Posted in Sports, TV Sports on May 28, 2013 | 1 Comment »
NBC will have Ted Robinson, John McEnroe and Mary Carillo calling the 2013 French Open.
It’s remaining timeslots are:
Saturday, June 1, Noon-3pm ET
Sunday, June 2, 1-4pm ET
Thursday, June 6, 11am-2pm ET
Friday, June 7, 11am-2pm ET
Saturday, June 8, 9am-1pm ET
Sunday June 9, 9am-2pm ET
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on May 28, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
In addition to these plans, Tennis Channel also has an app offering their coverage of the 2013 French Open:
TENNIS CHANNEL TO DEDICATE MORE THAN 200 HOURS TO FRENCH OPEN STARTING MAY 26
LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2013 —
Close to 70 Live or First-Run Match Hours on Tap During Two-Week Event,
from First Day of Play through Men’s Semifinal Round
Macatee Returns to Host French Open Tonight in Primetime; McEnroe, Navratilova, Davenport, Carillo, Robinson, Eagle, Haber, Gimelstob, Shiras, Adams, Stubbs, Wertheim
to Handle Match Action
Hundreds of Hours of Free Digital Coverage Available on Network’s Web Site, Mobile App
Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle, will begin its first day of 2013 French Open coverage with nine consecutive hours of matches followed by a another nine hours of interview-and-encore show French Open Tonight. This daily balance – long blocks of competition followed by an all-night review of the day’s play – will be the template for much of the network’s two-week telecast, set to get underway Sunday, May 26. With plans for close to 70 live match hours, more than 65 hours of encore replays, and 114 hours of French Open Tonight, Tennis Channel will devote more than 200 hours of seemingly round-the-clock coverage to the world’s most prestigious clay-court event this year.
In its seventh year at Roland Garros, Tennis Channel’s live coverage runs from the first day of play through the men’s semifinal round and includes encore replays of the men’s and women’s singles quarterfinals, semifinal and championship competitions. The network’s most common daily schedule will offer live matches from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET. From 3:30 p.m.-7 p.m. it will showcase the day’s best action via encore match replays, regardless of whether the matches originally aired live on Tennis Channel or broadcast partners NBC or ESPN2 (a complete schedule follows, below).
French Open Tonight, hosted by Bill Macatee (@BMacatee), will run from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. and then again twice throughout the late night and early morning. Since 2008 the show’s stage has overlooked the scenic Musketeer Plaza in the heart of the Roland Garros tournament grounds, with crowd bustle and spectator applause an ever present audio backdrop. As he has done since Tennis Channel’s first French Open in 2007, Macatee will bring his engaging interviewing approach into tennis fans’ homes each evening, encapsulating the day’s best through conversations with the players, coaches, and industry representatives who will write the history of this year’s tournament. Thirty-seven-and-a-half first-run hours of French Open Tonight are planned for 2013.
From 4 a.m.-5 a.m., Tennis Channel will run daily highlights provided by the event’s governing French Tennis Federation, before ESPN2 initiates a new day of match coverage at 5 a.m. Between Tennis Channel and ESPN2, viewers will have virtually non-stop, 24-hour coverage of the French Open. Since 2007, Tennis Channel has produced all telecasts for both channels, with each network cross-promoting the other’s telecast.
On-Air Talent
In addition to Macatee at the helm of French Open Tonight, Tennis Channel’s coverage in the City of Light has been marked each year by lead analysts Martina Navratilova (@Martina) and John McEnroe, Hall of Famers who return to the network booth in 2013. With 76 major championships between them – and reputations for telling it like it is – both have endeared themselves to tennis fans through unique points of view honed by years of tennis knowhow and accomplishment.
“It’s great to be back at Roland Garros with Tennis Channel,” said Navratilova. “With Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer either attempting or rewriting history, it’s an exciting time in tennis.”
Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76) will add her champions’ perspective to the network’s coverage again, along with fellow analysts Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob) and Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs). Leif Shiras (@LShirock) and Katrina Adams (@katadams68) will see to Tennis Channel’s multiple-court mosaic offering to DIRECTV customers, while Mary Carillo will host the network’s live tournament desk and conduct interviews for the third consecutive year. Play-by-play responsibilities are again shared by Ted Robinson, Ian Eagle and Brett Haber (@BrettHaber), with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) on hand for special reports and opinion.
Broadband and Digital Coverage
Tennis Channel’s Web site, http://www.tennischannel.com, has offered free match streaming live and on demand since its first year of French Open coverage in 2007. Up to five simultaneous courts will be accessible to visitors from 5 a.m. ET through the end of the day’s play, with more than 300 hours overall. New for 2013, the network is launching a free mobile app – Tennis Channel Everywhere – that is available to all users of Apple or Android digital platforms. In addition to French Open matches, the app will include daily updates from Tennis Channel’s online video page with highlights, Court Report news and popular player Bag Check clips.
Veteran tennis reporters Steve Flink and Joel Drucker (@joeldrucker) will be in Paris to contribute to Tennis Channel’s Web site again this year. Throughout the tournament online users can access real-time scoring, photos, daily highlights, interviews, features and segments from French Open Tonight. Interactive tournament draws will be available later this week, as will sweepstakes information and the network’s “Racquet Bracket” tournament prediction game. Additionally, Tennis Channel’s digital team will introduce a Twitter feed, @TCEverywhere, that will be integrated with other social media channels to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Tennis Channel and its on-air team’s 2013 French Open production. Tennis Channel currently engages with viewers on Facebook (www.facebook.com/tennischannel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/tennischannel), YouTube (www.youtube.com/tennischannel) and Instagram (http://instagram.com/tennischannel.)
Tennis Channel’s Live 2013 French Open Match Schedule
(Men’s/Women’s Singles Unless Otherwise Specified)
Date Time (ET) Event
Sunday, May 26 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. First-Round Action
Monday, May 27 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. First-Round Action
Tuesday, May 28 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. First-Round Action
Wednesday, May 29 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Second-Round Action
Thursday, May 30 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Second-Round Action
Friday, May 31 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Third-Round Action
Saturday, June 1 5 a.m.-Noon Third-Round Action
Sunday, June 2 5 a.m.-1 p.m. Round-of-16 Action
Monday, June 3 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Round-of-16 Action
Tuesday, June 4 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Quarterfinals
Friday, June 7 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Men’s Semifinal
Tennis Channel’s encore coverage will include same-day replays of singles quarterfinals and semifinals, and the men’s and women’s singles championship matches after the tournament concludes (ET):
Wednesday, June 5 – 1 p.m.-7 p.m.: men’s and women’s singles quarterfinals
Thursday, June 6 – 2 p.m.-7 p.m.: women’s singles semifinals
Friday, June 7 – 5 p.m.-midnight: men’s semifinals
TBD: men’s and women’s finals
On Tuesday, June 11, the network will air the women’s doubles championship from 6 a.m.-8 a.m. ET and men’s doubles championship from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. ET.
Tennis Channel’s French Open Tonight Schedule
Viewers who miss Tennis Channel’s live or encore match coverage during this year’s tournament can tune into French Open Tonight Sunday, May 26-Thursday, June 6. Typically the show airs from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. (all times ET), followed by immediate repeats from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. and 1 a.m.-4 a.m. On Saturday, June 1, the show originally airs from 3 p.m.-6 p.m., followed by encores from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., 9 p.m.-midnight and 12 a.m.-3 a.m. The schedule on Sunday, June 2, sees a first run from 4 p.m.-7 p.m., then 7 p.m.-10 p.m., 10 p.m.-1 a.m. and 1 a.m.-4 a.m. Thursday, June 6, the show will air from 7 p.m.-11:30 p.m. and then 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m.
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights to the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, Emirates Airline US Open Series, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, top-tier WTA competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and Hyundai Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 video providers.
# # #
For Further information:
Eric Abner , Tennis Channel, 310-314-9445 or eabner@tennischannel.com
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on May 28, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Here is ESPN’s coverage plans and announcers for the 2013 French Open:
50+ Hours on ESPN2, ESPN3 with 330 Hours; Most View Nadal (despite ranking), S.Williams the Favorites
Live morning matches on ESPN2 and day-long coverage via ESPN3 will bring French Open action to fans starting Sunday, May 26. ESPN2’s schedule of more than 50 hours – starting live at 5 a.m. ET most days – continues weekdays through Thursday, June 6, culminating with the women’s semifinals. ESPN3 will provide up to seven screens of action on the days ESPN2 is on the air, totaling 330 hours.
In both the women’s and men’s draws, contenders hope to break the stranglehold the top players have had on recent major championships.
