Annual rightsholder meeting brought together broadcast and sales departments from approximately 28 teams to share strategies on maintaining fan engagement, advertising dollars and broadcast quality with panels highlighting successes in these areas under the strains of the pandemic
After the pandemic lockdown coincided with the beginning of baseball season, the focus of each team shifted to creative outlets that would allow them to retain revenue and preserve sponsorship relationships across audio platforms. Many franchises opted to replace originally scheduled broadcasts with some of their top moments in history, including legendary replays of no-hitters, World Series championships, and fresh player commentary on their best in-game moments.
President and COO of Skyview Networks, Steve Jones, stated, “The MLB radio rightsholders play a significant role in their teams’ success through broadcast sponsorships. Radio and baseball have always put fans first and this season proved no different. Skyview played an important role in helping teams find creative solutions during the pandemic and we showcased those solutions to the whole league this week.”
Many teams also leveraged the power of social media to engage with fans through promotions from their biggest sponsors, citing proactive communication as their key to success. Putting their followers’ interests at the forefront, these organizations hosted many virtual gatherings through YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and more to encourage listenership and interaction while the season was on a hiatus.
“This week was a testament to the strength of our MLB franchise partners and their relationship with fans,” added Matt Stys, Vice President, Business Development of Skyview Networks. “Despite the unprecedented start to the 2020 season, the focus of each team remained strong and we were proud to work with them to overcome the obstacles they faced.”
To cap off the week, representatives from MLB joined panels to provide insight into the league’s proposal for safety and standards during the upcoming 2021 season under continuing COVID-19 hurdles. The details surrounding broadcasters’ traveling, field access, player access and more are still in discussion, with updates to come in January 2021.
Additional panel topics included software and strategies to streamline remote broadcasting, creating awareness for franchises’ ancillary digital content to increase broadcast listening and sponsorship extensions, and monetizing the evolving sports betting opportunities across a radio platform.
This year, Skyview Networks celebrated 25 years of innovation in the audio industry, serving sports franchises, major entertainment and news networks, and nationally syndicated brands, with a weekly reach of 150 million listeners. Some of its longest standing MLB partnerships include the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s. For additional information on Skyview Networks’ full suite of services available to professional and collegiate partners, visit skyviewnetworks.com.
About Skyview Networks
Skyview Networks is a broadcast technology, syndication and national network sales solution company reaching 150 million listeners weekly through 9,000 radio station relationships. It provides services to ABC Audio, CBS Audio, Local Radio Networks, Alpha Media USA, JackFM, The Dana Cortez Show, Nick Cannon Radio, Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 with Fitz, B-Dub Radio, The BetR Network featuring select VSiN content, professional and collegiate sports organizations and two state news networks. Founded in 1995, Skyview Networks is based in Scottsdale, Arizona and focuses on providing best-in-class services that include satellite and IP distribution, full network automation, inventory management systems and network audio sales. For more information, visit skyviewnetworks.com and follow @SkyviewNetworks.
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