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The Grand Prix of Monaco Live on NBC

NBC has been running a deceptive promo making it appear that this Sunday’s airing of the Grand Prix of Monaco is the first time ever it has been run on network television. Now if NBC had said, “Live for the first time on network television,” then it would be correct. However, the race has been run on tape delay on ABC’s Wide World of Sports and also on Fox. This Sunday’s airing on NBC marks the first time it will aired live in its entirety and that’s a good thing.

NBC will begin its coverage on NBC Sports Network at 7 a.m. ET with its Pre-Race Show. Then NBC will sign on at 7:30 a.m. ET. The NBC Formula 1 crew of Leigh Diffey, David Hobbs and Steve Machett will live from Monte Carlo to call the race. Insider Will Buxton will be in the pits to provide reports and interviews.

Here’s the NBC announcement.

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS LIVE COVERAGE OF GRAND PRIX OF MONACO ON NBC THIS SUNDAY

NEW YORK – May 22, 2013 – NBC Sports Group presents the Monaco Grand Prix live, plus practice, qualifying, F1 Extra, and two GP2 races.

For the first time, Formula One’s famed Monaco Grand Prix will air live on network television Sunday, May 26 at 7:30 a.m. ET on NBC. Race day will begin with a live pre-race show at 7 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, and conclude with F1 Extra, NBC Sports Network’s half-hour post-race show, live from Monaco. Live coverage begins tomorrow, May 23, at 8 a.m. ET with F1 practice from Monaco. F1 qualifying will air live on Saturday, May 25, at 8 a.m. ET. In addition, NBC Sports Network will air two GP2 races, F1’s developmental series, at 12 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 26.

NBC Sports Network’s Grand Prix of Monaco Coverage
(subject to change, all times ET):

Thursday, May 23	F1 Practice	8 a.m.	NBCSN
Friday, May 24	F1 Practice Encore	1:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Friday, May 24	F1 Practice Encore	11:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Saturday, May 25	F1 Qualifying	8 a.m.	NBCSN
Saturday, May 25	F1 Qualifying Encore	10:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	GP2 Race 1	12 a.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	F1 Pre-Race Show	7 a.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	Grand Prix of Monaco	7:30 a.m.	NBC
Sunday, May 26	F1 Extra	10 a.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	Grand Prix of Monaco Encore	10:30 a.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	F1 Extra Encore	1 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	GP2 Race 2	1:30 p.m.	NBCSN
Sunday, May 26	Grand Prix of Monaco Encore	10:30 p.m.	NBCSN

F1 COMMENTATORS ON SITE IN MONACO: NBC Sports Group’s F1 announce booth will be on site to capture the unique glitz-and-glamor atmosphere of the Monaco Grand Prix. Leigh Diffey will serve as lead race announcer alongside veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett, and F1 insider and former journalist Will Buxton. Diffey will precede his work in Monaco by calling Indy 500 qualifying coverage.

The team participated on a media conference call today from Monaco and shared their excitement about this weekend’s upcoming race:

Rich O’Connor, producer: “To be able to tell the history, the stories and the challenges of this venue is something we’re really looking forward to this weekend.”

Leigh Diffey: “It’s something that has to be seen to be believed. I am still in awe. Wait till you see the view.”

David Hobbs: “You just can’t get your head around it. All the drivers here want to win this race.”

Steve Matchett: “It’s absolutely unique in the challenges it poses to the teams. Every corner around Monaco, they all have names, they all have history. It’s a race of legends.”

Will Buxton: “If ever there is a moment at which you became disillusioned with the sport, you are reminded of the majesty and splendor of this incredible sport, it is standing trackside here in Monaco with cars flying past you over 100 mph inches from your face. You can feel the working parts of the engine rise through your feet and your legs, up your spine, draw the breath out of your lungs as they fly past you. This place gives you a buzz for motorsports that nowhere else on earth gives you.”

That’s all.

NHL on NBC Announcing Assignments for May 21, 2013

NBC Sports Network has a doubleheader tonight, Boston at New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings at the San Jose Sharks.

Here’s what NBC Sports is saying about tonight’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – MAY 21

Conference Semifinal Doubleheader

All times are listed as ET and are subject to change:

Time	Coverage	Network	Talent
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, Bill Patrick, Jeremy Roenick
7:30 p.m.	Boston (4) @ New York Rangers (6)	NBCSN	Dave Strader, Pierre McGuire
10 p.m.	Los Angeles (5) @ San Jose (6)	NBCSN	John Forslund, Joe Micheletti

TONIGHT, May 21, 2013

Coverage of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue tonight with a Conference Semifinal doubleheader on NBC Sports Network.  The New York Rangers host the Boston Bruins in Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET as they look to change the momentum on home ice (Boston leads 2-0). Dave Strader will call play-by-play alongside Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire.

