With today being Super Bowl Sunday and a new month to boot, let’s provide you with a new edition of the notebook. I have a lot of linkage to provide you plus a few pieces for News You Can Use.
During the Super Bowl, I’ll do my annual grades of the ads during each quarter, plus a review of the NBC production. Look for that throughout the evening.
Let’s open the notebook.
NEWS
NFL Network has the craziest schedule of the networks today. A pregame show at 7 a.m. ET and then another at 9 a.m., NFL GameDay First and NFL GameDay Morning. It’s all-Super Bowl, all the time today on NFL Network.
Here’s the rundown for you.
PREVIEW OF SUPER BOWL SUNDAY EDITIONS OF NFL NETWORK’S NFL GAMEDAY FIRST & NFL GAMEDAY MORNING
‘NFL GameDay First’ at 7:00 AM ET –
Melissa Stark with New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick
Kurt Warner with Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell WilsonFeatured on 8.5-Hour Edition of ‘NFL GameDay Morning’ at 9:00 AM ET –
Melissa Stark with New England Patriots Chairman & CEO Robert Kraft
Andrea Kremer with New England Patriots CB Darrelle Revis
Andrea Kremer with New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski
Michael Silver with Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll
Model Adriana Lima & Actor Chris Pratt On-SetNFL Network provides 12.5 hours of pregame and postgame coverage of Super Bowl XLIX from Arizona, beginning at 7:00 AM ET with NFL GameDay First.
At 9:00 AM ET, a special 8.5-hour edition of NFL GameDay Morning is live from various locations throughout Arizona leading up to kickoff.
Super Bowl Sunday Edition of NFL GameDay First
- Sterling Sharpe, Shaun O’Hara, Michael Robinson & Brian Billick – NFL Experience
- Jeff Darlington – New England Patriots team hotel
- Aditi Kinkhabwala – Seattle Seahawks team hotel
Featured on the Super Bowl Sunday edition of NFL GameDay First by hour:
7:00 AM ET Hour
- Super Bowl champions Shaun O’Hara, Michael Robinson and Brian Billick share the mindset for players and coaches on Super Bowl Sunday
- Who has the edge in the Super Bowl XLIX running back battle: Marshawn Lynch or LeGarrette Blount?
- Former Seattle Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson explains what to expect from running back Marshawn Lynch
- Would a fourth Super Bowl win make Tom Brady the greatest quarterback of all-time?
- Who has the edge in the secondary matchup in Super Bowl XLIX?
- Following their dramatic comeback win in the NFC Championship Game, how do the Seattle Seahawks avoid a letdown in Super Bowl XLIX?
- How will the Seattle Seahawks contain New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski?
- Who has the edge – the Patriots defensive front or the Seahawks defensive front?
- Super Bowl-winning head coach Brian Billick compares one Patriots defensive player to one of his former Baltimore Ravens defensive stars
8:00 AM ET Hour
- NFL Network’s Melissa Stark with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
- NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
- Super Bowl champions Shaun O’Hara, Michael Robinson and Brian Billick share some of their fondest Super Bowl memories
- Former New York Giant Shaun O’Hara revisits the David Tyree catch from Super Bowl XLII
- What is the key to a New England Patriots win in Super Bowl XLIX, and what is the blueprint for a Seattle Seahawks repeat?
- NFL GameDay First breaks down the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015 class
- Former Seahawk Michael Robinson revisits Seattle’s win over New England in 2012, and explains what fuels cornerback Richard Sherman
- Who has the edge in Super Bowl XLIX – Tom Brady or Russell Wilson?
- Who has the edge in Super Bowl XLIX – Bill Belichick or Pete Carroll?
- Brian Billick breaks down both Super Bowl XLIX head coaches and how they’ve transformed into the coaches they are today
- Shaun O’Hara explains what makes the New England Patriots offensive line so effective
- Who will win Super Bowl XLIX?
- Who will win Super Bowl XLIX MVP?
Super Bowl Sunday Edition of NFL GameDay Morning
- Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Warren Sapp & Michael Irvin – University of Phoenix Stadium main set
- Ian Rapoport – University of Phoenix Stadium
- Melissa Stark, Deion Sanders, Willie McGinest & Michael Robinson – Fan Plaza
- Chris Rose, LaDainian Tomlinson & Terrell Davis – NFL Experience
- Brian Billick & Shaun O’Hara – Booth set
- Stacey Dales & Heath Evans – Seattle Seahawks team hotel
- Kimberly Jones & Nate Burleson – New England Patriots team hotel
- Steve Wyche – Seattle Seahawks sideline
- Alex Flanagan – New England Patriots sideline
- Michael Silver – Various
Featured on the Super Bowl Sunday edition of NFL GameDay Morning by hour:
9:00 AM ET Hour
- NFL GameDay Morning is live at both team hotels
- NFL Media’s Mark Kriegel’s feature on the connections between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots
- NFL Media’s Steve Cyphers’ feature on the Super Bowl and its impact on society
- The NFL GameDay Morning analysts give their Super Bowl shout outs
10:00 AM ET Hour
- What do you expect to see from the New England Patriots?
