This is the week sports media observers have been waiting for. It’s going to be a rather busy seven days and it all culminates on Saturday, August 17 when the English Premier League starts its first season on NBC Sports Group. This is what all of us have been waiting for. No? Oh, you’re expecting me to discuss Fox Sports 1’s launch. Oh, that’s happening too.
TELEVISION
Fox Sports 1 finally gets off the ground on August 17. It will take the place of Speed at 6 a.m. ET It will have a NASCAR-heavy lineup at the start on Saturday and then move to UFC in primetime. And then it will be the premiere of Fox Sports Live.
This is how the launch date will shape up on Saturday. As usual, all times are Eastern.
6:00 a.m. — Fox College Football Kickoff
7:00 a.m. — Fantastic Finishes
8:30 a.m. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Michigan Practice (live)
9:30 a.m. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Michigan Qualifying (live)
11:00 a.m. — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Michigan Qualifying (live)
12:30 p.m. — NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Michigan (live)
2:30 p.m. — Fox Sports 1 on 1
3:30 p.m. — Fox College Football Kickoff
4:30 p.m. — UFC Ultimate Insider
5:00 p.m. — UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen-Prefight (live)
6:00 p.m. — UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen-Prelims (live)
8:00 p.m. — UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen-Main Event (live)
11:00 p.m. — Fox Sports Live
Also on August 17, Fox Sports 2 will take the place of Fuel. Like with Fuel, it will be UFC-heavy and the first hours of its existence appears to be a reflection of that. And here’s FS2’s schedule on Saturday. This will come in handy for you especially if your cable or satellite provider doesn’t carry Fox Sports 1 at the outset. It will carry repeats of Fox Sports Live and Crowd Goes Wild during the week:
6:00 a.m. — UFC Unleashed: Diaz vs. Condit
7:00 a.m. — UFC Unleashed: Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson
8:00 a.m. — UFC Reloaded: UFC145: Jones vs. Evans
11:00 a.m. — UFC Unleashed: Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
12:00 p.m. — UFC Unleashed: Valasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
1:00 p.m. — Fantastic Finishes
1:30 p.m. — Fantastic Finishes
2:00 p.m. — Fantastic Finishes
2:30 p.m. — Fantastic Finishes
3:00 p.m. — Sports Car Challenge: Road America
5:00 p.m. — Pro Motocross Challenge: Miller Motorsports Park
7:00 p.m. — MotoGP Racing: World Championship: Indianapolis
8:00 p.m. — Rolex Sports Car Series: Kansas
11:00 p.m. — Fox College Football Kickoff
On Monday, Fox Sports will announce the cast of the new Fox Football Daily which will air weekdays at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. We know that Curt Menefee, Jay Glazer, Mike Hill, Ronde Barber and Brian Urlacher will be involved. It’s expected that Randy Moss will be part of the cast as well.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
NBC Sports Group has been pointing towards August 17 for the EPL just as much as Fox has been for FS1. NBC will have complete coverage of the first weekend of play. NBC Sports Network has doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. NBC has one game live at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Other games will be shown on Telemundo, mun2 or overflow Extra Time channels. Here’s NBC Sports Group’s schedule for Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday, August 17
7:45 a.m. — Liverpool vs. Stoke City, NBC Sports Network
10:00 a.m. — Arsenal vs. Aston Villa, NBC Sports Network/mun2
10:00 a.m. — Norwich vs. Everton, Extra Time
10:00 a.m. — Sunderland vs. Fulham, Extra Time
10:00 a.m. — West Ham United vs. Cardiff, Extra Time
10:00 a.m. — West Bromwich Albion vs. Southampton, Extra Time
12:30 p.m. — Swansea City vs. Manchester United, NBC/mun2
11:00 p.m. — Match of the Day (modeled after BBC’s MOTD highlights show), NBC Sports Network
Sunday, August 18
8:30 a.m. — Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur, NBC Sports Network
11:00 a.m. — Chelsea vs. Hull City, NBC Sports Network
1:00 p.m. — Premier League Goal Zone, NBC Sports Network
11:00 p.m. — Match of the Day II, NBC Sports Network
All games will be streamed online either at NBCSports.com or through the NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobiles and tablets.
Premier League Live, NBC’s studio show for the EPL will air before and after each game on NBC Sports Network. Rebecca Lowe will be the host and she’ll be joined by Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe.
GOLF
Plenty of events this week.
The PGA Tour heads to Greensboro, NC for the Wyndham Championship. Golf Channel picks up 1st and 2nd round coverage. CBS has the weekend rounds. This is how coverage shapes up.
Thursday — 1st Round, Golf Channel, 2 p.m.
Friday — 2nd Round, Golf Channel, 3 p.m.
Saturday — 3rd Round, CBS, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday — Final Round, Golf Channel, 1 p.m./CBS, 3 p.m.