On the men’s side, injuries – both current and Nadal’s in 2012 – leave the seeding up in the air. Novak Djokovic is ranked No. 1 and won the year’s first major in Australia while No. 2 Andy Murray, who finally won his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 US Open is likely to withdraw because of injury. No. 3 Roger Federer – who has reached the quarterfinals of 35 consecutive majors, winning a record 17 – heads to Roland Garros without a title in the current year for the first time since 2000. Defending champ Rafael Nadal is ranked No. 4, thanks to his long layoff the latter half of 2012, but leads the 2013 points race with six victories (five on clay) and few would be surprised if he were to bring home his eighth trophy from Paris. The contenders after Nadal – David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro (who may be forced to withdraw) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – have have all shown the ability to defeat a member of the Big Four but a major title would be a huge break through.
At 31, Serena Williams’ recent play certainly befits the top-ranked player in the world: 36-2 this year, riding career-best win streak of 24 matches and five titles. Winner of two of the last three majors and 15 overall, she is looking to avenge her stunning first-round defeat a year ago in Paris and win back the crown she has won just once (2002). No. 2 Maria Sharapova is the defending champion and 30-4 in 2013 but three of those losses came to Williams in finals. No. 3 Victoria Azarenka is 22-2 year to date with two titles including her second straight Australian Open. She fell to Williams 6-1, 6-3 Sunday on clay in the Rome final. At No. 4 and No. 5, Agnieszka Radwanska and Sara Errani are at a career-best ranking but each has only reached one Grand Slam final (Wimbledon, 2012; French Open, 2012, respectively) while No. 6 Li Na took the trophy in Paris in 2011 and reached the final of this year’s Australian Open. American Sloane Stephens, 20 – who emerged as a threat with an upset of Williams in Australia – is ranked No. 17 while Varvara Lepchenko of Allentown, Pa., is No. 29 but reached the fourth round at Roland Garros 12 months ago.TV Coverage
After the opening day, ESPN2’s schedule will continue with an all-live telecast starting at 5 a.m. each day through Friday, May 31, and again on Monday, June 3. The network will air live quarterfinal action Tuesday, June 4, at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, June 5, at 8 a.m. ESPN2 will air the women’s semifinals live Thursday, June 6, at 9 a.m. All the action on ESPN2 is also available through WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.
Chris Fowler and Chris McKendry will again share host duties on ESPN2, with Fowler also calling matches. They will be joined by Evert, along with returnees Darren Cahill, Cliff Drysdale, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert and Pam Shriver.
ESPN networks present all four Grand Slam events and have televised the French Open 1986 – 1993 and since 2002. ESPN3 delivers an unmatched multi-screen presentation of the sport’s four majors, all ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments, WTA Premier Events and season-ending championships for both tours.
For the seventh consecutive year, ESPN2 is working with Tennis Channel to bring viewers an almost around-the-clock tournament experience, with each channel cross-promoting the other’s schedule. Tennis Channel will produce all coverage for both channels, with each making use of its own on-air team.
ESPN3
ESPN3’s French Open schedule totals 330 hours with a multi-screen offering of up to seven courts and ESPN2’s coverage and is available on the days the network is televising. ESPN3 will begin each day early in the morning with the first ball in the air and continue to the last shot of the day. Matches will also be available after they take place via replay. Additionally, ESPNPlay in Latin America and the Caribbean will provide customers with extensive live coverage with multiple windows totaling over 500 hours in both English and Spanish on broadband platforms in addition to televised coverage throughout the regions.
Other ESPN Platforms
Fans will have a variety of ways to follow the French Open with live action and updates on an array of ESPN platforms wherever they are and regardless of whether there is live television offered.
ESPN.com will provide comprehensive coverage before, during and after the French Open, highlighted by CourtCast, which will feature all the live action from ESPN3. As always, it will also include real-time scoring from all courts, plus continuous live polling with results revealed immediately in ESPN2’s telecasts. CourtCast will also provide an augmented social media feed (Twitter and Facebook) from the players, analysts and writers. And, of course, ESPN.com will have the latest news, analysis, schedules and more. Fans can watch Digital Serve daily with ESPN2 commentators discussing the latest action and previewing key matches. Other highlights include:
The Latest Dirt – a daily notebook roundup of all the day’s action;
Center Court – a tennis video show featured each week on all the major news from Roland Garros;
espnW.com – Comprehensive daily coverage of the women’s draw by senior writer Jim Caple;
What We Learned – ESPN.com senior writer Greg Garber and others will highlight the day’s news and notes with quick video snippets on the overlooked storylines.The WatchESPN App – for fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription via Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity TV, Midcontinent Communications, Cablevision, Cox, Charter or AT&T U-verse – will provide access to for ESPN2’s live coverage online at WatchESPN.com and through the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets, in addition to ESPN3’s multi-screen offering.
ESPN Mobile TV will have 46 hours of live coverage, simulcasting ESPN2’s live programming, highlighted by the women’s semifinals Thursday, June 7.
ESPN Interactive TV, exclusive to DIRECTV, will present the French Open showing ESPN2 or Tennis Channel’s live coverage along with five other courts available with commentary. Other features include interactive data, the tournament draw, up-to-date scores, and daily order of play.
ESPN International will present over 100 hours of live French Open coverage to more than 50 countries in Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean on its pan-regional and regional networks. Matches will be chosen based on local interest, and commentary will be offered in English and Spanish, with expert analysis provided by two Spanish-speaking announce teams: Luis Alvarez & Javier Frana and Eduardo Varela & Jose Luis Clerc In addition to both SD and HD television telecasts, ESPN International’s broadband service, ESPN Play, will stream over 500 hours of live French Open matches, including the men’s and women’s finals.
ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012.
ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call and John McEnroe playing.
ESPN3, now in 85 million homes, carries every major global tennis event on the men’s and women’s circuit, including all four Grand Slam tournaments, every ATP World Tour 500 and ATP Masters 1000 event and WTA Premier events featuring all the top-seeded players. Also, ESPN Classic shows great matches from the past and the sport receives extensive coverage on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. ESPN 3D aired its first tennis at Wimbledon in 2011.
2013 French Open on ESPN2 & ESPN2 HD
Date Time (ET) Event
Sun, May 26 – Fri, May 31 5 – 10 a.m. Early Round Action LiveMon, June 3 5 – 10 a.m. Round of 16 Live
Tue, June 4 1 – 7 p.m. Quarterfinals Live & Same-day action
Wed, June 5 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Quarterfinals Live
Thur, June 6 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Women’s Semifinals Live2013 French Open on ESPN3
Date Time (ET) Event
Sun, May 26 – Fri, May 31 5 a.m. – 3 p.m. Early Round Action LiveMon, June 3 5 a.m. – 3 p.m. Round of 16 Live
Tue, June 4 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Quarterfinals Live
Wed, June 5 5 a.m. – 1 p.m. Quarterfinals Live
Thur, June 6 5 a.m. – 1 p.m. Men’s Doubles SemisWomen’s Semifinals Live
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on January 15, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s Tennis Channel’s coverage plans and announcers for the 2013 Australian Open:
TENNIS CHANNEL’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN COVERAGE BEGINS MONDAY, JANUARY 14
LOS ANGELES, January 7, 2013 —
Largest On-Air Team in Network’s Melbourne History Features Navratilova, Macatee, Davenport, Haber, Gimelstob, Wertheim and Stubbs
During Tennis’ First Major Event of 2013New Day-Session/Night-Session Format for Daily Highlight and Encore Show
Australian Open Today as Tennis Channel Devotes More Than 180 Hours to CompetitionTennis Channel’s sixth year of televising the Australian Open, the first major tournament of the annual tennis season, will begin Monday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. ET. The network plans for more than 30 hours of live match telecasts during the two-week competition again this year, with more than 180 hours of dedicated tournament coverage overall. In addition to 10 consecutive nights of live prime-time matches running into the middle of the second week (complete schedule follows), Tennis Channel viewers will again be able to tune in throughout the competition for encore match coverage and a sense of where things stand as the tournament progresses.
New for 2013 is a retooled format for daily highlight and encore-match show Australian Open Today. Previously a single programming block that ran once in the morning and again each afternoon, this year’s version will feature two daily editions, one dedicated to the tournament’s most recent day session and one to the most recent night session. This nearly doubles the amount of first-run Australian Open Today programming, from 41 hours in 2012 to an estimated 72 hours in 2013.
In 2008, when Tennis Channel began carrying the Australian Open, it became the first U.S. television network to show all five Australian Open finals: mixed doubles and men’s and women’s singles and doubles – a pattern it has repeated each January. The network’s live schedule begins with first-round play and continues through the singles quarterfinals, wrapping with the men’s and women’s doubles finals and mixed doubles championship. Same-day men’s and women’s singles finals encores round out the other two finals, and Tennis Channel will air same-day men’s and women’s singles semifinal encores as well.