- Melissa Stark, Deion Sanders, Willie McGinest and Michael Robinson join from Fan Plaza and discuss how the Seattle Seahawks can stop tight end Rob Gronkowski
- Players Only – What is the mindset for players on Super Bowl Sunday?
11:00 AM ET Hour
- NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
- NFL Media’s Andrea Kremer’s feature on the coach-quarterback relationship, including thoughts from Steve Young, Jason Garrett, Andrew Luck and Tom Brady
- NFL Media’s Mark Kriegel’s feature on Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman
- What would back-to-back Super Bowls mean for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson?
- Super Bowl champions Brian Billick and Shaun O’Hara examine the challenges of preparing for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
- Melissa Stark, Deion Sanders, Willie McGinest and Michael Robinson discuss who is more important for the Seattle Seahawks to have success – Russell Wilson or Marshawn Lynch?
- Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders debate who is the better cornerback – Darrelle Revis or Richard Sherman
- Super Bowl XLIX Bold Predictions
Noon ET Hour
- NFL Media’s Michael Silver with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
- Chris Rose, LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis join from NFL Experience to discuss who is more important – Marshawn Lynch or LeGarrette Blount
- What is the impact of a fourth Super Bowl victory – or third consecutive Super Bowl loss – to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s legacy?
- Willie McGinest and Michael Robinson discuss the Pete Carroll from McGinest’s time with the New England Patriots and Robinson’s time with the Seattle Seahawks
- Marshall Plan – Marshall Faulk breaks down Marshawn Lynch and LeGarrette Blount
- NFL GameDay Morning highlights the X-Factors in Super Bowl XLIX
- Players Only – What is the impact of the longer halftime for the Super Bowl?
1:00 PM ET Hour
- NFL Network’s Melissa Stark with New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
- NFL Media’s Andrea Kremer with New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis
- Melissa Stark, Deion Sanders and Willie McGinest analyze the impact of cornerback Darrelle Revis on the Patriots’ defense
- Best of Mini Mooch from the season
- Steve Mariucci breaks down Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
- Will the Seattle Seahawks be able to stop New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski?
- Should New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady challenge Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman?
- Warner’s Corner – Kurt Warner breaks down the matchup of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the Seattle Seahawks secondary
2:00 PM ET Hour
- Which quarterback would you want leading your team today – Tom Brady or Russell Wilson?
- Feature on the Seattle Seahawks’ lucky barber
- Melissa Stark, Deion Sanders, Willie McGinest and Michael Robinson discuss this year’s Seattle Seahawks vs. last year’s Super Bowl champions
3:00 PM ET Hour
- NFL Media’s Andrea Kremer with New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski
- NFL Media’s Michael Silver’s feature on Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and the city of Oakland
- Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk and Michael Silver discuss if running back Marshawn Lynch is the most important player for the Seattle Seahawks
- Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci and Michael Irvin discuss the impact of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski
- Who could be the surprise Super Bowl XLIX MVP?
- Players Only – What are the emotions as kickoff gets closer?
- Live from Pike Place in Seattle and Jerry Remy’s in Boston
- Astronauts check in from the International Space Station
4:00 & 5:00 PM ET Hours & Remaining Half Hour
- NFL Network’s Melissa Stark with New England Patriots Chairman & CEO Robert Kraft
- Model Adriana Lima joins Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci and Michael Irvin on-set
- Actor Chris Pratt on-set
- NFL GameDay Morning puts Super Bowl XLIX to the Tale of the Tape
- Super Bowl XLIX picks
Following the game, NFL GameDay Final is live from University of Phoenix Stadium with postgame interviews with players and coaches, in-depth analysis and complete game highlights.
LINKAGE
Charlie Frankel of Sports Business Daily notes that NFL Network reporters have to walk a fine line when discussing Ballghazi.
SBD reviews some of the news regarding Dish Network’s new Sling TV which debuted last week.
From NPR’s All Things Considered, we have an interview from anchor Melissa Block of media critic Eric Deggans on how NBC is courting women for the Super Bowl audience.
Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes that the NFL will aggressively pursue ways to stream regular season games over the top around the world.
Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that mun2 has rebranded to NBC Universo today and will carry the Super Bowl in Spanish.
Mike reports that DirecTV has signed a new distribution deal for NBC Universo.
Mike tells us that MAV TV has expanded its reach in 2014.
Peter Kafka at re/code looks at ESPN’s new over the top cricket subscription service.
Bruce Horovitz from USA Today previews tonight’s Super Bowl ads.
Advertising Age reviews who’s in and who’s out for tonight’s Super Bowl advertisers.
Ed Sherman at the Sherman Report has NBC’s Al Michaels telling the story of how he almost became the Voice of Ed’s Chicago White Sox.
Awful Announcing Fearless Leader Matt Yoder notes that the NBA is about to get richer thanks to a streaming deal with a company from Communist China.
Matt says the media is playing the villain rather nicely right now.
AA’s Joe Lucia notes that MLS will continue its MLS Live subscription service this year rather than have ESPN take it over.