Golf Channel has coverage of the Solheim Cup, the women’s golf team competition between the US and Europe, similar to the Ryder Cup which is contested by the men. Golf Channel airs 27 hours of coverage from the Colorado Golf Club in Parker, CO. Europe currently holds the Cup and only needs a tie to retain it. Here’s the schedule for the Solheim Cup on Golf Channel.
Thursday — Opening Ceremony, 7 p.m.
Friday — Day One, 9:30 a.m. & 5 p.m.
Saturday — Day Two, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday — Day Three, 2:30 p.m.
Golf Channel also covers the U.S. Amateur from The Country Club in Brookline, MA. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Open played at The Country Club so a nice tie-in. NBC takes over on the weekend.
Wednesday — Day 1, 4 p.m.
Thursday — Day 2, noon
Friday — Day 3, 9 p.m. (same day coverage)
Saturday — Semifinals, NBC, 4 p.m.
Sunday — Finals, 4 p.m.
Golf Channel also has the Champions Tour’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Open from Endicott, NY. The coverage will be on tape delay.
Friday — 1st Round, 11 p.m. (same day coverage)
Saturday — 2nd Round, 9 p.m. (same day coverage)
Sunday — Final Round, 9 p.m. (same day coverage)
LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES
Whether you believe the Little League World Series exploits children or is an exercise in futility is besides the point. ESPN pays a lot of money to the Little League to air the games and thus, they continue on TV. ESPN and ABC air the games starting on Thursday from Williamsport, PA. Here’s the schedule.
Thursday
Caribbean (San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico) vs. Central America (Aguadulce, Panama), ESPN, 1 p.m.
Northwest (Sammarish, WA) vs. Southwest (Corpus Christi, TX), ESPN, 3 p.m.
Australia (Perth) vs. Mexico (Tijuana, Baja California), ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Southeast (Nashville, TN) vs. New England (Westport, CT), ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Friday
Asia-Pacific (Taoyuan, Taiwan) vs. Canada (Ottawa, Ontario), ESPN, 1 p.m.
West (Chula Vista, CA) vs. Great Lakes (Grosse Pointe, MI), ESPN, 3 p.m.
Japan (Tokyo) vs. Europe-Africa (Brno, Czech Republic), ESPN2, 5 p.m.
Mid-Atlantic (Newark, DE) vs. Midwest (Urbanville, IA), ESPN, 8 p.m.
Saturday (Losers Bracket)
Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 3, ESPN, noon
Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 4, ABC, 3 p.m.
Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 7, ESPN, 6 p.m.
Loser of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 8, ESPN, 8 p.m.
Sunday (Winners Bracket)
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3, ESPN2, noon
Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 4, ABC, 2 p.m.
Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 8, ESPN, 6 p.m.
Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 7, ESPN2, 7 p.m.
MLB
As usual, plenty of games as we wind towards September. The entire Pittsburgh at St. Louis series gets national coverage either through ESPN or MLB Network. At the end of the week, Yankees-Red Sox gets the national spotlight either through MLB Network, Fox or ESPN.
Monday — Anaheim Angels at New York Yankees, ESPN, 7 p.m.
Tuesday — Pittsburgh at St. Louis or Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, MLB Network, 8 p.m.
Wednesday — Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, WGN America, 2:20 p.m./Pittsburgh at St. Louis, ESPN, 8 p.m.
Thursday — Anaheim Angels at New York Yankees (1 p.m.) or Pittsburgh at St. Louis, MLB Network, 1:30 p.m./Kansas City at Detroit or Boston at Toronto, MLB Network, 7 p.m.
Friday — New York Yankees at Boston or Toronto at Tampa Bay, MLB Network, 7 p.m.
Saturday — New York Yankees at Boston or St. Louis at Chicago Cubs or Arizona at Pittsburgh, Fox, 4 p.m./Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia or Washington at Atlanta, MLB Network, 7 p.m./Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, WGN America, 7 p.m.
Sunday — Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia, TBS, 1 p.m./St. Louis at Chicago Cubs, WGN America, 2:20 p.m./New York Yankees at Boston, ESPN, 8 p.m.
NASCAR
Nationwide Series
Saturday — Children’s Hospital 200, ESPN 2:30 p.m.
Sprint Cup Series
Sunday — Michigan 400, ESPN, 1 p.m.
NFL PRESEASON
Preseason Week 2 in the National Football League has 7 games aired live nationally. Two of which are on ESPN and one of them called by Chris Berman and Trent Dilfer (San Diego at Chicago), two on Fox and three on NFL Network.
Here’s the schedule below.
Thursday — San Diego at Chicago, ESPN, 8 p.m.
Friday — Tampa Bay at New England, Fox, 8 p.m.
Saturday — Dallas at Arizona, NFL Network, 4:30 p.m./Jacksonville at New York Jets, NFL Network, 7:30 p.m./Denver at Seattle, NFL Network, 10:30 p.m. (joined in progress)
Sunday — Indianapolis at New York Giants, Fox, 7 p.m.