At 10 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, the San Jose Sharks host the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 (Los Angeles leads 2-1). John Forslund will serve as play-by-play announcer and will be joined by analyst Joe Micheletti.

Coverage begins on NBC Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. Bill Patrick and Jeremy Roenick will host later in the evening.

VIEWERSHIP: Chicago-Detroit

Following are some viewership notes for last night’s Chicago-Detroit game:

• Game 3 of the Chicago-Detroit series (7:30P-10:27P) drew a 1.02 US HH rating, 1.631 million average viewers.

• The 1.631 million viewers last night was NBC Sports Network’s best-ever Western Conference Game 3 and most-watched Western Conference Game 3 on cable in 12 years, since Colorado-LA in 2001 (1.656 million).
• Among M18-49 and M25-54, NBC Sports Network ranked as the #2 most watched cable network from 7:30P-10:30P.
• The game peaked with nearly 2.2 million viewers (2.187) from 10P-10:15P.
• Chicago received an 8.47 HH rating, +20% from the Blackhawks’ 2010 Semifinal exclusive average on NBC Sports Network in the market (7.04).  In comparison to Game 1 of the series on NBC Sports Network, Game 3 was +4% (8.47 vs. 8.13).
  • NBC Sports Network was the #1 rated cable network in Chicago during the 7:30P-10:30P time period and the #2 network overall.
• Detroit received a 12.27 HH rtg, +14% from the Red Wings’ 2011 Semifinal exclusive average on NBC Sports Network in the market (10.78).  In comparison to Game 1 of the series on NBC Sports Network, Game 3 was +18% (12.27 vs. 10.41).
  • NBC Sports Network was the #1 rated network overall in Detroit during the 7:30P-10:30P time period.

Also of note, Sunday night’s Game 3 between Pittsburgh and Ottawa was watched by 1.401 million viewers, making it NBC Sports Network’s best-ever Semifinal game involving a Canadian team, and the best such game on cable in 20 years (1994’s Sharks/Leafs Game 7, 1.67 million viewers).

That will do it.

REPORT: Michelle Beadle to Host “The Crossover” Solo

This coming from Jason McIntyre at The Big Lead. Dave Briggs, co-host of NBC Sports Network’s The Crossover is being dropped and Michelle Beadle will host a revamped show solo.

According to McIntyre’s post, Briggs and Beadle did not get along from the get-go when the show launched back in late January. The Crossover hasn’t been on this week as it’s been pre-empted for the Tour of California, a cycling event.

Michelle tweeted on Monday that the show is getting a new set and “Better vibe.”

Briggs who left Fox News for The Crossover is apparently getting his own NBC show. Admittedly, the show was quite sluggish and has had its trouble getting off the ground. Hopefully, this will be a better vehicle.

[The Big Lead]

NBC Sports Group All Over the Preakness Stakes

The middle jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, takes place this Saturday from the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Orb or as Larry Collus called in the Kentucky Derby, “OOOOORRRRRRBBBB!”, will be running for history as the only horse with a chance to win the Triple Crown.

NBC Sports Network begins the coverage Friday at 3 p.m. ET with some classic Preaknesses, then an hour later, NBCSN airs the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Then on Saturday, NBC’s coverage of the Preakness will be surrounded by pre and postrace coverage by NBC Sports Network beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The usual NBC horse racing crew will be on hand to cover the Preakness Stakes. The NBC press release outlines everything.

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NHL on NBC Announcing Assignments Through May 23, 2013

We have the NHL on NBC announcing teams for the Stanley Cup Conference Semifinal Round through next Thursday, May 23.

Check it out in the grid below.

NHL on NBC Continues with Stanley Cup Conference Semifinal Coverage

Tonight, the NBC Sports Group steps into the NHL Stanley Cup Conference Semifinals. It will have total exclusivity in the United States and no local regional sports network blackouts to worry about. So you’ll see the national broadcasts from now into the Stanley Cup Final.

Coverage starts tonight with a doubleheader, Games 1 of Ottawa-Pittsburgh and San Jose-Los Angeles on NBC Sports Network.

The NBC Mothership will air weekend coverage of games on May 18 and 19. It has slated a primetime game for Saturday, May 25. Possible candidates would be New York Rangers-Boston or Chicago-Detroit. We’ll see.

Here’s what NBC is saying about the Conference Semifinals. This is a long press release. Get ready to scroll for a few minutes.

