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RSN Summit 2016 Keynote: NBC Sports Regional Networks President David Preschlack

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'The regional-sports-network business should be an incubator for new ideas'

Last week, NBC Sports announced the launch of a direct-to-consumer product called Blazers Pass. A first-of-its-kind service from a regional sports network, it will offer fans a way to purchase (without a cable subscription) a package of selected Portland Trailblazers games for live streaming on the NBC Sports Gold app.

Through the product, fans who live in the Trailblazers' media territory (as determined by NBA laws) can purchase a preselected 15-game package for $34.99 ($31.50 if bought before Dec. 1). Think of it as a partial-season-ticket plan for tablets or smartphones of cord-cutters and cord-nevers.

From NBC Sports Regional Networks' perspective, Portland, which is served by NBC Sports Northwest, is a unique sports region. The network does not have a distribution deal with either DirecTV or Dish, and, with only two professional-sports franchises and a younger, tech-savvy demographic, it's an area ripe for cord-cutting.

To David Preschlack, president, NBC Sports Regional Networks and Platform and Content Strategy, it's a perfect playground to try something new and outside the box.

"We all know that the marketplace is evolving in terms of how people are consuming content," says Preschlack. "It certainly isn't one-size-fits-all, and what's really exciting for us is, a product like this gives us the opportunity to serve fans in a different way to create a bit of a different marketplace.

"I think that, when people stack up which options they have to get content, it's not an either-or scenario," he continues. "By way of example, the cable bundle still works well for lots of people, and now we're seeing a new marketplace evolve: the Digital MVPD marketplace is getting traction with people, and that works for them. We're going direct to consumer, and we're going to see how that product is going to resonate on a regional basis."

NBC Sports has been learning some lessons about direct-to-consumer products on a national stage from its NBC Sports Gold subscription packages for various Olympic sports, as well as a highly publicized offering of non-televised Premier League matches.

With an existing infrastructure, the effort to start up a project like Blazers Pass was much more manageable for the Regional Networks team.

"One of the real beauties of all of this is that, from a technological perspective, we were able to just tap into a backend infrastructure in everything that we do with our national direct-to-consumer products," says Preschlack, noting that the unique challenge in this case is that it will be a geo-targeted product. "Being housed under the NBC Sports Gold umbrella was a real advantage for us in getting this product to market."

So what exactly do NBC Sports and NBC Sports Regional Networks hope to accomplish with this type of service? Tangible metrics (outside of subscribers) are not so much Preschlack's concern. He considers Blazers Pass a unique, contained environment through which to figure out preferences and behaviors of consumers in today's changing media landscape.

"We are really focused on learning something," he explains. "We're going to have our ear to the ground, and a key metric of success will be learning as much as we can about the product, the people who signed up for the product, the people who didn't sign up for the product, and everything in between. The regional-sports-network business should be an incubator for new ideas. It's much easier to try something like this regionally than it is nationally, and it's a lot more cost-efficient. If it works - and who knows what it 'to work' means in this case - then we can see if this is something we want to bring to other markets."

Preschlack adds that his team will try a few things through this product, including testing new ad models and different functionality for the network's apps and websites.

"The beauty of it is, if it works, it's really scalable," he says. "If it doesn't, you have a contained environment where it didn't take us a lot to get it up and running. We have the best of all worlds here, and we intend to take advantage of that."
Currently, NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast and online at NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital's technology service, which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live-streaming and VOD solutions.

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NBC Sports RSNs President David Preschlack Sees Direct-to-Consumer "Blazers Pass" Product as a Chance to Try Something New in a Unique Market

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'The regional-sports-network business should be an incubator for new ideas' Last week, NBC Sports announced the launch of a direct-to-consumer product called Blazers Pass. A first-of-its-kind service from a regional sports network, it will offer fans a way to purchase (without a cable subscription) a package of selected Portland Trailblazers games for live streaming on the NBC Sports Gold app.

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Recent job eliminations at NBC Sports Chicago weren't about cutting costs, according to man who oversees it and its sister regional sports networks.

Cubs reporter Patrick Mooney, and White Sox reporter Dan Hayes were among channel staffers whose jobs were eliminated last week, and Blackhawks beat writer Tracey Myers resigned to become a Chicago-based regional writer for NHL.com.

But David Preschlack, who's president of NBC Sports Regional Networks as well NBC Sports Group Platform and Content Strategy, insists the channel's website isn't being downgraded.