The tournament is part of Tennis Channel’s ongoing Grand Slam alliance with ESPN, which offers audiences a near round-the-clock tournament experience at tennis’ major events. ESPN is producing all Australian Open coverage for both networks, which will cross-promote each other, with each channel utilizing its own commentators.
Australian Open On-Air Talent
Tennis Channel’s 2013 Australian Open on-air team is the largest in network history Down Under. Sportscaster Bill Macatee (@BMacatee) and Hall of Fame former player Martina Navratilova (@Martina) have been the faces of every Grand Slam covered by Tennis Channel since the network’s first French Open in 2007. They will return to Melbourne in 2013, with Macatee handling play-by-play again and Navratilova on analyst’s detail. Emmy Award-winning announcer Brett Haber (@BrettHaber) and commentator Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob) are also back. Gimelstob’s thorough understanding of tennis history and the game’s challenges today, along with his close ties with players and the sport’s governing bodies, have made his insight among the most sought after tennis.
Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76), who won the Australian Open singles title in 2000 and reached the doubles final six times, will lend her championship perspective to Tennis Channel’s booth in Australia while one of that country’s own, Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs), will handle specials reports and vignettes. Stubbs won the tournament’s doubles crown in 2000 and holds more women’s doubles championships overall than any player in Australia’s rich tennis history. Reporter Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) will also appear on the network in Melbourne this year. His columns for Sports Illustrated are among the most read in tennis (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/jon_wertheim/archive/).
Digital Coverage
During the Australian Open renowned tennis reporters Steve Flink and Joel Drucker (@joeldrucker) will provide regular columns on Tennis Channel’s Web site, http://www.tennischannel.com. In addition to real-time scoring, video highlights, interviews, Australian Open Today clips and an interactive Australian Open draw, the site will offer the exclusive Racquet Bracket tournament prediction game. This year the game has been upgraded with new features and a more user-friendly interface. Visitors also have the chance to enter the network’s Australian Open sweepstakes, for the chance to win a trip to next year’s event.
Beyond its own Web site, Tennis Channel engages with viewers and tennis fans on Facebook (www.facebook.com/tennischannel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/tennischannel), YouTube (www.youtube.com/tennischannel) and Viddy (www.viddy.com/tennischannel).
Tennis Channel’s Live Australian Open Match Schedule (all times ET)
Date Time Event
Monday, Jan. 14 7 p.m.-9 p.m. First Round
Tuesday, Jan. 15 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Second Round
Wednesday, Jan. 16 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Second Round
Thursday, Jan. 17 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Third Round
Friday, Jan. 18 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Third Round
Saturday, Jan. 19 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Round of 16
Sunday, Jan. 20 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Round of 16
Monday, Jan. 21 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Jan. 22 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Jan. 23 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. TBA
Thursday, Jan. 24 11 p.m.-3 a.m. Mixed Doubles Semifinal
and Women’s Doubles Final
Saturday, Jan. 26 5:30 a.m.-7:30 a.m. Men’s Doubles Final
Sunday, Jan. 27 12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Mixed Doubles Final
Tennis Channel’s Australian Open Today Schedule (all times ET)
Tennis Channel’s Australian Open Today will air daily the first 10 days of the tournament, from Monday, Jan. 14-Wednesday, Jan. 23.
On Monday, Jan. 14, the day-session edition of the show will air from 7 a.m.-11 a.m., followed by the night-session edition from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. During the remainder of the first week of play, from Tuesday, Jan. 15-Friday, Jan. 18, the show will air in two back-to-back segments representing the day and night sessions, from 7 a.m.-10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, will offer the day-session edition from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., and night-session edition from 1 p.m.-4 p.m., followed by an encore presentation from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, also will feature a day-session edition from 7 a.m.-10 a.m., with a night-session edition from 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
The second week of Australian Open Today will run from Monday, Jan. 21-Wednesday, Jan. 23, and generally include two back-to-back editions of the day and night sessions, from 6 a.m.-10 a.m. and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. An exception will occur on Monday, Jan. 21, with an encore presentation capping the afternoon from 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights to the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, Emirates Airline US Open Series, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, top-tier WTA competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and Hyundai Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 video providers.
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on January 14, 2013 | 1 Comment »
Here is ESPN’s coverage plans and announcers for the 2013 Australian Open:
100+ Hours on ESPN2 HD, 600 on ESPN3; Finals Live January 26, 27
The 2013 tennis season begins with the Australian Open presented by Franklin Templeton Investments with more than 100 live hours on ESPN2 HD and 600+ on ESPN3. Each year, the marathon live action seen overnight in the U.S. from Melbourne has led to some of the most dramatic action in the sport in recent years. The action gets underway Sunday, Jan. 13, at 6:30 p.m. ET with a 12.5-hour telecast.
ESPN’s 29th consecutive Australian Open represents the company’s longest uninterrupted professional sports programming relationship. Daily action continues each night with afternoon reairs totaling more than 50 additional hours through the women’s championship Saturday, Jan 26, and the men’s championship Sunday, Jan. 27, both at 3 a.m. with reairs later each day at 9 a.m. and in prime time. The telecasts are also available through WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.
Expanded digital coverage includes 600 hours on ESPN3, all live, with users choosing between ESPN2 or action on up to other seven courts with all matches available on-demand after completion. ESPN3’s coverage starts at 7 p.m. over the first 11 days of the tournament with the first ball each day of all TV court matches. Additionally, ESPN3 will offer live matches not airing on ESPN2, including the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles championships and the finals of the boys and girls divisions.
The tournament is part of ESPN’s ongoing Grand Slam alliance with Tennis Channel, which offers audiences a near round-the-clock tournament experience at tennis’ major events. ESPN is producing all Australian Open coverage for both networks, which will cross-promote each other with each channel utilizing its own commentators.
Setting the Stage
Victoria Azarenka won her first major event a year ago in Melbourne and finished the 2012 campaign as the top-ranked women’s player. Close on her heels is Maria Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam at last year’s French Open, and Serena Williams, who has an Open Era record five Australian Open victories among her 15 major titles, is looking to continue her winning ways of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2012.
Novak Djokovic will seek his third straight Australian Open championship – which would be an Open Era first among men – and enters the new season ranked No. 1 among the men. At No. 2 is Roger Federer and his 17 major titles, including four Down Under. Andy Murray at No. 3 will be attempting to win a second consecutive Grand Slam event after breaking through with his first at the US Open. With injury and illness keeping Rafael Nadal – who has been off the court since last summer’s Wimbledon – from competing, the door is open for the likes of David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the semis, or beyond.
The Australian Open has a history of starting the tennis season off in a big way, with matches of historic lengths in the summer heat Down Under. Just in the last two years on ESPN2:
In the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open, Francesca Schiavone defeats Svetlana Kuznetsova in the longest women’s match ever at a Grand Slam event – 6-4, 1-6, 16-14. The match lasted 4:44.
In tennis’ longest Grand Slam final ever, No. 1 Novak Djokovic outlasts No. 2 Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in 5 hours and 53 minutes at the 2012 Australian Open on ESPN2. It was Djokovic’s fourth title in the last five Majors.TV: IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD
The best tennis team in television returns for 2013, led by Cliff Drysdale – who has been with ESPN since its first tennis telecast in 1979. Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver return with hosts Chris Fowler, who also calls matches including the finals, and Chris McKendry. Tom Rinaldi will contribute features, news and interviews during event coverage and on SportsCenter.
ESPN Interactive TV, seen on DIRECTV and ESPN3, will again present the Australian Open in a six-screen “mix channel” format. For eight hours each evening during the first eight days of the tournament, viewers will be able to watch the ESPN2 feed or select from five other courts, all with commentary and customized graphics. Interactive data features include the tournament draw, up-to-date scores, daily order of play, and social media interaction. SportsCenter’s Steve Weissman will anchor the coverage, providing studio updates and news from around the tournament. Joining the announce team are former players Chanda Rubin, Jeff Tarango, Leif Shiras, Elise Burgin, Doug Adler, Nick Lester, and Christen Bartelt, along with play by play announcers Mark Donaldson and Brian Webber.
ESPN International will deliver to the pan-regional ESPN networks in Latin America (including the HD networks) over 100 hours of coverage, showcasing the biggest names in tennis and players of local relevance. ESPN+ will air over 30 hours of live complementary coverage in primetime throughout the early rounds.
ESPN Classic is airing more than 100 hours of memorable Australian Open matches from the past as well as plus tennis-themed editions of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning SportsCentury series and other interview shows during January. Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 12 a.m. (Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. PT), ESPN Classic will air Australian Open programming virtually around the clock until Friday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. Later in the month, ESPN Classic will air a number of Australian Open matches upon a significant anniversary (5th, 10th, etc.), including Andy Roddick’s epic 21-19 fifth set vs. Younes El Aynaoui in the 2003 Australian Open quarterfinals (January 22, 9 a.m.), the Williams Sisters squaring off in the 2003 Women’s Final (January 24, 5 p.m.) and the 1993 Women’s Final between Monica Seles and Steffi Graf (January 29, 5 p.m.). For the full schedule.