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2013 NHL Stanley Cup Conference Semifinals Schedule

Ok, I’m still coming down from the Bruins comeback against Toronto. I thought it would a Round 1 exit for the B’s, but instead, they’ll take on the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. NBC Sports Network, NBC and CNBC will be airing the series in the US. TSN will air it across Canada.

As for the other Eastern Conference semi, Ottawa and Pittsburgh, NBC Sports Network will get the first five games with CBC and RDS airing the entire series in Canada.

Out West, CBC, NBCSN and NBC air the Chicago vs. Detroit Original Six series. And for the San Jose-Los Angeles all-California series, NBC Sports Network and TSN will carry the games.

And in the Conference Semifinals mean there will be no more local broadcasts in the United States. It’s all national on the networks of NBC from now through the Stanley Cup Final.

We’ll get the announcing assignments and press releases later. But for now, here’s the schedule coming to directly from the National Hockey League offices in New York.

2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 schedule

NEW YORK — The National Hockey League announced today Game 1 dates of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinal round for the three matchups that have been determined. Round 2 starts Tuesday, May 14, with a doubleheader. Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh and the Western Conference Semifinal between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks will start at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Additionally, Game 1 in the series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will be Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago.

All times listed are ET and subject to change.

2013 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES I	TIME (ET)	#1 Ottawa Senators vs. #7 Pitsburgh Penguins	Networks
TUESDAY, May 14, 2013	7:30 p.m.	OTTAWA at PITTSBURGH	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
FRIDAY, May 17, 2013	7:30 p.m.	OTTAWA at PITTSBURGH	NBCSN, CBC
SUNDAY, May 19, 2013	7:30 p.m.	PITTSBURGH at OTTAWA	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
WEDNESDAY, May 22, 2013	7:30 p.m.	PITTSBURGH at OTTAWA	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
*FRIDAY, May 24, 2013	7:30 P.M.	OTTAWA at PITTSBURGH	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
*SUNDAY, May 26, 2013	TBD	PITTSBURGH at OTTAWA	CBC, RDS
*TUESDAY, May 28, 2013	TBD	OTTAWA at PITTSBURGH	CBC, RDS
SERIES J	TIME (ET)	#4 New York Rangers vs. #6 Boston Bruins	Networks
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013	7:30 p.m.	NY RANGERS at BOSTON	NBCSN, TSN, RDS
SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2013	3:00 p.m.	NY RANGERS at BOSTON	NBC, TSN, RDS
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2013	7:30 p.m.	BOSTON at NY RANGERS	NBCSN, TSN, RDS
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013	7 p.m.	BOSTON at NY RANGERS	CNBC, TSN, RDS
*SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013	TBD	NY RANGERS at BOSTON	TSN, RDS
*MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013	TBD	BOSTON at NY RANGERS	TSN, RDS
*WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2013	TBD	NY RANGERS at BOSTON	TSN, RDS
2013 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES K	TIME (ET)	#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings	Networks
WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2013	8 p.m.	DETROIT at CHICAGO	NBCSN, CBC
SATURDAY, May 18, 2013	1 p.m.	DETROIT at CHICAGO	NBC, CBC
MONDAY, May 20, 2013	7:30 p.m.	CHICAGO at DETROIT	NBCSN, CBC
WEDNESDAY, May 22, 2013	8 p.m.	CHICAGO at DETROIT	NBCSN, CBC
*SATURDAY, May 25, 2013	TBD	DETROIT at CHICAGO	CBC
*MONDAY, May 27, 2013	TBD	CHICAGO at DETROIT	CBC
*WEDNESDAY, May 29, 2013	TBD	DETROIT at Chicago	CBC
SERIES L	TIME (ET)	#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks	Networks
TUESDAY, May 14, 2013	10 p.m.	SAN JOSE at LOS ANGELES	NBCSN, TSN
THURSDAY, May 16, 2013	10 p.m.	SAN JOSE at LOS ANGELES	NBCSN, TSN
SATURDAY, May 18, 2013	9 p.m.	LOS ANGELES at SAN JOSE	NBCSN, TSN
TUESDAY, May 21, 2013	10 p.m.	LOS ANGELES at SAN JOSE	NBCSN, TSN
*THURSDAY, May 23, 2013	10:30 p.m.	SAN JOSE at LOS ANGELES	NBCSN, TSN
*SUNDAY, May 26, 2013	TBD	LOS ANGELES at SAN JOSE	TSN
*TUESDAY, May 28, 2013	TBD	SAN JOSE at LOS ANGELES	TSN

* if necessary
TBD — To Be Determined

Any updates, I’ll make them here

NHL on NBC Announcing Assignments for May 13, 2013

Two Games 7 tonight. Toronto at Boston at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC. NBC will staff this game for the first time since Game 1. Dave Strader and Brian Engblom will call it.

