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MTV Networks owned Nickelodeon and the National Football League have entered into partnership to produce new, original animated short-form series.

This production partnership will bring 22-episode series ‘Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core’ for Nicktoons. The series will be based on NFL’s online world for kids NFLRUSH ZONE.

Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core will comprise two-to-five minute shorts featuring an unexpected new hero, all 32 NFL teams and the voices of NFL players and coaches as themselves, such as Coach Sean Payton, who led the New Orleans Saints to victory in Super Bowl XLIV, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

The new series will be broadcast on Nicktoons weekly coinciding the 2010 NFL season from September through February and will end with a one-hour movie special to air the day before Super Bowl XLV.

Nicktoons.com and NFLRUSH.com will also stream the animated short-form series. High-definition production is also planned for using it on Jumbotrons in NFL stadiums across the country.

Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core follows Ishmael, a 10-year old boy who was just an ordinary kid until learning that all 32 NFL stadiums also serve as secret strongholds of an otherworldly benevolent life force that he has been chosen to guard. That life force, once the core of a far-off peaceful planet, has been broken into pieces, or shards, which are hidden in every NFL stadium around the country. An evil villain known as Sudden Death is determined to find the shards, reassemble them and end humanity. To stop Sudden Death, Ish is given the physical abilities of an NFL football player (and a few additional super powers) to battle on and off the gridiron.

Dawkins, Nicktoons General Manager, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Programming Partnerships said “It is great to be partnering with the NFL. To be able to bring the power of two brands that boys love, the NFL and Nickelodeon, together less than one roof and leverage the best of what we both do is extremely exciting. This new series combines fantasy, sports, game play, team work, competition and the age old theme of good vs. evil, under one compelling new narrative.”

Peter O’Reilly, NFL Vice President of Fan Strategy & Marketing said “We are pleased to expand our relationship with Nickelodeon and to bring the NFL to life in a fantastical, exciting animated series. Millions of children have discovered the fun of the NFLRUSH ZONE online world in the past two years, and this new series is a great way of bringing the RUSH ZONE to an even wider audience every week during the NFL season.”

The Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals has announced that it has signed a partnership with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). This agreement is to offer inspirational television programs for the 47 million strong Hispanic American communities.

Dr. Jesse Miranda, Chief Executive Officer of NHCLC said “This partnership will forge a relationship identifying CBN as Senior Media Partner of Hispanic NAE & its 25,434 member churches.”As a result of this partnership, the Latino Church will be resourced with a vision-enhancing experience, in addition to programming that will edify the community in authentic ways.”

CBN offers a digital platform with an array of Spanish language programs for all ages. Their free Spanish IPTV channel, www.CBNespanol.tv, features original CBN productions and programs from different Latin American countries. CBNespanol.tv also offers video on demand of its most popular programs such as Vida Dura, Mundo Cristiano and Club 700 Hoy seen daily at 12:30pm.

CBN’s Spanish flagship program, Club 700 Hoy, airs weekly throughout Iberoamerica and the US while maintaining a faithful international following for more than 40 years and in as many as 25 Latino countries. Worldwide, CBN international programming can be seen by more than 2 billion people.

Dr. Nick Garza, COO for the Hispanic Association of Evangelicals said “CBN is already reaching millions through their worldwide television programming. This partnership will ensure exponential growth in CBN’s reach to Hispanics in the U.S.”

Sandra Smith, Director of Programming for CBN International said “We are so excited about the partnership with NHCLC because they will let people know about the great inspirational media products that CBN has for helping Hispanic families worldwide.”

Sandra Anderson, Director of Marketing for CBN Latin America stated “At CBN we share the call with the NHCLC to fulfill the Great Commission using the power of media. We have the tremendous honor to provide these programs that serve as a redemptive voice and a powerful mechanism for reconciliation and transformation in every area of the Hispanic USA lifestyle. Our partnership with the NHCLC demonstrates unity of purpose in the body of Christ and a strong commitment to serving Hispanic USA in the most targeted areas of need.”

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, NHCLC President said “Hispanic Evangelicals stand committed to media outlets that strengthen the most basic of our moral fabric. The Latino family unit is the cure for much of our wayward ways as it pertains to marriage and family values. Targeted programming will minister to the entire Latino family and further enhance the ministry happening in the local church as well as serve as an outreach to the lost.”

DirecTV has added Starz Entertainment’s three high-definition channels to its HD programming lineup. DirecTV is now offering all Starz premium channel in high definition. Following are the Starz HD channels added:

• Encore HD (East)
• Starz In Black HD and
• Starz Cinema HD

All these HD channels are available at no extra cost to DirecTV Starz Super Pack subscribers with HD access.