DIGITAL MEDIA, AT HOME AND ABROAD
WatchESPN will deliver ESPN2’s live coverage of the Australian Open online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members. Additionally, ESPN3 will once again provide coverage of no fewer than eight live feeds from various courts – including the women’s and men’s semifinals and finals – nearly 600 hours. For the first 11 days (Sun., Jan. 13 – Wed., Jan. 23), coverage will commence at 7 p.m. (11 a.m. in Melbourne, when play begins) and continue for at least seven hours. The courts to be included are the “TV courts,” the ones most likely to have top matches: Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, Margaret Court Arena, plus Courts 2, 3, 6 and 8. For the remainder of the tournament, ESPN3 will continue with select live coverage from ESPN2, including the women’s (Jan. 26) and men’s (Jan. 27) finals, plus exclusive coverage of select men’s, women’s and mixed doubles play and the boys’ and girls’ finals. Fans can also access ESPN3 feeds from AustralianOpen.com. Each window will be available for on-demand replay following completion. With ESPN3’s dynamic interface, fans will be able to fast-forward, rewind and pause action – during on-demand replay and live action.
ESPN Mobile TV, a 24/7 channel for wireless, will provide 113 hours of live and simulcast coverage with ESPN2′s programming schedule.
ESPN On Demand (TV & Mobile) Will offer highlights from past years tournaments as well as a highlight from this year’s men’s and women’s matches.
ESPN.com will once again feature Courtcast, a cutting-edge application presented by IBM, featuring official IBM tournament and real-time statistics, Hawk-Eye technology, a rolling Twitter feed, Cover It Live analysis and interactive poll questions. Slam Central, an aggregation of all the day’s top news, analysis, blogs and video, as well as a daily Digital Serve and At This Minute video segments with commentators in Melbourne discussing the results, will be a daily staple. News and analysis from contributors Bonnie D. Ford and Tennis.com writers will add to the depth of coverage. During the second week of play, the staff will interact with fans via live blogging.
espnW.com will begin coverage Tuesday, Jan. 8, with several previews, player profiles and features planned, along with on-going analysis of the tournament. Highlights:
Bonnie Ford will be in Melbourne providing commentary, features and more, including a major feature on Serena Williams, looking back at her tremendous summer of 2012 and wondering what’s to come this year.
A feature on Victoria Azarenka who played brilliantly in the first quarter of 2012 and ultimately ended the year No. 1. Is she a legitimate No. 1 or just the latest who briefly holds that ranking?
A look at how tennis hasn’t been immune to positive drug tests, but it seems to lack the sense of pervasive suspicion that exists within other sports.
What’s new since the off season? The Australian Open is often compared to the start of the school year – who is looking different, who is ready to make a move, what are the new coaching pairings, etc.
A complete analysis of the women’s draw will be posted January 10.
Rising American star Sloane Stephens will blog several times during the tournament.In addition, Kate Fagan will have a feature story about a how in the last 20 years, a single indoor court in Moscow, the Spartak tennis facility, has produced more female tennis talent than the entirety of the United States. That court is run by coaches who teach a distinct brand of tennis, focusing on fundamentals. In fact, most young players aren’t allowed to compete against an opponent until they’ve spent a minimum of three years practicing. This story will explain how, and why, Spartak has managed to produce such an inordinate amount of tennis talent, while also examining the role of Russian culture in the equation. Just as basketball provides an escape route for young men growing up in the inner city, so too does tennis offer opportunity for the young women of Moscow.
ESPNtenis.com will have the following content: A daily webisode called “ESPiaNdo el Australian Open”; an “applet” featuring real-time, point-by-point scoring of all matches; live scores, results and brackets; columns, chats and blogs by TV commentators and other writers; polls; the “Ask ESPN” feature, prompting users to send their comments/questions via the website; video clips with highlights of daily action and analysis; TV scheduling information, and photo galleries.
ESPN International’s ESPN Play (Watch ESPN in Brazil) broadband service in Latin America will provide wall-to-wall coverage of the year’s first Grand Slam, airing over 500 hours of live tennis from every available televised court, including the men’s & women’s quarterfinals, semifinals and finals, all live. This streaming action will be available in over two million homes in 15 countries throughout Latin America/Caribbean (Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Panama, Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Trinidad/Tobago).
ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012.
ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call and John McEnroe playing.
ESPN3, now in 83 million homes, carries every major global tennis event on the men’s and women’s circuit, including all four Grand Slam tournaments, every ATP World Tour 500 and ATP Masters 1000 event and WTA Premier events featuring all the top-seeded players. Also, ESPN Classic shows great matches from the past and the sport receives extensive coverage on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. ESPN 3D aired its first tennis at Wimbledon in 2011.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2013 on ESPN2 HD
(For these charts, all times are Eastern, and each day “begins” at 6 a.m. ET.
Therefore, the listing Sun., Jan. 19 at 3:30 a.m. ET is actually very late on Sunday night.)
Date Time (ET) Event
Sun, Jan 13 6:30 p.m. – 7 a.m. Early round play LIVE
Mon, Jan 14 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
9 p.m. – 7 a.m. “ LIVE
Tue, Jan 15 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
9 p.m. – 7 a.m. “ LIVE
Wed, Jan 16 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
11 p.m. – 7 a.m. “ LIVE
Thur, Jan 17 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
11 p.m. – 7 a.m. “ LIVE
Fri, Jan 18 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
9 p.m. – 7 a.m. “ LIVE
Sat, Jan 19 7 – 9:55 a.m. “ Same-day
9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Round of 16 LIVE
3 – 7 a.m. “ LIVE
Sun, Jan 20 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. “ LIVE
3:30 – 6 a.m. “ LIVE
Mon, Jan 21 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. Quarterfinals LIVE
3:30 – 6 a.m. “ LIVE
Tue, Jan 22 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
9 p.m. – 2 a.m. “ LIVE
3:30 – 6 a.m. “ LIVE
Wed, Jan 23 2 – 5 p.m. “ Same-day
9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. Women’s Semifinals LIVE
3:30 – 6 a.m. Men’s Semifinal #1 LIVE
Thurs, Jan 24 Noon – 4 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #1 reair
3:30 – 6 a.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 LIVE
Fri, Jan 25 Noon – 4 p.m. Men’s Semifinal #2 reair
3 – 5:30 a.m. Women’s Championship LIVE
Sat, Jan. 26 9 – 11 a.m. Women’s Championship reair
10 p.m. – MID Women’s Championship reair
3 – 6:30 a.m. Men’s Championship LIVE
Sun, Jan 27 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Men’s Championship reair
7:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Men’s Championship reair
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on August 31, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Here is CBS Sports’ coverage plans for the 2012 U.S. Open:
CBS Sports presents the U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS, tennis’ final major of the year and the only one played in the United States, for the 45th consecutive year. Coverage begins on Saturday, Sept. 1 (12:00 NOON–6:00 PM, ET) with men’s and women’s third-round action and concludes with the men’s singles championship on Sunday, Sept. 9 (4:00 PM, ET). CBS Sports broadcasts over 36 hours of the 2012 U.S. Open live from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. (#USOpen)
Newly named lead play-by-play announcer Bill Macatee is joined by expert analysts Mary Carillo and John McEnroe in the booth. Jim Courier returns for his fourth year as analyst and calls the action alongside Ian Eagle. Mary Joe Fernandez serves as reporter. Chris Wragge joins this year serving as a contributor.
CBS Sports will provide live comprehensive coverage during both weekends of the event, Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3 (11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET) and Friday, Sept. 7 (12:30-6:00 PM, ET). The 2012 women’s championship highlights the Network’s “Super Saturday” coverage live in prime time on Saturday, Sept. 8 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET).
CBS Sports’ schedule of live U.S. Open Tennis action as follows:
Saturday, Sept. 1 12:00 NOON-6:00 PM, ET (men’s and women’s third round singles)
Sunday, Sept. 2 11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET (men’s third round/women’s fourth round)
Monday, Sept. 3 11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET (men’s/women’s fourth round singles)
Friday, Sept. 7 12:30-6:00 PM, ET (men’s doubles final/women’s semi-finals)
Saturday, Sept. 8 12:00 NOON-6:00 PM ET (men’s semi-finals)
8:00-10:00 PM, ET (women’s singles championship)
Sunday, Sept. 9 4:00-7:00 PM, ET (men’s singles championship)
For the first time, CBS Sports Network features U.S. Open coverage with three days of live Labor Day weekend outer-court action showcasing the most compelling third and fourth-round matches not shown during CBS Sports’ live simultaneous broadcast (11:00 AM-6:00 PM, ET). The Network also presents TODAY AT THE US OPEN (10:00-11:00 AM, ET), a live studio show from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Dave Ryan anchors coverage from the Mojito Set with analyst Justin Gimelstob. Sam Gore teams with analyst Chanda Rubin, while Andrew Catalon pairs with analyst Taylor Dent. Danielle Santoro serves as reporter.