Then at 8 p.m. ET, it’ll be the New York Rangers at the Washington Caps with Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk and Pierre McGuire.

This will end the Conference Quarterfinals and then the Conference Semifinal round will begin tomorrow night.

Here’s what NBC is saying about the assignments for tonight.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – MAY 13

TWO GAME 7s TONIGHT

NEW YORK – May 13, 2013 – “NHL Playoff Pass” provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. It is published weekdays to preview the evening games. On Fridays, a weekend edition is posted.

Games are being presented on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC (in primetime), and NHL Network. In addition, more Stanley Cup Playoff games are being live streamed than ever before. For more information on NBC Sports Group’s overall NHL Playoff coverage, please click here.

All times are listed as ET and are subject to change:

Tonight	Coverage	Network	Talent
7 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Jeremy Roenick
7 p.m.	Toronto (5) at Boston (4)	CNBC	Dave Strader, Brian Engblom
8 p.m.	New York Rangers (6) at Washington (3)	NBCSN	Mike Emrick, Pierre McGuire, Eddie Olczyk

TONIGHT, May 13

NBC Sports Group presents two crucial Game 7s tonight.

At 7 p.m. ET on CNBC, the Boston Bruins host the Toronto Maple Leafs as they each look to progress to the Conference Semifinals with a Game 7 victory. Dave Strader will manage play-by-play alongside analyst Brian Engblom from TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Russ Thaler and Anson Carter will host CNBC’s studio coverage.

On NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET, the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers are meeting in a Game 7 for the second consecutive post-season. Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick will call play-by-play alongside analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy-Award winning analyst Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) from Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network with NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick.

That does it.

NHL on NBC Assignments for May 12, 2013

Just received the NHL on NBC announcing assignments for Mother’s Day. I’m posting them now.

NBC Sports Group will staff the Washington Caps-New York Rangers and Detroit Anaheim games. NBC Sports Network will simulcast the CBC feed for Boston-Toronto. So two Games 6 and one Game 7. It’s a night where all three series could end tonight.

Check it all out below.

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY, MAY 12

Following is the Stanley Cup Playoff schedule for Sunday, May 12:

4:30 p.m. ET – Washington @ NY Rangers, Game 6 – CNBC, Mike Emrick/Pierre McGuire

7:30 p.m. ET – Boston @ Toronto, Game 6 – NBC Sports Network, Jim Hughson/Craig Simpson/Glenn Healey/Scott Oake

10 p.m. ET – Detroit @ Anaheim, Game 7 – NBC Sports Network, John Forslund/Daryl Reaugh

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games that air on NBC, NBC Sports Network, and CNBC, including the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. The vast majority of games will be live streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Games airing on:

• NBC will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra;
• NBC Sports Network will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs;
• CNBC will live stream exclusively through NBC Sports Live Extra via “TV Everywhere.”

That’s all.

NHL on NBC Announcing Assignments for May 10, 2013

This is late and actually games are in progress, but in case you’re wondering who’s where for NBC Sports tonight, we have the announcing assignments for you.

Three networks are being utilized, CNBC, NBC Sports Network and NHL Network. Maple Leafs-Toronto is being handled by CBC for NHL Network as Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Glenn Healey and Scott Oake are on the case for Canada’s Public Network.

The other games on CNBC and NBC Sports Network are being handled by NBC personnel.

We have the assignments below.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – MAY 10

Four Crucial Games Tonight – Two Game 5s, Two Game 6s

NEW YORK – May 10, 2013 – “NHL Playoff Pass” provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. It is published weekdays to preview the evening games. On Fridays, a weekend edition is posted.

Games are being presented on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC (in primetime), and NHL Network. In addition, more Stanley Cup Playoff games are being live streamed than ever before.

All times are listed as ET and are subject to change:

Tonight	Coverage	Network	Talent
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones
7 p.m.	Toronto (5) @ Boston (4)	NHLN	Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Glenn Healy, Scott Oake
7:30 p.m.	N.Y. Rangers (6) @ Washington (3)	NBCSN	Mike Emrick, Pierre McGuire
8 p.m.	Anaheim (2) @ Detroit (7)	CNBC	Dave Strader, Brian Engblom
10 p.m.	St. Louis (4) @ Los Angeles (5)	NBCSN	John Forslund, Daryl Reaugh
Sat., May 11
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones
7 p.m.	Pittsburgh (1) @ N.Y. Islanders (8)	NBCSN	Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire

TONIGHT, May 10

Tonight’s playoff coverage begins with NHL Live on NBC Sports Network. NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Jones, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

At 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network, the Boston Bruins return to their home ice at TD Garden as they look to win their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Boston, Mass. (Boston leads 3-1). CBC’s Jim Hughson will manage play-by-paly with analysts Craig Simpson and Glenn Healy.

