media platforms that operate 24/7.

Honorable Mentions

Major League Soccer – Major League Soccer Instagram Flipbook
NBC Sports Group – 2016 Olympics
Nickelodeon – Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016

Use of Integrated Sponsorship for Broadcast: Highlighting a particularly effective way to incorporate a sponsor into an on-air game, campaign or series.

Winner

The Home Depot – College GameDay Built By The Home Depot

Title sponsor of ESPN’s College GameDay for 14 years, The Home Depot has been consistently improving fan experiences, driving engagement beyond the College GameDay broadcast and deepening brand by creating branded fan zones at 17 College GameDay locations.

Honorable Mentions

Fox Sports T-Mobile One Unlimited Baseball Commercial Free Break
Outside Television – Chevy On Fly
Outside Television – Locals
PAC-12 NETWORKS – Chevron Human Energy Stories

Use of On-Air Design: Title sequences, bumpers, etc. The best work in the business will be honored for its stunning visual displays.

Winner

Troika – 2016 CBS Sports Rebrand

Troika re-imagined the CBS Sports brand through a clean, more modernized look, designing a graphic foundation with a color palette that allowed still photos and video moments of the teams, players, and action to stand out front and center.

Honorable Mentions

NHL Network- NHL Now Open
Spike TV / Spike Sports Live Events – Use of On-Air Design
Troika – 2016 League of Legends World Championship

Use of Snapchat: This category honors innovation in engaging sports fans with your Snapchat account and/or discover channel.

Winner

MLBAM – MLB Snapchat Day

MLB Snapchat Day gave Snapcatters an unprecedented look into life across MLB Spring Training ballparks and access to the players during games. For the first time ever, players were permitted to utilize smartphones, including the official SnapBat, in dugouts and bullpens pregame and during live games.

Honorable Mentions

Collegiate Licensing Company – College Colors Day r
Gatorade – Serena Williams Match Point game
NCAA – TAKEOVER: A brand brought to life by the members they serve
Scout Sports and Entertainment – We Want Tacos!

Use of Twitter: Leveraging this ubiquitous social media feed 140 characters at a time, your company, media network, sports league or team is a master at Twitter communications.

Winner

Atlanta Braves – Atlanta Braves #AskCoppy

Eager to connect its passionate fan base with its new General Manager, John “Coppy” Coppolella, the Atlanta Braves provided the opportunity for fans to talk directly to the executive during six Q&A sessions , where he answered fan questions submitted via the hashtag #AskCoppy.

Honorable Mentions

Pro Football Focus
Skratch – Skratch – Twitter & the PGA TOUR
Turner Sports – The Warmup & Starters
Univision – Univision Copa America Centenario 2016: Twitter
WWE

Virtual Reality: Immersed in a game or sports experience, viewers were taken to new worlds from inside the stadium to ringside to mountaintops through this platform. Here are the best.

Winners

NextVR – NextVR Partners with the NBA

NextVR became the first official live virtual reality partner of the NBA, tasked with engaging key audiences and providing fans with the ability to experience NBA games throughout the 2016-17 season through the NextVR platform.

New York Jets – Virtual Reality Experience

A first of its kind, multi-faceted VR strategy delivered Jets fans to the stadium, event activations, community events and across social channels.

Honorable Mentions

BCII – Optima Batteries VR Experience featuring The Power of Legends and The Power Pro Ambassadors
CBS Sports – “Waiting for the Light” – World’s Toughest Mudder in 360 by CBS Sports
FOX Sports VR
MLBAM – MLB.com Real-Time VR
PGA TOUR – VR & 360 Content
Turner Sports – Final Four in VR w/ Capital One

Webisode Series: An online-only program with five or more episodes revolving around sports.

Winners

Lagardère Sports/Turner Sports/PGA of America – The American Captain Presented by Mercedes-Benz

The 12-part digital documentary chronicling Davis Love III’s journey as Ryder Cup Captain shadowed Love, while Lagardère Sports and the PGA facilitated access for an in-depth look at the Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Pac-12 Networks – Pac-12 Sports Report Student Section Challenge

A friendly competition between Pac-12 student sections gave fans something to rally behind and celebrate, and every university engaged in a big way. Working with school athletic and sports specific team social leads, it drove direct fan engagement and expanded Pac 12 Sports Report brand off television.

Honorable Mentions

McClatchy Video Lab / Fort Worth Star-Telegram – Titletown, TX
Olympic Channel – Camps to Champs
Skratch – Skratch – Adventures in Golf
SNY – Amazin’ Life: Noah Syndergaard
Turner Sports – NCAA.com Features
Whistle Sports – Whistle Sports – Unseen Hours

Website: What online site was the best at raising TV viewing numbers for a series or sporting event?

Winner

The Players’ Tribune

The Players’ Tribune changed the media landscape, transforming how athletes share news and stories, providing athletes with a trusted platform to express themselves and go in depth on topics and ideas that transcend sports and culture.

Honorable Mentions

CBS Interactive – CBSSports.com
ESPN – espnW.com
Univision – UnivisionDeportes.com
WWE – WWE.com

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People

Digital Executive: Utilizing the final frontier of media platforms, whose tactics changed the way viewers absorb sports media on digital platforms and raised the bar for the future use of technology?

Winner

NBC Sports Group – Rick Cordella

Rick Cordella is responsible for all aspects of NBC Sports Group Digital, which celebrated its best year in 2016, highlighted by 15,000 hours of streaming coverage of over 10,000 events, including the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Honorable Mentions

CBS Sports Digital – Jeffrey Gerttula, Senior Vice President & General Manager
Machinima – Chad Gutstein
NASCAR – Colin Smith
WWE – Jayar Donlan, EVP, Digital & Social Content

Marketing Executive: The person’s campaigns would have made tongues wag both inside and outside the sports industry, with a consistent message that brought in the fans, drove audiences and kept them coming back for more.

Winner

WWE – Michelle Wilson, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer

Michelle Wilson is focused on expanding the reach and growing subscribers for the WWE Network, and helped drive millions of sponsorship dollars and advertisement revenue for WWE and its network partners.

Honorable Mentions