Additionally, the entire slate of U.S. Open play on CBS Sports, including both the men’s and women’s singles championships, will be streamed live on CBSSports.com. For the matches played during the opening weekend (Sept. 1, 2, 3), CBSSports.com will allow users to choose between any of the action played on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium or the Grandstand. Users also can visit CBSSports.com to watch daily news and match previews and highlights, as well as get highlights available on CBS Sports Mobile apps on Android devices and iPhone.
Working his 32nd U.S. Open, Bob Mansbach serves as coordinating producer of CBS Sports’ live coverage of tennis’ final major of the year. Mansbach and David Winner produce, and lead director Bob Fishman and Jim Cornell direct.
Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on August 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Here is Tennis Channel’s coverage plans and announcers for the 2012 U.S. Open:
TENNIS CHANNEL NAMES JIM COURIER US OPEN LEAD MEN’S ANALYST
LOS ANGELES, August 20, 2012 —
Multiyear Deal Puts Hall of Famer, U.S. Davis Cup Captain with analysts Navratilova, Austin and Davenport beside veteran sportscasters Macatee, Carillo, Robinson
and Other Members of New York On-Air Team
Network adds Live Lead-in Show, Plans Almost 245 Dedicated Hours During Two-Week Event, with 70+ Hours of Live Coverage, including Prime-Time Labor Day Weekend Matches, and Close to 30 Original Hours of US Open Tonight and Breakfast at the Open
Tennis Channel is adding Hall of Famer Jim Courier to its on-air roster for its fourth US Open, August 27 through September 9. As lead men’s tennis analyst, the current U.S. Davis Cup captain and four-time major singles champion will provide his unique point of view during much of the network’s 70-plus match hours. In all, Tennis Channel will devote close to 245 hours of US Open-related programming to the two-week tournament, a round-the-clock schedule built on matches all day, US Open Tonight after hours and Breakfast at the Open the following morning.
Courier, through a multiyear agreement with the network, joins an all-star stable of Tennis Channel personalities, including fellow Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova and Tracy Austin, and sportscasting mainstays Bill Macatee and Ted Robinson (see complete talent roster, below). In 2011 he offered analysis during select first-week matches, marking his first appearance on the channel. This year his role is being expanded throughout the event.
“We had fun last year and I look forward to doing more matches with Tennis Channel at this year’s US Open,” said Courier. “With different men’s singles winners at each of the other majors, as well as the Olympics, there are a lot of question marks coming into the tournament this time around, and I’m excited to see how it’s all going to unfold.”
No network devotes as many hours of television to the US Open as Tennis Channel does each summer while the sport’s largest spectacle takes place. In addition to full slates of matches most days, highlight and analysis shows US Open Tonight and Breakfast at the Open bridge the late-night and early morning hours with the latest on-court activity. The tournament’s first day, Monday, Aug. 27, represents Tennis Channel’s typical US Open telecast schedule during the event. The network is live at 10:30 a.m. ET, with a new, half-hour lead-in show that breaks down everything that has happened to that point and what can be expected in the day ahead.
Match coverage gets underway at 11 a.m. and runs until 7 p.m. ET. US Open Tonight airs from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., followed by an immediate encore. At 6 a.m. Breakfast at the Open takes viewers to the start of the next day’s play at 10:30 a.m. During almost any 24-hour period, viewers will be able to turn to Tennis Channel and stay on top of the US Open.
As always with a Tennis Channel Grand Slam telecast, the production team and talent will offer an immersive US Open experience to its audiences, following the action wherever it takes place on the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. This means capturing the tournament’s unique moments and most-recognized attributes – its blistering energy, unbridled emotion and frenetic pace among them – whether they occur on the court of play, the outer plaza or in the stands with the fans themselves. Since Tennis Channel first covered the world’s largest annually attended paid sporting event in 2009, the network has tried to create an on-air environment that can only be replicated with a ticket to the prestigious competition.
On-Air Talent
Courier is widely regarded as one of tennis’ all-time greats and a key contributor to the sport’s heightened American popularity and success in the era in which he played (1988-2000). His resume reads like an aspiring pro’s dream: four major singles championships, 23 singles titles overall, two Davis Cup crowns and time at the top of the sport’s singles rankings as World No. 1. Along with countrymen Andre Agassi, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras, Courier is credited with America’s dominance of the sport in the 1990s, and remains one of the game’s most prominent faces worldwide to this day. Since his retirement, Courier has had successful runs on the Champions Tour senior circuit and currently leads the U.S. Davis Cup team as its captain, his second year at the helm (Tennis Channel televises both Champions Tour and Davis Cup competition). Courier also has appeared on television as a tennis analyst for NBC, USA Network and Channel 7 Australia. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.
As lead men’s analyst, Courier will work closely with Grand Slam pillars Macatee and Navratilova, who are appearing in their 20th major together for Tennis Channel – every one the network has covered. Ted Robinson, Ian Eagle and Brett Haber also are on play-by-play detail, resuming roles they held at last year’s US Open, along with analysis from former players Austin, Lindsay Davenport, Justin Gimelstob and Rennae Stubbs. Hall of Famer and accomplished tennis broadcaster Mats Wilander will handle analyst duties during the men’s singles final, once Courier segues into preparation for the following weekend’s Davis Cup semifinal in Spain.
Mary Carillo will return for her second stint on Tennis Channel’s US Open team, and lend her wide-ranging talents to everything from analyzing and hosting to reporting and interviewing. Reporters Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated and Cari Champion of Tennis Channel’s Court Report also will be on hand to deliver breaking news and in-depth story details.
Media members can follow many of Tennis Channel’s on-air team members on Twitter during this year’s event, including: Martina Navratilova (@martina), Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin), Lindsay Davenport (@LDavenport76) Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob), Rennae Stubbs(@rennaestubbs), Mats Wilander (@mwilander), Bill Macatee (@BMacatee), Ted Robinson (@tedjrobinson), Brett Haber (@BrettHaber), Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) and Cari Champion (@CariChampion).
Digital Coverage
Visitors to http://www.tennischannel.com will be able to keep up with the US Open when they are unable to catch it on television. Beyond real-time scoring, schedules, draws and order of play, fans can access video highlights, behind-the-scenes features, interviews and Court Report news updates. Veteran tennis journalists Steve Flink, Matt Cronin (@TennisReporters) and Joel Drucker (@joeldrucker) are back in New York for Tennis Channel this year, offering insight and analysis with online columns during the tournament. Women’s tour player Yaroslava Shvedova, the first woman in the Open Era to win a golden set (won without dropping a single point), will provide a special look at her tournament experience via a video blog on the network’s Web site. Meanwhile US Open hairstylist Julien Farel, the man who makes sure the players look good when they walk onto the court or into an interview, will return for a second year of blogging for the network.
Web visitors can also try their luck at Tennis Channel’s US Open prediction game, “Racquet Bracket,” and keep up with the network via favorite social media platforms. Tennis Channel is active on Facebook (www.facebook.com/tennischannel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/tennischannel), YouTube (www.youtube.com/tennischannel) and Viddy (www.viddy.com/tennischannel).
Tennis Channel’s Live 2012 US Open Coverage Schedule
Date Time (ET) Event
Monday, Aug. 27 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. First-Round Action
Tuesday, Aug. 28 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. First-Round Action
Wednesday, Aug. 29 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. First-Round, Second-Round Action
Thursday, Aug. 30 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Second-Round Action
Friday, Aug. 31 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Second-Round, Third-Round Action
Saturday, Sept. 1 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Third-Round Action
Sunday, Sept. 2 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Third-Round, Fourth-Round Action
Tuesday, Sept. 4 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Fourth-Round Action, Doubles
Wednesday, Sept. 5 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Doubles
Thursday, Sept. 6 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Doubles, Juniors
Tennis Channel’s US Open Tonight, Breakfast at the Open Schedule
Tournament highlight and interview show US Open Tonight will run from 11 p.m.-2:30 a.m. ET from the first Monday, Aug. 27, through the second Thursday, Sept. 6. An immediate encore will follow the show’s nightly premiere from 2:30 a.m.-6 a.m. ET. Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 28, and running through Friday, Sept. 7, Breakfast at the Open will air from 6 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET most mornings. Exceptions will occur Saturday through Monday on Labor Day weekend, and on the final Friday, Sept. 7, when an additional 30 minutes will extend the program to 11 a.m. ET.