Preschlack contends NBC Sports Chicago (which until recently was known as Comcast SportsNet Chicago) must reinvent itself and is in the midst of doing so.

It cannot afford to be just a television channel or an app and not just a website for sports news and highlights, he argues. The far-flung goal is for it and its sister channels around the country to be part of every part of a fan's day whenever, wherever and however that may be.

"This is a step to do that," Preschlack said Tuesday, conceding much of this evolution may not be evident for months and he wasn't keen on sharing many details.

"But this is by no means a cost-cutting exercise in any way, shape or form," he said. "We're actually making investment in Chicago and every one of our businesses. ... We are dedicating more resources to these businesses, not less."

Given the scaling back at ESPN and Fox Sports, many will choose to be wary of that assertion, but the truth - and accounting - will be evident enough in time.

Yet Preschlack, who was raised in north suburban Lake Forest and was a long-time ESPN exec before jumping to Comcast almost two years ago, sounds more ambitious than people at those retreating sports operations.

His goal is for NBC Sports Chicago to be part of the fans' day from when they wake up and grab their mobile phone to shut off the alarm, with audio during their commute, snippets through the workday and then on TV at night.

Everything connected to NBC Sports Chicago right now, Preschlack believes, is too television-centric.

Every platform has its own strengths and weaknesses and they must be acknowledged. Even within social media, what works on Facebook may not do as well on Instagram, something that makes sense for Snapchat may not fit Twitter. Content must be distinctive.

"At our core, we need to get away from a commoditized approach to reporting out news and information and highlights because fans can get them anywhere," he said. "We really need to stick to our voice and tone here."

Changes coming to NBCSportsChicago.com should make it less reactive and duplicative of what's available elsewhere from itself and others.

"There is too much cutting and pasting from content that ran on television and we are in the process of getting away from that," Preschlack said, "Secondly, when it comes to stories that are being written, while it's changed a bit lately, I would say as a general statement across our networks, there are stories that you can get from other places, that are AP-like in nature and we need to drive higher levels of engagement with our fans."

Just as the longstanding TV sports newscast "SportsNet Central" was ditched for the more interactive "In the Loop," the spin elsewhere looks to be less about what has happened and more about what is happening and will happen.

"When Lauri Markkanen sets a rookie record for three-pointers, by the time we've written about that, it's really kind of old news," Preschlack said. "The stories we need to focus on are the stories in the marketplace that continue to evolve and what they mean."

It's easy to talk about not simply duplicating news and content that's already out there and obviously much more difficult to follow through.

"We're lucky in many ways," Preschlack said. "We have in our sports markets more boots on the ground and more resources to create differentiated and relevant content than anybody. And that's right. It is hard. Everyone is endeavoring to do that."
NBC Sports Chicago cuts staff " Comcast SportsNet Chicago gets a new name: NBC Sports Chicago "

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Layoffs part of evolution, says NBC Sports Chicago boss

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Recent job eliminations at NBC Sports Chicago weren't about cutting costs, according to man who oversees it and its sister regional sports networks. Cubs reporter Patrick Mooney, and White Sox reporter Dan Hayes were among channel staffers whose jobs were eliminated last week, and Blackhawks beat writer Tracey Myers resigned to become a Chicago-based regional writer for NHL.com.

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Power Players: David Preschlack, NBC Sports Regional Networks

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Power Players: David Preschlack, NBC Sports Regional Networks

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Leadership | Our Chapter | About Us | Make-A-Wish® Connecticut

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Leadership | Our Chapter | About Us | Make-A-Wish® Connecticut

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Meet our Board of Directors, who determine our chapter

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David C. Preschlack | Denison University Alumni

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David C. Preschlack | Denison University Alumni

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David C. Preschlack '95
Citation awarded May, 2015
David Preschlack, executive vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Networks, oversees U.S. cable, telco and satellite affiliate sales, global distribution and strategy, digital video distribution, and affiliate marketing for The Walt Disney Company's linear networks, including ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Fusion, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Bases Loaded, Longhorn Network, SEC ESPN Network, and related HDTV, video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, interactive television and pay-per-view products. Preschlack also manages the retransmission consent agreements for The Walt Disney Company's eight-owned ABC stations. In addition, Preschlack oversees content distribution on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices, including WATCH ABC, WATCH ABC Family, the WATCH Disney products, WatchESPN and ESPN3. He was promoted to this role in June 2007.

