MSE honored as ‘Media Company of the Year’ and took home two other awards recognizing its best-in-class studio and production facility and original program ‘Mystics Courtside’
Washington, D.C. (June 5, 2025) – Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) received multiple honors at the 2025 Cynopsis Sports Media Awards last night, including a luminary recognition as “Media Company of the Year,” “Best Media Spaces & Facilities” for the organization’s bleeding-edge studio and production facility, and “Best New Sports Show” for magazine show Mystics Courtside. Cynopsis also acknowledged MSE and Monumental Sports Network (MNMT) employees, original programs, and innovations as finalists in several categories.
The 14th annual Cynopsis Sports Media Awards recognized companies and individuals across production, marketing, and technology teams, celebrating their hard work and innovation in the sports industry. The awards show took place on June 4 in New York City and was attended by hundreds of leaders in sports business.
“We’re deeply honored to be recognized as ‘Media Company of the Year’ and to see so many elements of Monumental’s media strategy celebrated,” said Zach Leonsis, President of Media & New Enterprises at MSE. “It is our focus to continuously push boundaries in sports media and local sports content to create more value for our fans. These recognitions from Cynopsis celebrate everything we’ve accomplished toward our goal of becoming the best local media platform in the country — from our state-of-the-art broadcast studio to our award-winning network and robust original programming.”
MSE’s full list of 2025 Cynopsis shortlist nominations includes:
*Media Company of the Year: MSE
RSN of the Year: MNMT
*Best Media Spaces & Facilities: MNMT
Production Executive of the Year: Frank Crisafulli (MNMT)
Excellence in Streaming Innovation and FAST Channel Strategy: Monumental+
Best Mobile App: Monumental+
*Best New Sports Show: Mystics Courtside
Best New Sports Show: Politics Aside with Chris Cillizza
*Award winner
Over the past year, MSE has solidified its status as one of the most influential enterprises in the sports media landscape. MSE has the strongest media committee representation at the league level in all of sports, has the largest in-house production team in the NBA, NHL, and WNBA, and owns and distributes the local broadcast rights for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards, WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go through MNMT.
While other regional sports networks navigate shifting viewer behavior, MNMT has completely changed how fans consume local sports content. Recent additions to MNMT’s programming lineup include four categories of alternate broadcasts (including Spanish language broadcasts), original programs with national names like Hometown with Rachel Nichols, Politics Aside with Chris Cillizza, and Sports Business Journal: Inside the Industry, and the launch of Monumental+, an upgraded state-of-the-art app that includes integrated real-time sports betting odds and gamification options during live game streams through “Monumental Game Center.” After a successful debut last season, magazine show Mystics Courtside returned this May with eight total episodes scheduled for 2025, featuring the best behind-the-scenes moments and off-court stories with players, staff, and Mystics fans.
The award-winning new production center, which opened in March 2024, is a two-story, SMPTE 2110 facility that features two top quality studios which can combine on non-conflict nights to create one single national telecast worthy experience. The main studios feature 24 cameras, 1,200 square feet of 4K quality LED monitors, and innovative robotics to help create the best possible pre- and post-game show viewing experiences for sports fans in the national capital region. The facility also includes two insert studios, five control rooms to produce multiple events simultaneously, and brand-new office space for more than 150 MSE employees.
“These honors from Cynopsis highlight the creativity, dedication, and passion that fuel our network and productions teams,” said Friday Abernethy, General Manager at MNMT. “Our fantastic broadcast studio and original programming that continue to earn industry recognition are all part of what makes Monumental such a dynamic media brand.”
Last night’s honors at the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards are the latest development for MSE during a busy spring awards season. Announced on Tuesday, MSE earned an extraordinary 17 shortlist mentions for the 2025 Hashtag Sports Awards across multiple MSE entities. Winners will be announced live at the 2025 Hashtag Sports Awards on June 24. In early May, the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences unveiled that MSE was nominated for 21 Capital Emmy Awards, with winners being announced on June 21.
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About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading integrated sports and entertainment company and is ranked as one of the most valuable globally. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit monumentalsports.com.
About Monumental Sports Network
Monumental Sports Network is wholly owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). The network holds exclusive local television media rights for the NHL’s Washington Capitals, NBA’s Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics games. MNMT is also the TV and digital home to the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League’s Wizards District Gaming as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes content and original sports and entertainment programming. The network also boasts the most comprehensive regional high school and collegiate sports programming in the greater Washington D.C. metro area. For more, visit: monumentalsportsnetwork.com.