Following are the HD movies coming this summer to the new Starz HD channels:

Encore HD

• Happy Gilmore
• Jaws
• Monsters
• Reign of Fire
• Rush Hour 2
• Signs
• Speed
• The Mask
• The Mummy Returns
• The Rock
• Starz In Black HD
• District 9
• Hancock
• Lakeview Terrace
• Law Abiding Citizen
• Michael Jackson’s This Is It
• Obsessed
• Pandorum
• The Pillars of the Earth
• The Taking of Pelham 123

Starz Cinema HD

• Angels & Demons
• Doubt
• Last Chance Harvey
• Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
• Rachel Getting Married
• Seven Pounds
• The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
• The International

Ed Huguez, Starz Entertainment executive VP, affiliate sales and marketing said “The combination of commercial-free premium programming, in high definition, and all part of an affordable monthly subscription, is a winning combination for consumers that brings great value for all movie-lovers. DIRECTV has long been a valued affiliate partner of Starz and we are very pleased to see them launch successfully the new HD channels today.”

The Wichita Wingnuts has announced that it will partner with the University of Phoenix to present 2010 American Association All-Star Game on July 27. The game will be broadcast on Cox Kansas 22.

The University of Phoenix will be the presenting sponsor of the Wichita Campus 2010 American Association All-Star Game scheduled for Tuesday, July 27th at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The 2010 American Association All-Star Game will witness the best players from the North and South Divisions, with all 10 teams sending at least one representative.

Before the American Association All-Star Game the Wingnuts will host several skills competitions, highlighted by the annual Home Run Derby.

Carrie Morris-Smith, University of Phoenix Wichita Campus Director said “University of Phoenix – Wichita campus is excited to sponsor the 2010 American Association All-Star game. The best baseball players in the league are participating, making this game one of the most competitive and entertaining in the nation. As fans of the Wichita Wingnuts, our employees, students and faculty members are thrilled to celebrate these players and baseball as a sport.”

Wingnuts’ President Josh Robertson said “This is another major step in making sure the All-Star Game is presented first class. The University of Phoenix is well-known across the country and we are very proud to have both of our names attached to one of the biggest events Wichita will see this year.”

MTV Networks announced that it has launched the first ever mobile extension of the company’s “Tribes” ad network initiative “Mobile Tribes.”

MTV Networks is to launch three new demographic- and vertically-focused mobile Tribes across iPhone applications for its brands and partner sites that include:

• Entertainment Mobile Tribe, anchored by COMEDY CENTRAL and Spike, includes action, sports, and other applications for men.
• Casual Gaming Mobile Tribe, anchored by Addicting Games and Shockwave, includes casual gaming apps.
• Music & Youth Mobile Tribe, anchored by MTV, VH1 and CMT, includes music and pop culture apps for young people.

Mobile Tribes will allow advertisers to buy inventory across MTVN’s growing portfolio of more than 30 free and paid U.S. iPhone apps, as well as a network of more than 2,500 independent mobile applications managed by Greystripe, the leading independent mobile advertising network and MTVN’s partner for Mobile Tribes.

Kevin Arrix, Executive Vice President, Digital Advertising, MTVN, said “Tribes gives marketers the opportunity to connect with some of the most highly targeted and engaged audiences online. With Mobile Tribes, we can now offer marketers the ability to easily extend online campaigns to mobile and scale their existing mobile campaigns, all with premium full screen ads across an array of mobile applications.”

Alvaro Bravo, Greystripe’s VP of Business Development, said “Greystripe is proud to partner with MTV Networks to enable advertisers to reach targeted mobile audiences across our broad network of applications. Our high quality content and rich media, full-screen ad formats have proven the most effective way for advertisers to engage iPhone users.”

SIRIUS XM Radio has announced that it will broadcast all the 64 matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup live from South Africa from June 11 through July 11.

SIRIUS XM will deliver English language broadcasts of every World Cup match, produced by ESPN Radio.

SIRIUS XM subscribers will hear ESPN broadcasters JP Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth. Dellacamera has called the last six FIFA World Cups for a variety of television networks as well as the past two Summer Olympic Games. Smyth has called more than 2,500 international matches from leagues all over the world and has worked three FIFA World Cups.

SIRIUS XM will offer exclusive analysis throughout the tournament from international soccer legend Giorgio Chinaglia and Charlie Stillitano, who will host special World Cup editions of their SIRIUS XM program, The Football Show in addition to live play-by-play of every match.