On NBC Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Washington Capitals host the N.Y. Rangers as the two teams battle for the series lead (series tied 2-2). Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick will call play-by-play alongside Emmy-award winning reporter Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) from Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

At 8 p.m. ET, CNBC presents the first Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Detroit Red Wings fight to stay alive in their series against the Anaheim Ducks (Anaheim leads 3-2). Dave Strader will manage play-by-play alongside analyst Brian Englom from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

Coverage continues on NBC Sports Network at 10 p.m. ET as the Los Angeles Kings try to win their series against the St. Louis Blues at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. (Los Angeles leads 3-2). John Forslund will serve as play-by-play announcer with analyst Daryl Reaugh.

SATURDAY, May 11

Coverage begins on NBC Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

At 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, the N.Y. Islanders try to stay alive in the playoffs and in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Pittsburgh leads 3-2). Kenny Albert will call play-by-play with analyst McGuire from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.

That will do it.

NHL on NBC Announcing Assignments for May 9, 2013

Let’s post the announcing assignments for tonight’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games on the networks of NBC.

There will be three Games 5, two of which are elimination games. NBC Sports Group will staff two of the three games, New York Islanders at Pittsburgh and Minnesota at Chicago, both of which are on NBC Sports Network, by the way. The other game, Ottawa at Montreal, is a CBC simulcast with Bob Cole and Garry Galley on the call and Cassie Campbell-Pascall inside the glass.

Here’s what we have for tonight.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – MAY 9

Three Crucial Game 5s Tonight

NEW YORK – May 9, 2013 – Games are being presented on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC (in primetime), and NHL Network. In addition, more Stanley Cup Playoff games are being live streamed than ever before.

Tonight	Coverage	Network	Talent
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones
7 p.m.	N.Y. Islanders (8) @ Pittsburgh (1)	NBCSN	Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire
7 p.m.	Ottawa (7) @ Montreal (2)	CNBC	Bob Cole, Garry Galley, Cassie Campbell-Pascall
9:30 p.m.	Minnesota (8) @ Chicago (1)	NBCSN	Dave Strader, Brian Engblom

TONIGHT, May 9

NHL Conference Quarterfinals continue tonight with three crucial Game 5s. Every opening-round series has required at least one overtime game, in total thus far, there have been 13 overtimes in the postseason.

Tonight’s playoff coverage begins with NHL Live on NBC Sports Network. NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

At 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the N.Y. Islanders as each team jockeys for the series lead (series tied 2-2). Kenny Albert will call play-by-play alongside Emmy-award winning reporter Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass) from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Penn. Tonight, on day 10 of playoffs, McGuire will cover his ninth postseason game of the year.

On CNBC at 7 p.m. ET, the Montreal Canadiens aim to stay alive in their series as they return to home ice at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, after an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 (Ottawa leads 3-1).  Bill Patrick and Mike Keenan will host CNBC’s studio coverage.

At 9:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, the Chicago Blackhawks look to win their series at home against the Minnesota Wild tonight (Chicago leads 3-1). Dave Strader will manage play-by-play and will be joined by analyst Brian Engblom from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

BLACKOUT REMINDER

During the Conference Quarterfinals, games that air on NBC Sports Network, CNBC and the NHL Network are subject to local blackouts. NBC Sports Network, CNBC and the NHL Network begin exclusivity in the second round. Games airing on NBC are exclusive throughout the playoffs.

GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR

For the second consecutive year, and only the second time in the 96-year history of the NHL, every Stanley Cup Playoff game will be televised nationally.

NBC	3
NBCSN	18
CNBC	12*
NHLN	1

OT Games: 13

*Joined-in-progress
There you have it.

NHL on NBC Announcing Assignments for May 8, 2013

Tonight, the NBC Sports Group will have another four games in the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. That includes two Games 5 including Los Angeles at St. Louis and Detroit at Anaheim. Both series are square at 2 all. Then there are two Games 4 in the Eastern Conference, Boston at Toronto and Washington at New York Rangers. In both series, the higher seed leads two games to one.

One change to the schedule, Boston at Toronto which was supposed to air on NHL Network in the US will shift to CNBC. Los Angeles at St. Louis which will drop the puck at 9 p.m. ET will begin on NHL Network. CNBC will pick it in progress at the conclusion of Bruins-Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.

As it did for Ottawa-Montreal, NBC will simulcast CBC’s coverage with Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Glenn Healey and Scott Oake.

