Starting today, ESPN Podcasts will debut a new weekly offering, First Take, Her Take – Format is similar to ESPN’s TV weekday morning discussion show, First Take. “The new podcast will feature three prominent women in sports – ESPN’s Charly Arnolt, Kimberley A. Martin and Chiney Ogwumike – discussing the biggest sports stories but also providing insight into their unique backgrounds and personalities as they delve into other topics about their lives and culture.” [ESPN]
NBC NFL Playoff Games Had Highest Engagement – Comscore’s TV Engagement stats for the week ending January 10, 2021 are out. “Comscore’s TV engagement rating, also known as the Stickiness Index, ranks primetime ad-supported cable and broadcast telecasts by level of viewer engagement, which is determined by comparing the average percentage viewed of each telecast to that of all primetime telecasts with the same duration.”
The two NBC NFL playoff games led the way with the Saturday game showing a Stickiness Index of 162 and Sunday’s game with 157.
Other programs with high engagement include “Todo por mi hija” on Telemundo, “Vencer el desamor” on Univision and “Blue Bloods” on CBS.
On cable, the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship on NHL TV, “A New Year’s Resolution” on Hallmark and “90 Day Fiance” on TLC led the way in engagement. [Comscore]
NBA on TNT’s MLK Day Primetime Doubleheader was Up 31% – “TNT’s MLK Day primetime doubleheader coverage – highlighted by the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers – averaged 2.1 million viewers for an increase of 31% vs. last year’s comparable MLK Day coverage, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals.”
“TNT’s live NBA regular season game coverage is averaging 1.7 million viewers, up 21% vs. the same number of games last year (1.4 million viewers through 12 telecasts).” [Warner Media]
Nexstar Media’s WGN America names Jonathan Killian VP, Creative Marketing and Brand Communications – Killian joins Nexstar from CNN International where he was Executive Director of Creative and Brand Development. In his new role, Killian will “oversee the development and execution of a comprehensive brand marketing strategy for WGN America and assume responsibility for the network’s promotions, creative and marketing departments.”
Comcast Introduces the Fastest Internet Speeds Over Wi-Fi Across the Northeast – “Customers can now take advantage of advanced Wi-Fi technology that is capable of delivering Wi-Fi speeds faster than a Gig to support the ever-increasing number of connected devices in their homes. The speed increase was rolled out in Comcast’s Northeast markets on January 7 for no additional charge to customers, and will be introduced to the rest of its service areas throughout 2021.” [Comcast]