Chinaglia, one of the game’s most prolific goal-scorers, played for Italy in the 1974 FIFA World Cup and earned international renown as a striker for the Italian club Lazio and the New York Cosmos. Stillitano is the former general manager of the NY/NJ Metrostars and a U.S. Soccer Foundation founding board member.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup, contested by 32 national teams, will take place from June 11 to July 11 in nine cities in South Africa. Nations competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup include Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Paraguay, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay and the USA.

ESPN has launched six local-based apps for the iPhone and iPod touch expanding its mobile reach. The most popular five ESPN Local apps launched are in Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. These apps allow fans to access all the latest breaking news, scores and information from the hometown teams.

ESPN has also launched ESPN Passport that allows fans to chronicle their at-the-game experiences by building a digital sports scrapbook via the app on their mobile devices while also capturing real-time perspective with the ability to upload photos and share commentary while at the game.

All these ESPN Local Apps are free to download allowing fans instant access to breaking local news, hometown team information, local writers, bloggers and a custom local SportsCenter. The features of ESPN Local apps are:

• Top local and national news stories;
• GPS-activated local weather updates;
• Blog posts and tweets from each of the local contributors to the sites;
• Interactive scoreboard;Access to local SportsCenter video and audio clips;
• Stadium guides for all local professional sports teams;Schedules;
• Text direct to ESPN Radio stations in Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York;

ESPN Local sites in Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Los Angeles have already become leading destinations for fans of local sports.

ESPN has announced that for the first time in its FIFA World Cup history, the sports network in collaboration with affiliates will deliver 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa matches in languages other than English in the United States.

AT&T U-Verse, Cox and DirecTV are the affiliates which will deliver 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa matches in multiple languages.

ESPN’s multi-language coverage for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will deliver games in Arabic, German, Japanese and Korean languages also. Customers can make a simple adjustment directly on their set top box, by selecting the appropriate option in their on screen guide, or online via ESPN3.com.

ESPN already announced that ESPN Deportes, the all-sports Spanish-language network, and ESPN3.com will provide Portuguese-language telecasts of 2010 FIFA World Cup, as part of its multi-language rights in the U.S. for FIFA events through 2014.

David Preschlack, executive vice president, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Networks Group, said “We are always looking for new ways to serve our fans and the World Cup presented the perfect opportunity. Our team has coordinated a lot of moving pieces to make this happen and we think the end result will help our affiliates serve their increasingly diverse constituents.”

SIRIUS XM Radio has announced that it will cover The Grade I stakes race for three year-old Thoroughbred horses “The Kentucky Derby” from Louisville, Kentucky, United States starting Saturday, May 1.

SIRIUS and XM will present live race call of the 136th “Run for the Roses” at 5:00 pm ET on SIRIUS channel 120 and XM channel 140.

SIRIUS XM’s exclusive horse racing talk shows will deliver the latest news and analysis leading up to horse racing’s most celebrated day before the race broadcast.

Every weekday afternoon At The Races with Steve Byk on SIRIUS channel 126 at 4:00 – 7:00 pm ET and on XM channel 243 will air live from Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Byk will talk with handicapping experts and Derby trainers each day to give his audience and expert look at the field.

On Saturday a special pre-Derby edition of Down The Stretch, hosted by Dave Johnson and Bill Finley, will air live from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm ET on SIRIUS channel 126 and XM channel 243. Johnson, the acclaimed track announcer who called the Derby for 24 years, and Finley will discuss all the stakes races happening that day at Churchill Downs, provide the latest Derby news and pre-race analysis, and interview drivers, trainers and owners.

SIRIUS XM offers horse racing fans around the country comprehensive coverage of the Sport of Kings throughout the year, providing live coverage of top races from around the country plus the racing talk shows Down The Stretch (Saturdays, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm ET, SIRIUS channel 126 and XM channel 243) and At The Races with Steve Byk.

ESPN has announced that it will broadcast 2010 NFL Draft for the 31st consecutive year from April 22-24. ESPN for the first time will change to new primetime format as follows:

• Round 1 – Thurs., April 22 – 7:30 p.m., ESPN and
• Rounds 2-3 – Fri., April 23 – 6 p.m., ESPN/switches to ESPN2

2010 NFL Draft and related content will be available across multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN Mobile, ESPNU, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic and ESPN International.

Highlights of 2010 NFL Draft includes:

ESPN-ESPN2

ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise all 15 hours of the 2010 NFL Draft in high definition, as well as 20 hours of SportsCenter Special shows during NFL Draft week.  On Days 1 (Thurs., April 22) and 2 (Fri., April 23), Chris Berman will again host ESPN’s coverage with Jon Gruden, Tom Jackson, Mel Kiper, Jr., and Steve Young from ESPN’s main set at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen and NFL Insider Adam Schefter will report from a stage set, and reporter Suzy Kolber will conduct interviews in the green room and after players are selected. Also, ESPN Scouts Inc. director of college scouting Todd McShay will contribute from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios.

