Former NFL San Diego Chargers pass-rusher Shawne Merriman’s Lights Out company, based in Los Angeles, has launched a free ad-supported streaming TV service called Lights Out Sports.
Merriman’s nickname during his six seasons (2005-2010) with the Chargers was “Lights Out.”
As reported by Broadcasting+Cable, an industry media outlet, Lights Out Sports will be available on Roku, Apple iOS and Android TV connected platforms, with more to come.
Content will be available from a number of sports programmers, including Glory Kickboxing, World Poker Tour, Swerve Combat, Chess.com, Streetbeefs, Outdoor America, Speedvision, Cineverse and the American 7s Football League (A7FL), along with Lights Out Xtreme Fighting (LXF), the mixed-martial arts (MMA) league that Merriman owns. LXF is known for developing a system for generating real-time data about matches using cameras and sensors in the combatants’ gloves to deliver delivered data about punch frequency, velocity and power.
“This (Lights Out Sports) is a big undertaking,” Merriman told Broadcasting+Cable. “You’ve got to make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row and everybody’s on the same page. We want to make sure that all the partners coming feel confident that they’re getting a full service.”
Merriman played outside linebacker in 60 games for the Chargers, starting 53 of them and recording 43.5 sacks. He was the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, led the league in sacks in 2006 and was an All-Pro in each of his first three seasons in the league.
After a string of injuries, Merriman was waived by the Chargers in midseason 2010. He was picked up through waivers by the Buffalo Bills, but played only minimally due to continued injuries. He retired as an NFL player in 2013 and worked for the next few years as a commentator at NFL Network, Fox Sports, ESPN and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Lights Out Sports is one of the newest players in a fast-growing media segment called free, ad-support streaming television, or FAST, as reported by Sportico, a trade industry newsletter.
Recent FAST-related news includes The Roku Channel’s announcement that it will show Sunday night Major League Baseball games at no charge. Also, sports-centric bundler Fubo said it will offer a free tier of 25 sports stations, including Real Madrid TV, Pickleball TV, Surfer and World Poker Tour. Also, FanDuel TV Extra is launching its own free network that will stream live basketball from leagues in China, Germany and Turkey, along with soccer from South Korea.
The world ad market for FAST could top $9 billion in 2024, according to U.K. analyst Omdia, a consultancy specializing in telecommunications, media and technology. Two years ago, global FAST ad revenue was less than half that.
IABC Honors Communicators of the Year from Intuit, SDSU
The San Diego chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators has named Intuit exec Angie Robert for its 2024 Communicator of the Year award and Aasrita Patibandla of San Diego State University as its Junior COTY award recipient.
IABC said its COTY award, now in its 11th year, recognizes a San Diego-area leader who demonstrates strategic excellence in communications and serves as an outstanding example of others through quality work and contributions to the professions. Similarly, the Junior COTY award recognizes a communications professional with less than seven years of communications industry experience.
In her role in executive communications at Intuit, Robert supports product, money, design and business operations teams for the QuickBooks brand with strategic communications, change management, employee engagement, executive leadership and messaging and narrative building.
She also is serving as global co-chair of the Intuit Women’s Network, the oldest and largest employee resource group at Intuit with more than 2,600 members worldwide.
During her nearly 10 years at Intuit, Robert’s previous roles have included public relations, internal and external digital communications, social media and influencer relations, crisis and risk management and corporate branding for the TurboTax and Intuit Brands. Before joining Intuit, she held a variety of marketing and communications roles at financial and tech companies.
“IABC has long been the most innovative and cutting-edge organization for professional communicators, so it is truly an honor to receive this recognition,” Robert told Times of San Diego. “Receiving this award is a powerful reminder of the significance of the communications discipline, and the importance of building relationships that lift both corporations and people up to their highest potential.”
Patibandla, a web and systems strategist for the past two years at SDSU, manages technical operations for the university’s digital landscape. She supports projects to enhance the university’s online presence and optimize key systems, including email automation and websites.
“It is truly humbling and an immense honor to be recognized by IABC-San Diego among such exceptional corporate communicators,” said Patibandla, “I deeply appreciate IABC’s initiative in spotlighting the impactful work being done within the field of communication. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the leadership at SDSU for their consistent support, their emphasis on the importance of effective communication, and for nurturing an environment where employees can thrive.”
Robert and Patibandla will be recognized at a reception starting at 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 29, at Karl Strauss Brewing Company, 9675 Scranton Road. Cost to attend is $40 for members, $50 for nonmembers.
Health Care Communicators Present Annual Awards
The Health Care Communicators of Southern California, a professional networking group, said it presented 71 awards from among 39 categories to 17 different organizations at its recent Finest Awards, held May 17at the El Adobe de Capistrano restaurant in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. About 100 people attended the awards event, HCCSC said.
The awards program featured gold, silver and bronze awards. Awards recognized excellence in healthcare marketing and advertising. A record 125 entries were received from organizations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties and the Inland Empire.
Top winner was UC San Diego Health with 11 awards and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego with 10 awards.
Other multiple award winners (number of awards received appears in parenthesis) included Maricich Health (8), CalOptima Health (7), Scripps Health (6), City of Hope Orange County (5), Reveille Inc. (4), Loma Linda University (4), Scatena Daniels Communications (3), Loma Linda University Health (3) and Providence Little Company of Mary (2).
Single award winners included Institute for Healthcare Advancement, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, UC San Diego Health Marketing and Communications and Westcott Communications.
Best of Show awards, one apiece, were presented to UC San Diego Health and City of Hope Orange County. The San Diego Blood Bank was presented with two Best of Show awards.
Scholarship recipients included: Zoe Levin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Darcey Tran, University of California, Los Angeles; Mirela Guzman, Stanford University; Cameron Patton and Emily Rodriguez, both from San Diego State University.
Members of the group include communications professionals who work in the health care, wellness, biotech, medical device, health information technology and pharmaceutical industries in San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as the Inland Empire. Formed in 1977, HCCSC serves as the Southern California chapter of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD), a membership trade group that provides resources for healthcare-provider planners, marketers and communications practitioners nationwide. SHSMD is affiliated with the American Hospital Association.
Mindgruve Achieves Google Premier Partner Status
Mindgruve, a San Diego-based digital marketing agency, has announced it has achieved 2024 Premier Partner status in the Google Partners program for the fourth consecutive year.
The agency said the accomplishment grants Mindgruve clients exclusive access to prime business growth opportunities across Google services.
“Mindgruve’s close partnership with Google has led to incredible growth for our clients,” said Chad Robley, CEO of Mindgruve. “This recognition underscores our commitment to mastering Google’s full suite of cutting-edge tools and insights to drive meaningful growth for our clients. Together, we’re setting new benchmarks for success in our industry.”
A statement said the Google Partners program empowers agencies with essential training, support and tools for client success, making them more competitive. Premier Partners represent the top 3% in the country benefiting from advanced Google resources, including early product access, tailored training and expert support, enhancing their service quality and innovation.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.