At Sports on Earth, Lindsay Gibbs looks at the anti-domestic violence ad that will run during the Super Bowl.
Lauren Klinger of the Poynter Institute notes that Outsports will cover the Super Bowl marking the first time a gay media outlet will cover the Big Game.
Ken Kerschbaumer at Sports Video Group goes behind-the-scenes with NFL Network’s vast production at Super Bowl XLIX.
Sarah Spain at espnW looks at the wackiness of Super Bowl Radio Row.
The ESPN Front Row PR blog waxes poetic on the retirement of long-time exec John Walsh.
From Paulsen at Sports Media Watch, he tells us that Coach K’s 1,000th career win was the highest-rated college basketball game on Fox.
I’m not a big fan of slideshows, but this is a good one. Victory Journal has a look at NFL Films.
Sports Techie’s Jeff Horvitz says the Super Bowl is being played at America’s best sporting venue.
Daniel Terdiman of Venture Beat says the Oculus virtual Super Bowl party might be the future of social sports broadcasting.
Chad Finn of the Boston Globe has his observations of Super Bowl Radio Row.
Also from the Globe, Ben Volin talks with Indianapolis columnist Bob Kravitz about breaking Ballghazi.
Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says the networks find a cooperative Bill Belichick during their production meetings contrary to what the public sees.
Scott Allen of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog reports on DC Football Team QB Robert Griffin III’s interview with a Baylor, TX TV station.
The Atlanta Falcons have changed radio stations.
The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson previews NBC’s Super Bowl plans.
Justin Spiro at the Detroit Sports Rag wonders why a local radio station is spending money on sending people to the Super Bowl while laying off staff at the same time.
Paul M. Banks at the Sports Bank doesn’t care about the Super Bowl.
At the Los Angeles Daily News, Tom Hoffarth says you can bet on what Al Michaels will say.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Today, NBC Sports Live Extra will be free to anyone as NBC will stream all of its coverage online starting at noon ET all the way through postgame coverage plus the show The Blacklist which I admit I have never seen and have no idea what it’s about (please do not send me info about the show, I don’t want to know). It’s all part of “Super Stream Sunday” meaning that those who don’t have access to NBC Sports Live Extra through a cable or satellite provider can see everything and that includes the Super Bowl commercials. This will be available on desktop and laptop computers plus tablets. Mobiles are not included in this promotion.
NBCUNIVERSAL CREATES “SUPER STREAM SUNDAY” TO PROMOTE “TV EVERYWHERE”
Consumers Will Be Able to Stream 11 Continuous Hours of NBC Content on Super Bowl Sunday
NBC Live Stream Programming Will Include: Super Bowl XLIX; Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show Starring Katy Perry; Super Bowl XLIX Pre- & Post-Game Shows; and Midseason Debut of The BlacklistSTAMFORD, Conn. – January 20, 2015 – Following the launch of NBCUniversal’s first ever TV Everywhere consumer campaign titled “Watch TV Without The TV,” NBCUniversal is creating “Super Stream Sunday” on Feb. 1, providing consumers with an unprecedented ability to enjoy 11 continuous hours of NBC streaming content without having to log-in, designed as a way for consumers to trial NBC’s TV Everywhere content offering. “Super Stream Sunday” content will include NBC’s presentation of Super Bowl XLIX, Katy Perry headlining the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show, the Super Bowl XLIX pre- and post-game shows, and NBC’s post-game presentation of The Blacklist.
The special access event kicks off at noon ET with NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game coverage and concludes with The Blacklist, which follows post-game coverage at approximately 10 p.m. ET. Consumers accessing NBC Sports Live Extra and NBC.com during “Super Stream Sunday” will not be prompted to log-in with their cable/satellite/telco credentials; however, as part of this special access, they will receive consistent messaging in and around the experience about the ease in authenticating after the end of The Blacklist.
All Super Bowl content will be live streamed to desktops and tablets via NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Digital’s live streaming product. The Blacklist will also be streamed to desktops through NBC.com. (NOTE: NBC Sports Digital does not have NFL live streaming rights to mobile devices.)
NBC’s highly-rated drama The Blacklist will air the first episode of its two-episode midseason premiere immediately following the Super Bowl. It then moves to its new timeslot at 9 p.m. Thursdays, beginning Feb. 5.
“‘Super Stream Sunday’ builds off of NBCUniversal’s commitment to create broader TV Everywhere opportunities for our consumers,” said Alison Moore, GM and EVP, TV Everywhere, NBCUniversal. “We are leveraging the massive digital reach of the Super Bowl to help raise overall awareness of TV Everywhere by allowing consumers to explore our vast TVE offering with this special one-day-only access.”
NBC Sports Live Extra was the first such product to ever live stream a Super Bowl when it did so to desktops and tablets for NBC’s coverage of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012. This is the first time NBC Sports Live Extra is live streaming NBC’s Super Bowl halftime show. Content details regarding NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game coverage will be released closer to the game itself.
NBC Sports Live Extra is available for desktops at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, on select devices within Google Play, and on Windows phones and tablets.
And that will do it for this very long and extended notebook.