Among his many accomplishments, Preschlack led the negotiation of a series of long-term agreements for the Disney and ESPN networks, including every major U.S. multichannel video programming distributor since 2010. As part of those agreements, he has worked closely with distribution partners to strengthen the value of the multichannel video subscription by introducing new products to digitally-connected consumers, including the WATCH product suite (the first-ever live, authenticated networks service that made the ESPN Networks and Disney Channels available to fans on digital platforms), Sling Television (an Internet delivered, IP-based multichannel offering with DISH), and the evolution of ESPN Classic.

Prior to his current role, Preschlack was senior vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Network Group, overseeing sales, business strategy, affiliate ad sales and affiliate marketing for all Disney and ESPN products and services in the U.S. He was formerly senior vice president, national accounts with responsibility for all domestic distribution and licensing efforts for The Walt Disney Company's assets within the Media Networks group, a position he held since September 2004.

His first experience with ESPN came care of Denison's summer internship program where he worked with George Bodenheimer '80. Upon graduating from Denison he joined ESPN as a videotape librarian in July 1995 and then joined the affiliate sales and marketing department in 1996 as a sales coordinator. He was promoted to associate account executive, affiliate sales and marketing, northeast region (1997-1999), account executive, affiliate sales and marketing, northeast region (1999-2000), senior account executive, affiliate sales and marketing, northeast region (2000-2001), director, affiliate sales and marketing, northeast region (2001-2002), and vice president, national accounts, affiliate sales and marketing (2002-2004).

Recently, Preschlack was named the recipient of the 2013 NCTA Vanguard Award for Young Leadership. The Vanguard Awards are the cable and telecommunications industry's most prestigious honor. Preschlack has received Sports Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" distinction three times (2007-2009, thereby becoming a "Forty Under 40 Hall of Famer") and was named to Multichannel News' "40 Under 40" list in 2007. In 2004 Television Week named Preschlack to its "Hot List," a list of a dozen men and women poised to take their places at the forefront of the television business in the next few years. He has been named one of "cable's heavy hitters" in CableFax 100 for over a decade.

Preschlack serves on the Board of Directors of the Cable and Telecommunications Association (CTAM) and he sits on its Executive Committee as Treasurer. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way and the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

He currently resides in Southport, Conn. with his wife and four children.

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David C. Preschlack | Denison University Alumni

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Citation awarded May, 2015 David Preschlack, executive vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Networks, oversees U.S. cable, telco and satellite affiliate sales, global distribution and strategy, digital video distribution, and affiliate marketing for The Walt Disney Company's linear networks, including ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Fusion, ESPN, ESPN2, ...

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ESPN Veteran David Preshlack Joins NBC Sports In Senior Role – Variety

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ESPN Veteran David Preshlack Joins NBC Sports In Senior Role – Variety

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ESPN's loss is NBC Sports' gain. David Preschlack, a veteran of ESPN, has been hired by NBC Sports to oversee both the NBCUniversal unit's portfolio of regional sports networks as well as digital distribution of its content.

His new assignment is effective February 1.

Preschlack, who long had a hand in navigating digital and mobile distribution deals for ESPN properties, had served as a consultant to the Walt Disney sports giant until the end of 2015. He formally left his position there, executive vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Networks, in May of last year. Another top distribution and marketing executive, Sean Bratches, left ESPN at around the same time.

In his new role, Preschlack will run the NBC Sports Regional Networks portfolio, and will supervise each outlet's general manager in a range of areas including sales, content and ongoing relationship management. He will also direct NBC Sports' distribution strategy as the unit moves into new areas with existing and developing content.

He will report to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group.

"David's wealth of experience with digital innovation and distribution, as well as programming creation and acquisitions are what today's marketplace demands for executives," said Lazarus, in a prepared statement. "As we look to the future, his background and ability put us in position to further succeed and to broaden our opportunities across our entire portfolio."

At Disney, Preschlack took charge of how content was distributed on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices, including mobile apps and video-on-demand venues. He also oversaw the U.S. cable, telco and satellite affiliate sales, global distribution and strategy, digital video distribution and affiliate marketing for 16 of The Walt Disney Company's linear networks, as well as their HDTV, video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, interactive television and pay-per-view products.

He joined ESPN in 1995 as a videotape librarian, and was promoted to various levels through the affiliate sales and marketing department. Prior to his most recent position, he was senior vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Network Group, overseeing sales, business strategy, affiliate ad sales and affiliate marketing for all Disney and ESPN products and services in the U.S. Before that, Preschlack was senior vice president of national accounts, with responsibility for all domestic distribution and licensing efforts for The Walt Disney Company's assets within the media networks group.