Here’s the press release from NBC Sports Group.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – MAY 8

Four Games Tonight, Including Two Crucial Game 5s

NEW YORK – May 8, 2013 – “NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. It is published weekdays to preview the evening games. On Fridays, a weekend edition is posted.

Games are being presented on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC (in primetime), and NHL Network. In addition, more Stanley Cup Playoff games are live streamed than ever before. For more information on NBC Sports Group’s overall NHL Playoff coverage, please click here.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Tonight’s Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs game, originally scheduled to air on NHL Network, will now air on CNBC at 7 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues game at 9 p.m. ET (puck drop approximately 9:15 p.m. ET), will likely begin on NHL Network and be joined-in-progress on CNBC at the conclusion of the Boston-Toronto game.

Tonight	Coverage	Network	Talent
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones
7 p.m.	Boston (4) @ Toronto (5)	CNBC	Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Glenn Healey, Scott Oake
7:30 p.m.	Washington (3) @ N.Y. Rangers (6)	NBCSN	Mike Emrick, Pierre McGuire
9 p.m.	Los Angeles (5) @ St. Louis (4)	NHL Network/CNBC*	Dave Strader, Brian Engblom
10 p.m.	Detroit (7) @ Anaheim (2)	NBCSN	John Forslund, Daryl Reaugh

*Joined-in-progress. Game will likely begin on NHL Network

TONIGHT, May 8

NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Bill Patrick and Anson Carter will host CNBC’s studio coverage.

Tonight’s playoff coverage begins on CNBC when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. ET (Boston leads 2-1). Immediately following Boston-Toronto, CNBC will join-in-progress the first Game 5 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the St. Louis Blues host the Los Angeles Kings (series tied 2-2). The Kings-Blues game will begin on NHL Network if Bruins-Leafs is not concluded. Dave Strader will call play-by-play and will be joined by analyst Brian Engblom at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Miss.

NBC Sports Network’s coverage tonight begins at 7:30 p.m. ET as the New York Rangers look to pick up the momentum to tie the series against the Washington Capitals (Washington leads 2-1) on home ice. Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick will serve as play-by-play announcer alongside analyst Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.

Game 5 coverage continues on NBC Sports Network at 10 p.m. ET when the Anaheim Ducks take on the Detroit Red Wings, who tied the series in overtime in Game 4 (series tied 2-2). John Forslund will manage play-by-play alongside analyst Daryl Reaugh at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

EMMY AWARD WINNER

Last night at the 34^th Annual Sport Emmy Awards, Pierre McGuire, NBC Sports Group’s “Inside the Glass” analyst for its NHL coverage, was awarded his first career Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Reporter.

CONTINUING COVERAGE

NBC Sports Group continues NHL Stanley Cup Playoff coverage as the best-of-seven series continue on Friday. The following dates and times were recently officially released by the NHL.

Date/Time (ET)	Game	Coverage	Network
Thurs., May 9
6:30 p.m.		NHL Live	NBCSN
7 p.m.	5	N.Y. Islanders (8) @ Pittsburgh (1)	NBCSN
7 p.m.	5	Ottawa (7) @ Montreal (2)	CNBC
9:30 p.m.	5	Minnesota (8) @ Chicago (1)	NBCSN
Fri., May 10
6:30 p.m.		NHL Live	NBCSN
7:30 p.m.	5	N.Y. Rangers (6) @ Washington (3)	NBCSN
8 p.m.	6	Anaheim (2) @ Detroit (7)	CNBC
10 p.m.	6	St. Louis (4) @ Los Angeles (5)	NBCSN

BLACKOUT REMINDER

During the Conference Quarterfinals, games that air on NBC Sports Network, CNBC and the NHL Network are subject to local blackouts. NBC Sports Network, CNBC and the NHL Network begin exclusivity in the second round. Games airing on NBC are exclusive throughout the playoffs.

That’s it for now.

Complete List of Winners for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards

Let’s go over the entire list of those who won hardware in the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The awards were handed out at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York.

Overall, NBC Sports Group has reason to crow with 23 Emmys, the most of any sports media group. Turner Sports was next with 7 followed by HBO with 6. The ESPN Family of Networks received five awards and MLB Network had three. The CBS consortium, Fox Sports Media Group and NFL Network won two and YouTube got one Emmy.

The entire list is below. It’s a long list so I give a jump break on the main page. Get ready to scroll for a while.

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NBC Sports Group Crows About Its 11 Sports Emmy Awards

NBC was the network to garner the most Sports Emmy Awards with 11 taking home the bacon for the Olympics, Sunday Night Football, Super Bowl XLVI, Bob Costas, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. That’s a lot of hardware. The next highest award-winner was HBO with six.

