PBA Spare Shots
FLOSPORTS’ HISTORY AND SOME COOL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT FLOBOWLING
FloSports is a 100% digital sports media company based in Austin, Texas. Here is some background on the PBA’s new video streaming partner as of June 30:
● FloSports was founded in 2006 by brothers Martin and Mark Floreani, along with their friend Madhu Venkatesan, to provide comprehensive coverage of their favorite sports, wrestling and track & field. They raised $10,000 and invested $3,000 in a van, which they planned to drive cross-country to film events, and struck gold when their coverage of Ryan Hall’s record half-marathon drew a large following among long-distance runners on FloTrack.com.
●In 2012, FloSports began selling subscriptions to their live streaming service and other premium content. By mid-2014, they had raised $8 million and began adding new channels dedicated to specific underserved sports.
● FloSports’ philosophy is to grow sports by elevating the coverage. This is done by providing a fresh and informed perspective and offering an unmatched live experience. Bowling fans who follow the sport via Xtra Frame will soon find out what that means as FloBowling adds its own touch to PBA Xtra Frame coverage.
● Today FloSports’ list of channels includes FloWrestling, FloTrack, FloGymnastics, FloGrappling, FloSoftball, FloCheer, FloBikes, FloRodeo, FloRugby, plus more than a dozen others. The company has signed more than 330 new rights partnerships so far this year.
● In Tom Foster’s Inc. Magazine story about the birth of FloSports, he said, “(You may) recall a different upstart’s rise. In 1979, a slow-pitch softball game aired on (its) first night of programming. Years of bowling tournaments and highlight reels followed. It hardly added up to something that looked like a revolution. Until it did. Perhaps you’ve heard of that quixotic little company. It’s called ESPN.”
● Currently, there is a shift in the broadcasting and entertainment industry toward cord-cutting as the inevitable future of watching television. Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu are other notable companies offering digital content. Exactly how it will unfold remains to be seen, but one thing is certain, FloSports is far ahead of the trend.
●FloSports has more than 200 employees, 20+ channels, and is adding thousands of new subscribers each month. That means when PBA Xtra Frame switches onto FloBowling.com, the PBA will immediately gain the potential for several hundred thousand new viewers.
● One more note: FloBowling's subscription rate is $30/month or $150/year ($12.50/month prorated) – both include access to all FloSports channels. Xtra Frame subscribers who are in good standing as of June 29 will be able to retain their existing subscriptions at the current prices if they renew in a timely manner. If the existing Xtra Frame subscription is canceled or lapses, renewals will be at the FloBowling rate.
If you've been procrastinating about subscribing to Xtra Frame, don’t delay. Sign up no for Xtra Frame no later than June 29, in time for FloBowling’s inaugural coverage of the PBA Xtra Frame Parkside Lanes Open from Aurora, Ill., June 30-July 2.
● Learn more about FloSports here: http://www.flosports.tv/our-story/. Other stories about FloSports:
SENIOR U.S. OPEN HIGHLIGHTS XTRA FRAME COVERAGE THIS WEEK
Start to finish coverage of the PBA50 Tour’s Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open, presented by Storm, at Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas highlights this week’s exclusive live streaming coverage on Xtra Frame.
Qualifying began Monday and continues through Thursday with coverage of head-to-head match play and the stepladder finals wrapping up the event on Friday. The finals will air at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Michael Haugen Jr. is defending champion.
Also on this week’s Xtra Frame schedule is the PWBA Greater Harrisburg Open which gets underway in Harrisburg, Pa., on Friday, with the final rounds airing on Saturday.
After a week-long break, Xtra Frame returns June 25-29 with exclusive coverage of the preliminary rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open from Orlando, Fla. Liz Johnson of Palatine, Ill., will be trying for her fifth consecutive, and seventh overall, U.S. Women’s Open title. CBS Sports Network will air the stepladder finals live on Saturday, June 30, at 5 p.m. EDT.
June 30 marks the beginning of PBA Xtra Frame on FloBowling.com. The inaugural event on the FloBowling calendar will be the PBA Xtra Frame Parkside Lanes Open from Aurora, Ill. The PBA50 Tour will make its PBA Xtra Frame on FloBowling debut July 17-20 with coverage of the PBA50 River City Extreme Open, presented by Ebonite, from River City Extreme in Monticello, Minn.
Fans can still enroll as XtraFrame subscribers through June 29 by visiting xtraframe.tv. An entire month of coverage costs only $7.99. A three-day subscription is also available through June 25 for $3.99, and the 12-month Season Ticket plan is offered for about $1.25 week. Monthly and year-long subscriptions will be honored by FloSports as the PBA moves to Xtra Frame on FloBowling as of June 30. As of June 30, new subscribers will enroll through FloSports.com at the current FloSports PRO subscription rates.
PBA REGIONAL UPDATE: TUHOLSKI ENDS 10-YEAR DRY SPELL WITH WIN IN TUMWATER
Craig Tuholski of Troutdale, Ore., won only four of his eight matches, but posted a winning 16-game total of 3,545 pins Sunday in the PBA South Gate Northwest Regional presented by DV8 at Tumwater Lanes in Tumwater, Wash., Sunday to end a 10-year title drought.
Tuholski, who earned $2,000, claimed his ninth PBA Regional title and first since 2008. He out-scored Tanner Spacey of Burien, Wash., by 133 pins for the win. Spacey had a 5-3 match play record and 3,412 pins for his 16 games including match play bonus pins.
● Devon Miller of Dublin, Ohio defeated Andrew Klingler of Grand Rapids, Mich., 224-182, to win the PBA Elkhart Central/Midwest Open presented by 900 Global at Country Club Lanes in Elkhart, Ind., Sunday for his first PBA Regional title and a $2,000 first prize.
In the semifinal round, Miller topped Chris Colella of Indianapolis, 219-213, while Klingler downed Jason Lundquist of Columbus, Ohio, 209-188, to set up the championship match.
● The only event on the June 15-17 PBA Regional calendar is the Timmy See Memorial Tavares South Open presented by MOTIV at Break Point Alley in Tavares, Fla.
● PBA Regional activity over the June 22-24 weekend will be the Homefield Bowl Eastern Open presented by MOTIV in Yonkers, N.Y.; the Pro Bowl West Central/Midwest Challenge presented by Storm in Fort Wayne, Ind., and the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Southwest Doubles at FireLake Bowling Center in Shawnee, Okla.
● For complete PBA Regional schedules, rules and entry information, visit pba.com, open the “schedules” tab and click on PBA Regional Tours to find the event(s) in your area…and remember, you can follow “live scoring” for all PBA Regional events on pba.com (easily accessible for Apple device users using the PBA app).
QUICK NOTES
● Correction: In the coverage of Chris Barnes’ victory in Sunday’s PBA Xtra Frame Lubbock Sports Open, the story noted Barnes won his last title in the 2016 DHC PBA Japan Invitational. That event actually was in 2015.
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