Monday — Pittsburgh at Washington, ESPN, 8 p.m.
Episode 2 of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals premieres on Tuesday at 10 p.m. on HBO.
SOCCER
Wednesday is International Friendly day as various national teams square off in various locations around the world.
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. United States — ESPN2, 2:25 p.m. (live from Sarajevo)
Switzerland vs. Brazil — beIN Sport, 2:40 p.m. (live from Basel, Switzerland)
England vs. Scotland — Fox Soccer, 2:55 p.m. (live from London)
Colombia vs. Serbia — beIN Sport, 4:45 p.m. (same day coverage from Barcelona, Spain)
Mexico vs. Ivory Coast — UniMás, 9 p.m. (live from East Rutherford, NJ)
Fox Soccer Plus has coverage of the Scottish Premier League on Saturday:
Aberdeen vs. Celtic, 7:25 a.m.
beIN Sport has live coverage of Ligue 1 from France and the Football League in England.
TENNIS
The U.S. Open Series stops in Cincinnati for the Western and Southern Open. Both the ATP and WTA Tours will have their tournaments at the Linder Family Tennis Center in the Queen’s City. Tennis Channel, ESPN2 and CBS share coverage. Tennis Channel will have the early coverage from Monday through Wednesday. ESPN2 takes the later rounds and the women’s final. CBS takes the men’s final.
This is how the schedule shapes up:
Monday — 1st Round, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.
Tuesday — 1st and 2nd Rounds, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.
Wednesday — 3rd Round, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.
Thursday — Round of 16, ESPN2, 1 p.m. & 9 p.m.
Friday — Quarterfinals, ESPN2, 11 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Saturday — Semifinals, ESPN2, 1 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Sunday — Men’s Final, CBS, 12:30 p.m./Women’s Final, ESPN2, 4 p.m.
TRACK & FIELD
The IAAF World Championships continue in Moscow and will conclude on Sunday. And while Usain Bolt has already won the men’s 100 meters, there are plenty of events to come including the women’s 100 meters, the Hepathlon, men’s 200 meters and the 4 x 100 relays. Universal Sports will carry the bulk of the action. NBC will have weekend coverage.
Here’s the breakdown the coverage for the week:
Monday — Morning Session, Universal Sports, 1:30 a.m./Evening Session, Universal Sports, noon
Tuesday — Morning Session, Universal Sports, 1:30 a.m./Evening Session, Universal Sports, noon
Wednesday — Morning Session, Universal Sports, 12:30 a.m./Evening Session, Universal Sports, noon
Thursday — Morning Session, Universal Sports, 1:30 a.m./Evening Session, Universal Sports, 11:30 a.m.
Friday — Morning Session, Universal Sports, 1:30 a.m./Evening Session, Universal Sports, 11:30 a.m.
Saturday — Morning Session, Universal Sports, 7 a.m./Men’s 200 meters final, NBC, noon/Universal Sports, 12:30 p.m./Highlights of Day 8, NBC, 2:30 p.m. (same day coverage)
Sunday — Highlights of Day 9, NBC, 2:30 p.m.
OTHER SPORTS
Arena Football
CBS airs ArenaBowl XXVI live from Orlando as the Philadelphia Soul takes on the Arizona Rattlers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Boxing
HBO’s Boxing After Dark returns with a series of fights at Atlantic City, NJ this Saturday at 9:45 p.m.
Cycling
Eneco Tour runs through The Netherlands and Belgium.
Monday — Stage 1, Universal Sports, 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday — Stage 2, Universal Sports, 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday — Stage 3, Universal Sports, 9:30 a.m.
Thursday — Stage 4, Universal Sports, 9 a.m.
Friday — Stage 5, Universal Sports, 9:30 a.m.
Saturday — Stage 6, Universal Sports, 9:30 a.m.
Sunday — Stage 7, Universal Sports, 9 a.m.
Gymnastics
U.S. Championships from the Hartford Civic Center airs on Universal Sports and NBC.
Saturday — Universal Sports, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday — NBC, 1 p.m.
Horse Racing
Summer at Saratoga Series on NBC Sports Network continues Saturday. The Alabama and Sword Dancer Invitational takes place at 5 p.m.
WNBA
NBA TV has five live games of the women’s professional basketball league. All are local simulcasts:
Tuesday — Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday — Indiana Fever at Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m.
Friday — Connecticut Sun at Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. and Indiana Fever at Los Angeles Sparks, 11 p.m.
Sunday– Washington Mystics at Atlanta Dream, 3 p.m.
No WNBA games on ESPN2 this week.
That is a look at the Week Ahead in Sports Media. Lot of premieres coming next week so our edition next Sunday will be chock full of news regarding ESPN, Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network. Keep it here.