Tennis Channel’s typical daily US Open coverage schedule is as follows (all times ET):
10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. – Live Matches
11 p.m.-2:30 a.m. – US Open Tonight
2:30 a.m.-6 a.m. – US Open Tonight (Encore)
6 a.m.-10:30 a.m. – Breakfast at the Open
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights to the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, Emirates Airline US Open Series, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, top-tier WTA competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and Hyundai Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 video providers.
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on August 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Here’s ESPN’s coverage plans and announcers for the 2012 U.S. Open:
ESPN’s multi-platform and worldwide coverage of tennis’ final Grand Slam event of the year, the US Open from New York, will begin Monday, Aug. 27 and fans can again expect nearly 100 hours in high definition on ESPN2 HD, 400 hours on ESPN3’s multi-court offering plus coverage across ESPN’s platforms in the U.S. and around the world.
During the first week of the tournament, ESPN2’s coverage will start at 1 p.m. each weekday and will continue nonstop for at least 10 hours through both the day and evening sessions. The latter, Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM, will begin at 7 p.m. and continue until 11 p.m. or when play is concluded, whichever is later.
The second week, ESPN2 will have Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM at 7 p.m. on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 3, followed by day-long windows Tuesday – Thursday. The telecast on Thursday, Sept. 6, will include the Mixed Doubles Championship.
On the final day of the tournament, Sunday, Sept. 9, ESPN2 will televise live the women’s doubles championship at 12:30 p.m., and will review all the action at 9 p.m. with a special two-hour edition of SportsCenter at the US Open.All of ESPN2’s telecasts are also available online through WatchESPN.com, and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. Both are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated
provider.
While ESPN2 is on the air, SportsCenter will have the right to cut-in live for updates and key moments. SportsCenter’s daytime edition is on ESPN until 3 p.m. with later editions from 6-7 p.m. and 11 p.m.-midnight. On ESPNEWS, SportsCenter airs from 3-6 p.m. and 7-11 p.m.
On Thursday, Sept. 6, the evening telecast at 7 p.m. will start with an exhibition doubles match played for charity – actor Adam Sandler will team with ESPN’s John McEnroe to play against actor Kevin James paired with tennis great Jim Courier. Sandler, McEnroe and James all were raised in Queens, New York, and Courier now lives in New York. Comedian Colin Quinn, a native of Brooklyn, New York, will serve as the chair umpire and no doubt will have to deal with some demonstrative on-court behavior.
The ESPN Tennis Team
Chris Evert, who joined ESPN in 2011 counts a record six US Open titles among her numerous career highlights, including 18 major titles and the best career win-loss record in history.
Cliff Drysdale, a two-time Wimbledon and French Open semifinalist and a US Open finalist who has been with ESPN since its first tennis telecast in 1979, Drysdale was a leader on the court – as one of the first to use a two-hand backhand – and off the court, as the first president of the ATP.
Darren Cahill, who once reached the US Open semifinals and the Australian Open doubles finals and went on to coach fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, has worked for ESPN since 2007.
Mary Joe Fernandez, who played in three Major finals and won two Majors in doubles, won a Gold Medal in doubles at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and a Bronze in singles in 1992. An ESPN analyst since 2000, she leads the United States’ Fed Cup team and recently coached the U.S. women’s Olympic team at Wimbledon where Serena Williams won gold in singles and teamed with her sister Venus for the gold in doubles.
Chris Fowler, who joined ESPN in 1986 and has hosted College GameDay on football Saturdays since 1990, has hosted tennis since 2003, branching out over the years to also call matches. His diverse resume includes World Cup soccer, college basketball including the Final Four, the X Games and Triple Crown horse racing events, after first serving as host of Scholastic Sports America and then anchoring SportsCenter.
Brad Gilbert, whose flair and penchant for unique nicknames for players has enlivened ESPN’s tennis telecasts since 2004, parlayed his playing career – once reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open and at Wimbledon – into coaching Andre Agassi (six Major titles with Brad), Andy Roddick (US Open victory) and Andy Murray.
LZ Granderson, a writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, will provide his perspective in reports and features as he did at Wimbledon this summer. He has also appeared on SportsCenter, Outside the Lines and ESPN First Take. He also writes for CNN.com and has previously worked at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
John McEnroe won four US Open crowns – plus three at Wimbledon – during his storied career, which included 10 more major championships in doubles or mixed doubles. He also led the U.S. to four Davis Cup titles and won the NCAA’s while attending Stanford. He has worked the US Open for ESPN since 2009, adding Wimbledon to his ESPN resume this year.
Patrick McEnroe, who has worked for ESPN since 1995, was the U.S. Davis Cup captain 2001-2010 and in 2007 the team won its first championship since 1995. A three-time singles All-American at Stanford – where the team won NCAA titles in 1986 and 1988 – he is General Manager, USTA Elite Player Development. He won the 1992 French Open doubles title and reached the 1991 Australian Open semifinals in singles.
Chris McKendry, a SportsCenter anchor since joining ESPN in 1996, serves as a host at the US Open and Australian Open for ESPN. She attended Drexel University on a tennis scholarship.
Tom Rinaldi will serve as a reporter and will call matches, as he first did at Wimbledon this summer. His features and interviews have graced a wide variety of ESPN programs – including SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, E:60 and event telecasts such as Wimbledon, tennis’ US Open, golf’s Majors, college football and more – since 2003, winning numerous Sports Emmy Awards along the way.
Pam Shriver, who started working for ESPN in 1990, long before her Hall of Fame career ended, played in the US Open finals at age 16 (losing to Evert) and won 23 Grand Slam titles in doubles including five at Wimbledon plus a Gold Medal in doubles at the 1988 Olympics.
Mike Tirico, the voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football since 2006 and the network’s golf host, will both anchor in the studio and call matches, as he has done since 2009. He added Wimbledon duties this year. After joining ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor in 1991, Tirico has handled a wide variety of assignments in the studio and in play-by-play, on TV and on ESPN Radio, including the NFL, NBA, World Cup Soccer plus college football and basketball.
Hannah Storm joined ESPN in 2008 as a SportsCenter anchor and has hosted Wimbledon and the US Open on ESPN. Previously, she spent five years with CBS’ The Morning Show and hosted a variety of sports, including Wimbledon, over many years with NBC Sports. She produced the 2010 documentary Unmatched, a “30 for 30” film reviewing the rivalry and friendship between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.More US Open from ESPN, Inc.
ESPN3, the company’s live multi-screen sports network, will once again cover the action from six courts beginning at 1 p.m. the first five days. In total, the network will carry a total of approximately 400 hours of US Open tennis. ESPN3 carries every major global tennis event on the men’s and women’s circuit, including all four Grand Slam tournaments, every ATP World Tour 500 and ATP Masters 1000 event and WTA Premier events featuring all the top-seeded players.
ESPN3 delivers thousands of global sports events annually and accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members. It is currently available to 73 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.
For fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription via Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV or Comcast Xfinity TV, WatchESPN will provide live complete coverage from ESPN2 at WatchESPN.com and through the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets, in addition to ESPN3’s multi-screen offering.
ESPN.com
Courtcast: A multi-tool application with all-court scoring, match stats, Cover It Live conversations, poll questions, rolling Twitter feeds and scrolling bottom line.
5 Things We Learned: Daily video segments wrapping up the five biggest storylines of the day.
Digital Serve: Exclusive daily dotcom video segment previewing the next day’s action.
Slam Central: Home of all the best US Open content, including columns by Greg Garber, highlights and the latest results.
Open Notebook: An aggregation of what the latest happenings are on the grounds of Flushing Meadows. From interviews, latest results, and even vetting the food, fans will get a taste of everything.espnW
Beginning Wednesday, August 22, espnW.com will preview the US Open with several features including the players to watch and a spotlight on Venus Williams. Throughout the tournament, espnW.com will have daily features including “A Life at the US Open” – a look at the people behind the scenes. Additionally espnW will have features, columns, commentary, photo galleries, videos, The Word on location and more.
ESPN Interactive TV will be presented on DIRECTV. During the ESPN2 telecast windows for the first five days, a six-screen mosaic will include the ESPN2 program, along with matches with commentary from five other courts. In total, viewers will have access to more than 435 hours of live tennis action and 140 extra matches. Production will be enhanced with press conferences, interviews and features that will be added during court changeovers and between matches. All six screens can be expanded to full screen or picture-in-picture at the touch of the remote button. In addition, DIRECTV will offer “Matches On Now,” a graphic across the bottom with scores from each of the matches currently on the court channels, with the ability to tune directly to the match, and “Results,” an instant look at real-time scores and schedule info for matches ahead – all without leaving the match the viewer is watching.