On Day 3 (Saturday, April 24), NFL Live’s Trey Wingo will host coverage from Radio City with Gruden, Jaworski and Kiper. Mortensen and Schefter will continue to report from Radio City, and Kolber will co-host Rounds 4-7 from Bristol joined by Tedy Bruschi, Trent Dilfer, Herm Edwards and McShay.

ESPN will dispatch reporters on Days 1 and 2 to team sites across the country, including: Colleen Dominguez (covering San Francisco), Pedro Gomez (New Orleans), Rachel Nichols (St. Louis), Wendi Nix (Pittsburgh), Sal Paolantonio (Philadelphia), Michael Smith (Cleveland), Shelley Smith (Seattle) and Ed Werder (Washington).

Two editions of SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., ESPN) and NFL Live (4 p.m., ESPN) on April 22 will kickoff ESPN’s comprehensive Draft coverage on Day 1 and 2. Monday Night Football’s Mike Tirico will host with analysts Cris Carter, Dilfer, Kirk Herbstreit (Thurs. only), Jaworski, Keyshawn Johnson and McShay. The three-hour SportsCenter Special at 4:30 p.m. will lead into the NFL Draft telecast.

Other highlights:

* Coverage of the NFL Draft 75th anniversary Red Carpet event from Radio City Music Hall (Fri., April 23, 6-7 p.m.) will include interviews with Draft prospects, some of the Most Valuable Draft Picks of all-time and members of the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame class;
* Videoconferencing in high definition with all 32 teams using Glowpoint telepresence technology;
* Live shots with some 25 NFL Draft prospects, capturing their reactions as they’re picked;
* More than 200 player highlight packages;
* More than 60 rapid-fire still photo bumps featuring Draft prospects that will be used in and out of commercial breaks during the telecast;
* The perceptive pixel touch screen regularly used on SportsCenter and a new 65-inch interactive depth chart will be used by McShay during Draft coverage. ESPN Axis will also be utilized;
* Sport Science host John Brenkus will offer unique athlete analysis segments on player acceleration, VO2 Max, word association, speed and agility, etc., based on tests conducted on 2010 NFL Draft prospects.
* SportsCenter Special: Gruden’s QB Camp (Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m.) – The one-hour special features Gruden in classroom sessions and one-on-one interviews with four of the top quarterbacks in the 2010 NFL Draft class – Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow.

ESPN’s 2010 NFL Draft marketing campaign is themed to the Jay-Z song “Empire State of Mind” (featuring Alicia Keys). The spots highlight the Draft’s move to primetime and take viewers on a visual tour of New York City before arriving at the famous Radio City Music Hall marquee. Along the way, names and images of top Draft prospects appear on the billboards and up in lights at various sites throughout the city.  The campaign was created by ESPN Consumer Marketing and produced by Triple Double in Los Angeles. To view the 30 second spot, click here. In all, ESPN’s NFL Draft telecast will feature four Jay-Z songs – “Star Is Born”, “On To The Next One”, “So Ambitious” and “Empire State Of Mind” – all from The Blueprint 3 album.

ESPN Radio

Football Tonight host Freddie Coleman will anchor ESPN Radio’s 2010 NFL Draft coverage Thursday and Friday, April 22-23, from Radio City with ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton and former Redskins Executive Vice President for Football Operations Vinny Cerrato. ESPN Radio’s coverage will start Thursday at 7 p.m. (Round 1) and Friday at 6 p.m. (Rounds 2-3). ESPN Radio will also present news and updates Saturday from Rounds 4-7.

ESPNEWS

ESPNEWS will supplement its overall sports news coverage with prime-time NFL Draft updates beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22 for Round 1. Mike Hill and Dari Nowkhah will anchor from Bristol with analysts Eric Allen and Qadry Ismail and college football reporter Joe Schad. Draft-related updates continue Friday, April 23 at 6 p.m. for Rounds 2 and 3 with Hill and Ryan Burr, Allen, Ismail and Schad. Both nights, ESPNEWS will offer analysis of player selections and live interviews. Special graphics will allow fans to follow the action, team-by-team, and viewers will be invited to share their thoughts through polls and comments on ESPN.com’s SportsNation and via Twitter (@ESPNEWS). On Saturday, April 24, ESPNEWS will offer special Draft-tracking graphics, updates, interviews and analysis throughout Rounds 4-7.

