"Sportfolio" on Bloomberg TV Takes Fans Out For The Business of Baseball This Week

Feb. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- Baseball got an early jump on spring training this year, as the third World Baseball Classic will take center stage starting next week at stadia from Asia to the Caribbean and across the United States, so this week’s “Sportfolio” on Bloomberg TV will go deep into the business of baseball.

First, MLB Executive Vice President for Business Tim Brosnan joins host Rick Horrow to discuss bottom line issues for the World Baseball Classic. The tournament enjoyed gains in attendance, TV ratings, and sponsorships from its debut in 2006 to its return in 2009: will the upswing continue in this year's edition? Brosnan analyses the financial and marketing benefits and challenges of MLB's most ambitious international initiative. Then the show goes from global baseball to the battles of the Bay Area, as San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer sits down with Bloomberg TV's Deirdre Bolton (host of "Money Moves") to discuss the business plan that's brought his team two World Series titles in the last three seasons. The Giants have achieved success with a top 10 payroll and a strong attendance base at AT & T Park, but face a direct challenge from a Dodgers team with a new television deal that has enabled it to double its salary budget. Baer frankly explains his thoughts on the relationship of spending to winning in today's environment, and how his organization maximizes revenue and resources in the absence of a "blockbuster" media contract.  

The show will also veer to the race track, taking a look at some new plans designed to help give NASCAR another positive jump start. Ratings for the 2013 Daytona 500 Sprint Cup race rose 30% over 2012, which is good news for the series' manufacturers as well as its drivers and sponsors. NASCAR unveiled its new "Gen 6" car at the Great American Race, with a new design that more clearly brands the vehicles as Fords, Chevys, and Toyotas. Jamie Allison, head of Ford North America Motorsports, tells Rick Horrow why the makeover will result in more showroom interest in Ford cars, and why Ford's investment in racing is such a powerful driver of sales.

This week’s show debuts Wednesday night at 9:30 PM and 12:30 AM ET Thursday on Bloomberg TV (DirecTV 353, check your local cable systems for the channel near you). The show reaches more than 270 million households through first-run and syndicated airings.

Sportfolio premiered on September 27, 2011 and has now produced over 50 original episodes, all of which can be viewed at http://www.bloomberg.com/video/sportfolio. The guest list has already included: NBA Commissioner David Stern, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Pac 12 Commissioner Larry Scott, Ivy League President Robin Harris, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross,  Dodgers and Warriors co-owner Peter Guber, AEG CEO Tim Leiweke, Wasserman Media Group CEO Casey Wasserman, Cubs general manager Theo Epstein and owner Tom Ricketts, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, 49ers president Jed York, Los Angeles Angels GM Jerry DiPoto, Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark, NASCAR’s Brian France and Jeff Gordon, the L.A. Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, Masters Champion Bubba Watson, Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, the Green Bay Packers Greg Jennings,  golf hall of famers Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, and many, many others.

Contact: Joe Favorito/917- 566-8345/fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com