Category Archives: Featured
NBC Sports Coverage of the French Open
NBC Sports has unveiled its plans to cover the French Open beginning this week.
NBC plans to devote 27 hours to live matches from Roland Garros. Ted Robinson will lead the network’s coverage, along side analysts John McEnroe and Mary Carillo.
Action begins this Sunday. Here is the schedule for the French Open on NBC:
| FRENCH OPEN ON NBC | ||
| Sunday, May 26 | Noon – 3 p.m. ET | First Round (Live) |
| Monday, May 27 | Noon – 3 p.m. (all time zones) | First Round (Live ET) |
| Saturday, June 1 | Noon – 3 p.m. ET | Third Round (Live) |
| Sunday, June 2 | 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. ET | Fourth Round (Live) |
| Thursday, June 6 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (all time zones) | Women’s Semifinals (Live ET) |
| Friday, June 7 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (all time zones) | Men’s Semifinals (Live ET) |
| Saturday, June 8 | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET | Women’s Final (live) |
| Sunday, June 9 | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET | Men’s Final (Live) |
Sports Media Weekly No. 150- Matt Yoder, Awful Announcing & Ian Eagle, CBS Sports, Tennis Channel
After a week away Ken Fang of Fang’s Bites and I are back for a fresh edition of Sports Media Weekly.
We are joined for a jam-packed news segment by Matt Yoder, managing editor of Awful Announcing.
We begin the show with a lengthy discussion of the layoffs underway at ESPN. Reports indicate ESPN is planning to dismiss nearly 400 employees in response to the network not meeting corporate profit margins.
We dovetail the discussion to ESPN’s recent upfront presentation where it announced the completion of a new digital studio and plans for the SEC Network. We also touch upon the announcement last week that ESPN has secured the exclusive U.S. rights to the U.S. Open tennis tournament beginning in 2015.
We then move to the news from Fox Sports of it’s hiring of Andy Roddick to serve as co-host of Fox Sports 1′s Fox Sports LIVE show which debuts this August.
We finish our news segment looking back at the life of U.S. Open champion and long time CBS golf analyst Ken Venturi.
Our second guest this week is Sports Media Weekly favorite Ian Eagle. Ian is leaving this week for Paris to be part of Tennis Channel’s coverage of the French Open. Ian shares stories of his work at the Open, his experience working this season broadcasting the Brooklyn Nets, plans for his return to the NFL with CBS, and his relationship with other graduates of Syracuse University.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Tennis Channel’s Coverage of the French Open
The Tennis Channel will provide over 200 hours of live coverage to the French Open, 70 of which will be of live matches.
Bill Macatee will anchor the network’s coverage, joined by lead analysts John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova.
Matches will be called by Ian Eagle, Bret Haber and Ted Robinson. Analysis will be provided by Lindsey Davenport, Justin Gimelstob, Rennae Stubbs, Leif Shiras and Katrina Adams. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim will be on hand for special reports and analysis.
Here is the Tennis Channel’s match schedule:
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
ESPN’s Coverage of the French Open
The networks of ESPN are planning a combined 330 hours of coverage of the French Open which begins this weekend.
ESPN2 will present over 50 hours of live tennis, with multiple court action available on ESPN3.
Chris Fowler and Chris McKendry will serve as hosts over the course of the tournament. Fowler will also call matches. Chris Evert will be one of the lead analysts over the course of the tournament. Other talent includes Darren Cahill, Cliff Drysdale, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe and Pam Shriver.
Here is the ESPN2 and ESPN3 schedule:
2013 French Open on ESPN2 & ESPN2 HD
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | |
| Sun, May 26 –
Fri, May 31 |
5 – 10 a.m. | Early Round Action | Live |
| Mon, 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 | Live |
2013 French Open on ESPN3
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | |
| Sun, May 26 –
Fri, May 31 |
5 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Early Round Action | Live |
| Mon, 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 Semis
Women’s Semifinals |
Live |
ESPN Secures Rights to Entire U.S. Open Tennis Tournament
The migration of major sporting events from broadcast television…to partial cable/broadcast…to all cable continues as ESPn announced today that it has attained the exclusive U.S. rights to telecast the entire U.S. Open Tennis Championship beginning in 2015. The contract runs 11 years. When the new deal begins ESPN will have the U.S. rights to three of the four majors in tennis.
ESPN takes over the championship from CBS, which has had the rights to the Open since 1968.
Details from ESPN PR:
ESPN has televised approximately 100 hours of live US Open matches annually since 2009, and now will air 130+ hours with the addition of day-long coverage of the “middle weekend” – Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day Monday – plus both the men’s and women’s semifinals and finals. The new US Open schedule – previously announced to start in 2015 – places the women’s final on Saturday and the men’s on Sunday.
All rounds of the tournament will be also made available online via WatchESPN.
“Certain sporting events become synonymous with when they are held, and there is no better – or bigger – way to celebrate the end of summer than at the US Open in New York,” said John Skipper, ESPN president. “We look forward to capturing every match, every star, every championship and all the drama on this grand stage.”
Dave Haggerty, USTA Chairman of the Board and President, said, “This wide-ranging and broad relationship with ESPN positions tennis at the forefront of American sports. By teaming with the world-wide leader in sports, the USTA will continue to ensure that tennis at every level thrives in the United States.”