ESPN.com

ESPN.com’s 2010 NFL Draft section will offer comprehensive coverage leading up to and throughout all three days of the Draft with analysis and insight from Kiper, McShay, Scouts Inc. experts and others. All eight NFL division bloggers will be part of ESPN.com’s “cover it live” approach from various team sites, including Tim Graham (Miami), Paul Kuharsky (Nashville), Matt Mosley (Washington), Mike Sando (Seattle), Kevin Seifert (Detroit), James Walker (Cleveland), Bill Williamson (Denver) and Pat Yasinskas (Tampa). ESPN senior writers Jeffri Chadiha (Kansas City), John Clayton (New York) and Len Pasquarelli (Atlanta) will also offer columns and insights.

Pre-Draft highlights: Scouts Inc. reports on approximately 350 prospects through ESPN’s DraftTracker;

Kiper’s Big Board; weekly features by ESPN’s division bloggers examining each team’s Draft possibilities; regularly updated mock drafts; reports on individual workouts and evaluations of each team’s Draft needs and potential strategies; an “Inside the Draft” multimedia feature that examines key figures in the Dallas Cowboys’ war room; round-by-round all-star teams of previous drafts; a feature on the five best Drafts of all time; and profiles on prominent Draft prospects.

Draft coverage: The three-day coverage will include a revamped DraftCast, including NFL Draft Live, a feature that allows users to interact with ESPN.com writers, bloggers and other draft experts across the country; DraftTracker: Pick-by-pick data in real time; a social media application that integrates Facebook; SportsNation polling; live blogging and team reviews from all eight NFL division bloggers; video breakdowns of every first-round pick by ESPN’s Herm Edwards; pick-by-pick analysis by Scouts Inc., and Kiper’s team-by-team draft grades.

ESPN Mobile

ESPN Mobile will give fans on-the-go access to Draft-related news and information including a Draft section on ESPN’s mobile web site complete with video, player profiles, analysis and breaking news.  ESPN.com’s favorite columnists are also highlighted as well as player skill breakdowns from the experts at Scouts Inc.  ESPN Mobile TV will offer vignettes and features all week and throughout each round, and ESPN’s MVP subscribers will get one-touch access to Draft-related news, information and video.

ESPN International

ESPN International will offer coverage (same as the domestic telecast) all three days of the NFL Draft to approximately 23 million households in 43 countries and territories on ESPN America, the only European network dedicated to broadcasting the best North American sports, and TSN (Canada). The Draft telecast will be live Thursday and Friday on TSN (Canada).

ESPNU

The 24-hour college sports network is presenting extensive Draft-related content throughout the week by replaying college football games featuring several of the top 2010 prospects, including Gerald McCoy and Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Eric Berry (Tennessee), Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) and CJ Spiller (Clemson), among others. Coverage will also include college football game reairs featuring NFL Draft “sleepers” like Ryan Mathews (Fresno State) and Tony Moeaki (Iowa). Games will air April 16-25.

The two-hour ESPNU Draft Special hosted by Lowell Galindo with analysts Tom Luginbill and Charles Arbuckle will air Tuesday, April 20 at 8 p.m. and will feature the latest Draft news, predictions and analysis.

ESPN Classic

ESPN Classic will present a 13-day marathon (April 10-22) of star NFL players ‘before they were pros’ by televising each player’s classic college games daily from noon–10 p.m. The eventual NFL stars used these college games to showcase their talents for scouts and coaches, better positioning themselves for the NFL Draft. Featured players will include Donovan McNabb (April 13, 6-10 p.m.), Brett Favre (April 15, 2-6 p.m.), Tom Brady (April 16, noon–10 p.m.), Adrian Peterson (April 20, 4-8 p.m.) and Chris Johnson (April 22, noon – 4 p.m.), among others.

ESPN The Magazine

ESPN The Magazine’s NFL Draft Preview includes a cover-story on Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. In “As Easy As 1, 2, 3… 756, 757, 758” ESPN The Magazine writer David Fleming dissects the former Irish signal-caller’s forward pass to find out what he does and how he makes it looks so simple — his sublime mechanics give him an important edge over his peers and have made him a top prospect in this year’s NFL Draft. Clausen is also featured on the back cover where he has been “Avatorized” in an ad promoting the Avatar DVD release, with the copy written in Na’vi. Also featured in the NFL Draft issue, The Mag brought five mid-round Draft prospects to New York for a photo shoot and some fun in “Kings for a Day III.” The Magazine also calculated the Games Started Above Average (GSAA) to get a 1-32 ranking of each NFL teams’ war room success in “Picky, Picky.”