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ESPN Veteran David Preschlack Joins NBC Sports In Senior Role

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ESPN's loss is NBC Sports' gain. David Preschlack, a veteran of ESPN, has been hired by NBC Sports to oversee both the NBCUniversal unit's portfolio of regional sports networks as well as digital distribution of its content. His new assignment is effective February 1.

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Manfred’s Small Ball Pays Dividends - Broadcasting & Cable

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Manfred’s Small Ball Pays Dividends - Broadcasting & Cable

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David Preschlack walked into a meeting with Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to discuss a deal to allow in-market online game streaming for NBC Sports Group's regional networks. His top priority was working past a handful of major issues that could potentially create "logjams."

To be sure, Preschlack, the president of NBC Sports Regional Networks and NBC Sports Group Platform and Content Strategy, had another 15 to 20 "below the line" issues in his notes, as well, but he wasn't going to bother the commissioner with the nitty gritty of those details.

"Rob walked in the door and said, 'Take me through the issues,' " Preschlack recalled. Preschlack sketched out the four or five that were top of mind and left it at that. "[Manfred] asked me if that was everything and I said, 'no,' and mentioned the smaller points that could be left for someone else. He said, 'No, take me through all the issues.' And he took out his pad and we spent the next 45 minutes going through them all."

It was, Preschlack said, an impressive display of MLB's commitment to the deal -and the sort of "solutions-oriented" move that explains why Manfred is one of B&C 's Sports Executives of the Year.

"I've never seen someone at that level of chief executive do that, they usually don't engage in those details," Preschlack, the former longtime ESPN executive, said. "But he really helped get the deal done. He had an integral role. He figured out what worked for both parties."
Focused on Fall Classic
Manfred was too busy for an interview for this story; there was a little something called the World Series going on, in which two talented teams with dramatic back stories, for the second straight year, kept baseball fans on the edge of their seats deep into the night all the way to November.

Oct. 29's epic Game 5 drew nearly 19 million viewers - a slight dip from last year's Fall Classic, but 50% higher than 2014, before Manfred took over. The Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year's seven-game affair.

This story, though, can sing Manfred's praises in a way that is classic baseball: With healthy doses of statistics and with a mix of executives singing his praise about his qualities as both a leader and a teammate.

Baseball's regular season ratings were strong nationally, with Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN averaging 1.76 million viewers, up 8% from 2016 (and the household rating was up 10%); viewers ages 18-34 and 18-49 along with men 25-54 also showed an uptick.

Even the All-Star Game, which has struggled for relevance, posted impressive numbers: across Fox, Fox Deportes and the Fox Sports Go app, the game was up 7% to 8.8 million viewers. Fox's growth was the biggest annual increase for the All-Star Game since 2008, the swan song for the original Yankee Stadium. That's particularly noteworthy because Manfred had stripped out a gimmick instituted by predecessor Bud Selig which awarded home field advantage for the World Series to the representative of the winning league. "It took leadership not just to stand on [what Selig had established], to not just keep doing things the way we've done them," Fox Sports president Eric Shanks said.

Manfred has also tweaked the Home Run Derby since taking office and this year's power display on ESPN was the most-watched since 2008 and the second-most watched since 1999, outscoring both the NBA All-Star Game and the NFL Pro Bowl. It was also the most-streamed ESPN MLB event ever, drawing an average minute audience of 209,900 viewers, and the largest for a Hispanic audience ever if you combine the viewership on ESPN2 and the Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes.

"Rob has brought new energy and innovation to the game, and we have seen the results in our ratings and in the overall interest in baseball," ESPN president John Skipper said, heaping praise not just for the Home Run Derby revamp but for bringing Major League Baseball to such disparate locations as Cuba and the Little League World Series to help boost interest in the game.

Added Preschlack: "On every issue, whether it's youth participation or pace of play, Rob honors the game's traditions but also works to find what's best for the game today."

Baseball's strength, unlike football, has always been local, and the numbers remain potent there as well. While there were some ratings dips at the Comcast-NBC and AT&T SportsNet-Root Sports regional sports networks, Fox's 12 RSNs followed the pattern of growth on the national coverage at Fox and FS1. Most important, eight of those 12 delivered year-to-year ratings increases in primetime. Seven were up by double-digits: the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves (+56%), Milwaukee Brewers (+44%), Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins (+30%), Arizona Diamondbacks (+28%) and Cincinnati Reds (+19%).

"It's no coincidence that Rob is at the forefront when this is happening," Shanks said. "Rob has a vision for the sport." (Manfred has even said he expects to someday have machines calling balls and strikes for improved accuracy.)