ESPN Deportes will present news and information coverage of the US Open across its platforms. ESPN Deportes TV and Radio will feature daily segments in a variety of news and information shows. ESPNdeportes.com will serve U.S. Hispanic fans featuring webisodes of “ESPiaNdo” with the latest news and information every day. In addition, the site will offer special daily reports, highlights from New York and updates across social media.
ESPN International will again offer over 170 hours of live television coverage throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Latin America, coverage will be available in high definition. Coverage to Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America will be anchored from a set at the National Tennis Center in New York by Luis Alvarez and Eduardo Varela with analysts Javier Frana and Jose Luis Clerc and reporters Nicolas Pereira and Carolina Guillen. In addition, Martin Urruty will report daily for SportsCenter in Latin America. Sam Gore and Mark Brown will handle English play-by-play with analysts Jimmy Arias and Kathy Rinaldi. For ESPN Brasil, the commentators will be Everaldo Marques, Fernando Meligeni, William Tavares and reporter Marcella Goncalves.
Online, Latin America’s ESPN Play (Watch ESPN in Brazil) will feature over 500 hours of live streaming which will include up to eight tennis courts in separate windows. A daily recap, ESPiaNdo, hosted by Varela, will include highlights and analysis on ESPNdeportes.com and ESPNPlay.com.
ESPN Classic: Great US Open Matches from the Past
This week, ESPN Classic will present great US Open matches from the past, interview programs with Dick Schaap sitting down with tennis greats, and episodes of ESPN’s Peabody Award-winning SportsCentury series. Highlights:
Tuesday, Aug. 21
3 a.m. — 1974 US Open Women’s Final: Billie Jean King vs Evonne Goolagong
8 a.m. — Schaap One on One: Martina Navratilova, Part I
8:30 a.m. — Schaap One on One: Martina Navratilova, Part II
9 a.m. — Schaap One on One: Billie Jean King
10 a.m. — SportsCentury: Chris Evert
11 a.m. — 1984 US Open Men’s Semifinal: John McEnroe vs Jimmy ConnorsWednesday, Aug. 22
1 a.m. — 1980 US Open Men’s Final: John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg
3 a.m. — 1981 US Open Men’s Final: John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg
11 a.m. — 1976 US Open Men’s Final: Jimmy Connors vs Bjorn Borg
11 p.m. — 1991 US Open Men’s Round of 16: Jimmy Connors vs Aaron KricksteinThursday, Aug. 23
1 a.m. — 1995 US Open Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi
3 a.m. — 1990 US Open Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi
1:30 p.m. — 2001 US Open Women’s Final: Venus Williams vs Serena Williams
3:30 p.m. — 2002 US Open Women’s Final: Serena Williams vs Venus Williams
11 p.m. — 2005 US Open Men’s Final: Roger Federer vs Andre AgassiFriday, Aug. 24
1 a.m. — 2006 US Open, 3rd Round: Andre Agassi vs Benjamin Becker
3 a.m. — 1992 US Open Men’s Semifinal: Stefan Edberg vs Michael Chang
1 p.m. — 2002 US Open Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi
3 p.m. — 2011 US Open Men’s Final: Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
5 p.m.– SportsCentury: Martina Navratilova
6 p.m. — SportsCentury: John McEnroe
ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting this year.
ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call and John McEnroe playing.
In addition, broadband network ESPN3, now in nearly 72 million homes, carries thousands of hours of tennis annually, including all four Grand Slam events, plus ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments and WTA Premier Events, and season-ending championships for both tours. Also, ESPN Classic shows great matches from the past and the sport receives extensive coverage on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. ESPN 3D aired its first tennis at Wimbledon in 2011.
ESPN2 HD & the 2012 US Open
Date Time (ET) Match
Mon, Aug 27 – Fri, Aug 31 1 – 11 p.m. Early Round ActionMon, Sept 3 7 – 11 p.m. Round of 16
Tue, Sept 4 1 – 11 p.m. Men’s Round of 16 / Women’s Quarterfinals
Wed, Sept 5 Noon – 11 p.m. Quarterfinals
Thur, Sept 6 Noon – 11 p.m. Men’s Quarterfinals / Mixed Doubles Final
Sun, Sept 9 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Women’s Doubles Final
9 – 11 p.m. SportsCenter at the US Open
Posted in Columns, Golf, Sports on June 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s an index (starting with the most recent) on the columns I’ve written for both NewJerseyNewsroom and RotoWire.com:
(Note, the RotoWire ones require payment.)
A Look at NBC’s Iconic Olympic Music
RotoWire: A Look at Players’ Status on the Reshuffle List as The Next One Looms
All-Star Games Should Be Eliminated
RotoWire: Players in Trouble NOT on the Reshuffle List
Watch Every Moment of the Olympics LIVE on NBCOlympics.com — If You Authenticate
Results of the Third PGA Tour Reshuffle for 2012
Introduction to the PGA Tour Reshuffle List, Players In Trouble
Tim Tebow As Punt Protector? Not a good idea
Food and Drink at The Masters is Really Cheap!
I’m a Big Fan of MLB’s New Second Wild Card
Linsanity Proves Anything is Possible
People Need to Get Off Their Cell Phones at Sporting Events
Concussions Need to be Taken Seriously
Stadium Violence is Getting Worse
Posted in Sports, TV Sports on May 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I love the Olympics and how NBC Universal covers it. Here, courtesy of the NBC Olympics press release website, is the comprehensive list of how they will cover the London Olympics beginning in July, including some important streaming information. The bottom line: every single moment of every single event will be available LIVE on NBCOlympics.com for the first time.
EW YORK – May 23, 2012 – NBCUniversal will provide 5,535 hours of coverage for the 2012 London Olympics across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform, an unprecedented level that surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours. It was also announced today that NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of coverage, the most ever for an Olympic broadcast network, largely attributable to an increase in daytime coverage.
“We are only able to provide this level of coverage to U.S. viewers because of the unmatched array of NBCUniversal assets,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “Whether on television or online, on broadcast or cable, in English or in Spanish, NBCUniversal has the London Olympics covered, providing the American viewer with more choices than ever to watch the Games.”
Following are highlights of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2012 London Olympics (some of the following information has been previously announced):
· NBCUniversal is presenting its 13th Olympic Games and seventh consecutive, both the most by any U.S. media company. ABC is second with 10 and four (twice), respectively.
o London will be NBCUniversal’s seventh consecutive Summer Games, having presented each one since Seoul in 1988.
· The 5,535 hours of Olympic coverage are the most ever and surpass Beijing’s coverage (3,600 hours) by nearly 2,000 hours.
o The 5,535 hours more than double the total amount of coverage of every Summer Games combined prior to Beijing (2,562 hours from 1960 Rome on CBS to 2004 Athens on NBC).
o The 5,535 hours are the equivalent of 231 days of coverage.
o NBCUniversal will average 291 hours of coverage per day over London’s 19 days (including two days of soccer competition prior to the Opening Ceremony).
· The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of all 32 sports and all 302 medal competitions.
· NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days, the most extensive coverage ever provided by an Olympic broadcast network, and nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008.
o Daytime coverage has increased significantly for London. Coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, immediately following NBC News’ TODAY, which is originating from London.
o On weekends, NBC’s daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 a.m. ET/PT.
· NBC Sports Network will serve as the home to U.S. team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage from 2012 London Olympics this summer, including 257.5 hours of original programming – an average of more than 14 hours per day – the most-ever for an Olympic cable network.
· MSNBC will carry 155.5 hours of a wide variety of long-form Olympic programming over 19 days.
· CNBC will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women’s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of boxing coverage over 16 days — from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals.
· Bravo will act as the home of Olympic tennis this summer, televising 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage from July 28-August 3.
· NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals.
o NBCOlympics.com will live stream NBCU cable channels NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo, which will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.
o Two apps – one focused on live streaming, one on short-form highlights, schedules, results, columns, and more – will be available for mobile and tablet users. The vast majority of content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.
· NBCUniversal announced the most extensive Spanish-language Olympic coverage in the company’s history, offering more than 173 hours of the upcoming London 2012 Olympics on Telemundo, “The U.S. Home of the Olympic Games in Spanish.”
o The 173 hours of Spanish-language coverage by Telemundo nearly equals the total coverage broadcast by NBC for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (176.5).
· Specialty channels for basketball and soccer are available to cable, satellite and telco providers, and will total 770 hours of coverage.
· Panasonic Corporation of North America and the NBC Sports Group announced in January that they will partner to make the London 2012 Olympic Games available in 3D to all U.S. distributors who carry Olympic coverage on cable, satellite and telco — nearly 100 percent of the multichannel industry.
o The effort will produce 242 hours of coverage and mark the first time that the Olympic Games will be distributed in the U.S. in 3D.