Here’s NBC’s press release.

NBC SPORTS GROUP COLLECTS 11 SPORTS EMMY AWARDS, MOST OF ANY SPORTS MEDIA COMPANY

London Olympics Garners Five Awards, Including Outstanding Live Event Turnaround
Sunday Night Football Wins Fifth Consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Series; Super Bowl XLVI Wins for Outstanding Live Sports Special
Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Pierre McGuire Honored

NEW YORK – May 7, 2013 – NBC Sports Group won 11 Sports Emmy Awards, the most of any sports media company for the third straight year; the London Olympics received five Emmys, including Outstanding Live Event Turnaround; Super Bowl XLVII won for Outstanding Live Sports Special; Sunday Night Football won its fifth consecutive award for Outstanding Live Sports Series; and Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Pierre McGuire were all honored in their respective categories at the 34^th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, presented tonight by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

MARK LAZARUS, NBC SPORTS GROUP CHAIRMAN: “We could not be more proud of our dedicated team. Tonight is particularly special because we were recognized for our coverage of the London Olympics and the NFL, two properties that touch virtually everyone in the NBC Sports Group – and our on-air commentators. It’s rewarding to know that our talent continues to be recognized year in and year out by our peers.”

Formed in January, 2011, the NBC Sports Group consists of NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, NBC Olympics, 11 NBC Sports Regional Networks, two regional news networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBCSports.com.

NBCUniversal’s coverage of the London Olympics was honored with a total of five Emmy Awards in the following categories:

• Outstanding Live Event Turnaround;
• The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award – NBC, NBC Sports Network, NBCOlympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo;
• Outstanding Technical Team Studio;
• The Dick Schaap Outstanding Writing Award;
• Outstanding New Approaches, Sports Programming – NBCOlympics.com.

For the fifth consecutive year, NBC Sports won Outstanding Live Sports Series for Sunday Night Football. NBC Sports has now won the award in six of the last seven years, also winning in 2007 for its NASCAR coverage.

NBC Sports was also honored with the Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Special for its coverage of Super Bowl XLVI. NBC Sports also received the Emmy in this category for its coverage of Super Bowl XLIII.

Bob Costas was awarded his 25^th career Emmy and fifth consecutive for Outstanding Sports Personality-Studio Host. Costas hosted the London Olympics, is the host Football Night in America, NBC Sports’ acclaimed NFL studio show, and Costas Tonight, which airs on NBC Sports Network. He won the Emmy in the same category last year for his work on Football Night.

Al Michaels was awarded the Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play, for his work on Sunday Night Football. For Michaels, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32^nd Annual Sports Emmy Awards in 2011, this marks his seventh career Emmy Award.

Cris Collinsworth was awarded his fifth consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality-Sports Event Analyst. This marks Collinsworth’s 14^th career Emmy, which includes wins in 2007 and 2008 in the Studio Analyst category for work on Football Night in America.

Pierre McGuire, NBC Sports Group’s “Inside the Glass” analyst for its NHL coverage, was awarded his first career Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality – Sports Reporter.

And ESPN’s press release is coming next.

34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Winners

The 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards were handed out tonight in New York at Frederick P. Rose Hall at the Time Warner Center.

Thanks to Josh Krulewitz, ESPN public relations maven, I can list the individual winners. I’ll have a full list from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tomorrow and I’ll post it when it becomes available.

First, no surprises in the talent categories. The usual suspects won, Costas, Collinsworth, Barkley and Al Michaels is back for play-by-play, his sixth Emmy.

If you want to see the nominations in full, you can go here.

I’ll go in the order the awards were handed out.

The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award – Games of the XXX Olympiad: The Multi-Screen Olympics, NBC/Bravo/CNBC/MSNBC/NBC Sports Network/NBCOlympics.com/Telemundo

Outstanding Live Event Audio/Sound – NASCAR on Fox, Fox

Outstanding Production Design/Art Direction – NCAA March Madness: Brackets Everywhere, truTV

Outstanding Studio Show Weekly – Inside the NFL, Showtime/CBS Sports/NFL Films

Outstanding Long Feature – Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel: Steve Gleason: Tragic Hero, HBO

Outstanding Editing – 24/7: Pacquaio-Marquez 4, HBO

Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement, Episodic – A Football Live: Life Story, NFL Network/NFL Films

Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter – (TIE) Pierre McGuire, NBC (why?) and Tom Verducci, MLB Network/TBS

Outstanding Graphic Design – MLB Network Division Series: The Scrapbook, MLB Network

