• by Wayne Friedman , January 12, 2007

CBS is creating a new year-round multimedia selling and market sports selling division: CBS Sports Properties Group.

The group is an outgrowth of CBS' NCAA Marketing Group, where CBS not only sells the TV time on the NCAA properties--especially for its high-profile NCAA March Madness college-basketball tournament--but overall NCAA sponsorship, licensing and merchandising deals.

The new division, to be headed by Chris Simko, who will be its director, says a 12-month operation expands reach. At present, the group is limited to the winter/spring games and events schedule.

"The creation of CBS Sports Properties Group was to make sure that internally, with all our divisions, we are really talking with each other," says Simko, who had been senior vice president of sports sales and marketing of CBS Sports, and will retain that title. "What is important is to create not just short [campaign] flights for advertisers, but multi-year deals."

The new group will look to sell to advertisers and sponsors all CBS sports-related assets on its CBS-owned television stations; cable sports network CSTV; CBS Interactive, CBS SportsLine.com and a newly formed local media group called R.I.O.T (radio, local Internet, outdoor and local television) that was announced late last year.

In 2002, CBS got the rights to become the marketing agent for NCAA properties. Simko says CBS will search for other such deals in the future.

In addition to his NCAA sports-selling responsibilities, Simko also works deals for the PGA, USTA and other college sports. He joined CBS in May 1994, and was named vice president of sports sales in March 1999. Previously, he also worked at TV sports-production company TWI. Simko will continue to report to John Bogusz, executive vice president of CBS sales and marketing.