NBC
NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days this summer, the most extensive coverage ever provided by an Olympic broadcast network, and nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008. Swimming — including Michael Phelps’ quest to become the most decorated Olympian ever — track and field, gymnastics, diving, and beach volleyball, among other sports, will serve as the centerpieces of NBC’s coverage, which begins with the Opening Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, July 27.
Olympic coverage on NBC will again be divided into three day parts: daytime, primetime and late night. NBC’s primetime program, featuring the traditional, award-winning Olympic storytelling coverage that viewers have come to expect, will air 8-11:30 p.m. or Midnight ET/PT on most nights.
Daytime coverage has increased significantly for London. Coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, immediately following TODAY, which is originating from London. On weekends, NBC’s daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 a.m. ET/PT. A one-hour late night show will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the primetime program. Primetime will be replayed following the late-night show.
It was announced in April that Bob Costas, a 22-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, returns as the primetime host for NBC’s coverage. For Costas, London marks his 10th Olympic broadcast assignment and his ninth as the primetime host (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City, 2002, Athens 2004, Torino 2006, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010).
Al Michaels, who hosted daytime coverage at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, and Dan Patrick, making his Olympic hosting debut, will host NBC’s weekday and weekend daytime coverage, and Mary Carillo will once again host the NBC late night show.
Additionally, top TV broadcaster Ryan Seacrest, tennis legend John McEnroe, famed gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, and Carillo, broadcasting her 11th Olympic Games, will serve as Olympic correspondents during primetime coverage on NBC.
The majority of the following information about NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, NBCOlympics.com and Telemundo, has been previously announced:
NBC SPORTS NETWORK
NBC Sports Network will serve as the home to U.S. team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage from 2012 London Olympics this summer, including 257.5 hours of original programming – an average of more than 14 hours per day – the most-ever for an Olympic cable network. Coverage will begin on Wednesday, July 25, at 11:30 a.m. ET, two days before the Opening Ceremony, when Team USA takes on France in women’s soccer, live from Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.
NBC Sports Network coverage, originating from Olympic Park in London, will air up to 20 medal rounds and 22 Olympic sports, including Team USA basketball, women’s soccer and field hockey.
NBC Sports Network, distributed in nearly 80 million homes – an increase of three million homes in the last year – will also carry soccer qualifying on Thursday, July 26. There will be no coverage on July 27 as there are no events scheduled on the same day as the Opening Ceremony. Coverage will conclude on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, August 12, the final day of competition. On most days, coverage will air from 4 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET, which covers the live Olympic day in London.
MSNBC
MSNBC, NBCUniversal’s 24/7 cable news channel that is fully distributed in roughly 100 million homes, will carry 155.5 hours of a wide variety of long-form Olympic programming over 19 days. The channel will air up to 18 medal rounds and 20 Olympic sports, from badminton to basketball to soccer to wrestling.
NBCUniversal’s 2012 London Olympic coverage begins on MSNBC on Wednesday, July 25 – two days before the Opening Ceremony — when Great Britain faces New Zealand in women’s soccer, the first official competition of the Games, live from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.
The channel will also carry soccer qualifying on Thursday, July 26, but there will be no coverage on July 27 as there are no events scheduled on the same day as the Opening Ceremony. Coverage will conclude on MSNBC on August 12, the final day of competition.
On most weekdays, coverage will air from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET. There will be longer programming windows on Saturdays and Sundays.
Longtime Golf Channel commentator Kelly Tilghman will serve as MSNBC’s Olympic host, with London being her first-ever Olympic assignment. MSNBC has aired Olympic coverage for every Summer Games since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
CNBC
CNBC — NBCUniversal’s fully distributed cable business channel — will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women’s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of boxing coverage over 16 days — every day from July 28-August 12 — from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals. Same-day coverage will air from 5-8 p.m. ET during the week, with six hours of live coverage airing each day on the weekends. This marks the fourth consecutive Summer Games that CNBC has featured Olympic boxing.
Fred Roggin, the longtime lead sports anchor at NBC’s owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles, KNBC, will reprise his Beijing role as Olympic boxing host. This will be his seventh Olympics working for NBC and fourth working on Olympic boxing in some capacity.
BRAVO
Bravo, NBCUniversal’s fully distributed lifestyle cable channel, will act as the home of Olympic tennis this summer. The channel will televise 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage over seven days, from July 28-August 3. Live coverage will air from early morning until mid-afternoon (ET) on most days.
Pat O’Brien, a veteran of five Olympic Games as a commentator, will serve as host. London will be O’Brien’s fourth Olympics for NBC and sixth overall. He last worked for NBCUniversal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the same year Bravo last carried Olympic competition.
NBCOLYMPICS.COM
NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals. By comparison, NBCOlympics.com live streamed 25 sports and 2,200 hours for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The site will also feature rewinds of all event coverage, a steady stream of athlete profiles, event highlights, a tour of London as the host city, and more.
NBCOlympics.com will live stream the Olympic content that airs on the four NBCU cable channels — NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo. In addition, two apps – one focused on live streaming, one on short-form highlights, schedules, results, columns, and more – will be available for mobile and tablets users. The vast majority of content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.
In another first, NBCOlympics.com will provide multiple concurrent streams for select sports, such as gymnastics (each apparatus), track and field (each event), and tennis (up to five courts). For example, during a session of track and field, instead of viewing only a single feed that moves from event to event, a user can choose to watch a stream dedicated to a specific event, such as the long jump or javelin.
TELEMUNDO
NBCUniversal announced the most extensive Spanish-language Olympic coverage in the company’s history, offering more than 173 hours of the upcoming London 2012 Olympics on Telemundo, “The U.S. Home of the Olympic Games in Spanish.” Telemundo’s comprehensive coverage will feature marquee disciplines such as boxing, swimming, basketball and soccer, which will be a major broadcast highlight.
Telemundo will deliver a complete 360° Olympic experience across its multiple platforms including its broadcast network, http://www.NBCOLYMPICS.COM.com/TELEMUNDO and its cable network mun2, which will offer a daily half-hour special featuring behind-the-scenes from the Games. Also, for the first time in the network’s history, Telemundo will offer live streaming of broadcast coverage together with exclusive digital-only content of Olympic events, news, announcements and information via http://www.NBCOLYMPICS.COM/TELEMUNDO, totaling more than 200 hours of digital content.
Deportes Telemundo’s Olympic team, headed by internationally acclaimed sportscaster Andrés Cantor, will include Jessi Losada, Mónica Noguera, Sammy Sadovnik, Edgar Lopez, René Giraldo, Karim Mendiburu, Kaziro Aoyama, Oscar Guzmán, Leti Coo and Verónica Contreras, as well as several former Olympic champions.
Coverage will be live from both London and the network’s studios, bringing the stories of Hispanics participating in the Olympics and the main events both on the field and around the Games to the homes of millions of U.S. Hispanic viewers. With soccer being one of the biggest passion points for U.S. Hispanics, the Olympics’ soccer tournament will represent a major focus of Telemundo’s broadcast, as already-qualified Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Spain and Honduras vie for the gold.
Features and storytelling will be a centerpiece of Telemundo’s Olympic programming, detailing the journey of Hispanic athletes on their quest for Olympic glory. Some of the top Hispanic hopefuls include Mexican diver and 2009 world champion Paola Espinosa, Cuban American multi-medal threat gymnast Daniel Leyva, Mexican American female boxer Marlén Esparza and Argentine NBA basketball player Manu Ginobili.
SPECIALTY CHANNELS
Specialty channels for basketball and soccer are available to cable, satellite and telco providers, and will total 770 hours of coverage. More information about these channels will be released soon.
3D
Panasonic Corporation of North America and the NBC Sports Group announced in January that they will partner to make the London 2012 Olympic Games available in 3D to all U.S. distributors who carry Olympic coverage on cable, satellite and telco — nearly 100 percent of the multichannel industry. The effort will produce 242 hours of coverage and mark the first time that the Olympic Games will be distributed in the U.S. in 3D. Panasonic is NBC’s exclusive Flat-Panel HDTV and Blu-ray Disc Player advertiser for the London Olympic Games.
Last year, Panasonic Corporation, a long time Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category, announced it would partner with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to make the London 2012 Olympic Games the first ever 3D Olympic Games.
The 3D broadcasts, which will be produced by OBS and shown on next-day delay, will span multiple competitions throughout the London 2012 Olympic Games, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, gymnastics, diving and swimming. OBS will produce more than 200 hours of 3D coverage during the London 2012 Olympic Games by utilizing Panasonic’s state-of-art 3D production technologies including the AG-3DP1, a P2HD professional fully-integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camera recorder. Cable, satellite, and telco providers who receive the Olympics package may distribute the 3D broadcast via the Comcast Media Center.
And to listen to past episodes of Teeing It Up from my college days, visit my 