Manfred, who negotiated a new labor deal peacefully last year, is still beholden to the owners like any sports commissioner. Unlike NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he generally has the respect of the players and the media for handling most controversies fairly.

His domestic violence penalties have been deemed substantial but fair, and when Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel made a racist gesture about Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish following his home run in Game 3 of the World Series, Manfred acknowledged the seriousness of it but did not disrupt the series itself. Instead, Gurriel was suspended for five games at the start of 2018. (Most similar incidents have received a two-game suspension.)

He has also said that this off-season he plans to address concerns that the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo logo is racist.
'Great Moral Compass'
Manfred has "a great moral compass," Preschlack said.

"He's a true consensus builder," Shanks said, adding that Manfred's work for MLB before he became commissioner in bringing labor peace gave him a deep understanding of the players and the union "so he can reach a reasonable decision that is fair in the moment."

Ultimately, Shanks said, it's impossible to measure which individual pieces of Manfred's tenure have impacted the sport's success, especially since it is the on-field play of teams like the 2016 champion Chicago Cubs and stars like Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Jose Altuve of the Astros who have made the biggest mark. But Shanks said Manfred certainly deserves credit for setting the tone.

"He has put together as strong a team as I have ever seen around a commissioner," Shanks said. "What matters is a track record of making good decisions - in the stock market, you look at whether you trust the management in charge of the company. And right now, if baseball was a stock, it would definitely be a buy."

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David Preschlack walked into a meeting with Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred to discuss a deal to allow in-market online game streaming for NBC Sports Group's regional networks.

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NBC Sports Regional Networks to align CSN properties under 'NBC Sports' brand | NBC Sports Chicago

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NBC Sports Regional Networks to align CSN properties under 'NBC Sports' brand | NBC Sports Chicago

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NBC Sports Regional Networks to align CSN properties under 'NBC Sports' brand
CSN Chicago to become "NBC Sports Chicago" on October 2 Seven Networks to Join NBC Sports Bay Area & NBC Sports California to Complete Brand Evolution

Stamford, CT/Chicago, IL (August 23, 2017) -- NBC Sports Regional Networks will align the remainder of its five CSN-branded networks, as well as two TCNs, on Monday, October 2. The new names will incorporate "NBC Sports" with each of the networks' regional designations. The announcement was made today by David Preschlack, President, NBC Sports Regional Networks and NBC Sports Group Platform and Content Strategy.

"We're excited to complete the brand evolution of our remaining RSNs, which will now include the iconic NBC Sports name on all of our networks," said Preschlack. "This development is a reaffirmation of our continued commitment to provide the best, most compelling local sports coverage to our fans across the country."

The brand evolution will not impact the scheduled games, pre- and post-game shows, and other programming currently available on these networks.

CSN Chicago, CSN Northwest and CSN Philadelphia will combine "NBC Sports" with their current regional designations: NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Northwest and NBC Sports Philadelphia. TCN will transition to NBC Sports Philadelphia +, and continue to house separate material produced by NBC Sports Philadelphia.

CSN Mid-Atlantic, TCN Mid-Atlantic and CSN New England will also adopt the city names used by their primary team partners, becoming NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports Washington + and NBC Sports Boston, respectively.

The brand progression of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, which began in April with NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California, will be complete in advance of the 2017-18 NHL and NBA regular seasons. New York-based SNY will retain its name.

In addition to new names, the NBC Sports Regional Networks will feature enhanced logos and graphics. They will continue to feature the NBC Peacock, which was first integrated into the networks' logos in 2012, the year after the formation of NBC Sports Group.

Many NBC Sports production, programming elements and on-air talent have been incorporated on the RSNs since the Comcast-NBCUniversal acquisition in 2011, much like NBCSN and Golf Channel. In addition to the integration of the NBC Peacock in 2012, "Comcast SportsNet" changed to "CSN" in 2016. Similarly, several NBC Sports Regional Networks collaborate with NBC Owned Television Stations in their respective markets on content and other initiatives.

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NBC Sports Regional Networks to align CSN properties under 'NBC Sports' brand

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CSN Chicago to become "NBC Sports Chicago" on October 2 Seven Networks to Join NBC Sports Bay Area & NBC Sports California to Complete Brand Evolution Stamford, CT/Chicago, IL (August 23, 2017) -- NBC Sports Regional Networks will align the remainder of its five CSN-branded networks, as well as two TCNs, on Monday, October 2.