Outstanding Sports Documentary – Namath, HBO

Outstanding Technical Team Studio – Games of the XXX Olympiad, NBC/Bravo/MSNBC/NBC Sports Network/Telemundo

Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming Short Format – Sport Science, ESPN/Base Productions

Outstanding Playoff Coverage – (TIE) National League Championship Series: Cardinals vs. Giants, Fox and NBA Playoffs, TNT

Outstanding Camera Work – Outside the Lines: Breaking the Silence, ESPN

Outstanding Edited Sports Special – One Heartbeat, CBS Sports Network/CBS Sports

Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics – Namath, HBO/NFL Films

Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement, Institutional – (TIE) It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports: Shake On It, The Name, Born Into It — ESPN/Wieden & Kennedy and NCAA March Madness: Brackets Everywhere, TBS/CBS/TNT/truTV

Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play – Al Michaels, NBC

Outstanding New Approaches Sports Event Coverage – Red Bull Stratos: Space Jump, YouTube/Red Bull Media House

Outstanding Open/Tease – NBA on TNT: All-Star Game Tease, TNT

Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound – Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins, HBO/NFL Films

Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst – Cris Collinsworth, NBC

The Dick Schaap Writing Award – Games of the XXX Olympiad: Measure & Motion, NBC

Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming – Games of the XXX Olympiad: Countdown to London, NBCOlympics.com

Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology – Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, HBO

Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Analyst – Charles Barkley, TNT

Outstanding Sports Journalism – E:60: Beitar Jerusalem, ESPN2

Outstanding Technical Team Remote – Winter X Games 2012, ESPN 3D

Outstanding Short Feature – NFL GameDay Morning: Immaculate Remembrance, NFL Network

Outstanding Live Sports Series – Sunday Night Football, NBC

Outstanding Studio Show, Daily – MLB Tonight, MLB Network

Outstanding Live Event Turnaround – Games of the XXX Olympiad, NBC

Outstanding Live Sports Special – Super Bowl XLVI, NBC

Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host – Bob Costas (who else?), NBC/NBC Sports Network

The network press releases crowing about their Sports Emmy wins are trickling in. I’ll post them in order of their arrival into the Fang’s Bites inbox.

NHL on NBC’s Announcing Assignments for May 7, 2013

NBC has begun to publish its announcing assignments for its NHL games online so I’m going to do my best to post these every day. Tonight, there will be four playoff games and all will be seen on the networks of NBCUniversal. Both CNBC and NBC Sports Network will air doubleheaders.

All of these are Games 4. NBCSN has Pittsburgh-New York Islanders and Chicago-Minnesota. Both are 2-1 with the number 1 seeds, Pittsburgh and Chicago in front.

CNBC will carry Montreal-Ottawa, a simulcast with CBC. Bob Cole, Garry Galley and Cassie Campbell-Pascall will call the game. And the late game will be Vancouver at San Jose, a simulcast with Comcast SportsNet California.

Here’s the NHL on NBC roster for tonight.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – MAY 7

Four Game 4s Tonight

NEW YORK – May 7, 2013 – “NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. It is published weekdays to preview the evening games. On Fridays, a weekend edition is posted.

Games are being presented on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC (in primetime), and NHL Network. In addition, more Stanley Cup Playoff games are live streamed than ever before. For more information on NBC Sports Group’s overall NHL Playoff coverage, please click here.

THE PASS (All times ET)

Tonight	Coverage	Network	Talent
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN	Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Jeremy Roenick
7 p.m.	Pittsburgh (1) @ N.Y. Islanders (8)	NBCSN	Kenny Albert, Joe Micheletti
7 p.m.	Montreal (2) @ Ottawa (7)	CNBC	Bob Cole, Garry Galley, Cassie Campbell-Pascall
9:30 p.m.	Chicago (1) @ Minnesota (8)	NBCSN	Rick Peckham, Brian Engblom
10 p.m.	Vancouver (3) @ San Jose (6)	CNBC	Randy Hahn, Drew Remenda, Brodie Brazil, Brett Hadican

TONIGHT, May 7

NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Russ Thaler and Mike Keenan will host CNBC’s studio coverage.

Playoff coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network with back-to-back Game 4s after overtimes in Game 3. The New York Islanders host the Pittsburgh Penguins as they look to tie the series (Pittsburgh leads 2-1). Kenny Albert will call play-by-play alongside analyst Joe Micheletti from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. NBC Sports Network’s coverage continues at 9:30 p.m. ET with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Chicago Blackhawks (Chicago leads 2-1).

CNBC’s coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET with the Montreal Canadiens at the Ottawa Senators from Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario (Ottawa leads 2-1). At 10 p.m. ET on CNBC, the San Jose Sharks look to sweep the series as they host the Vancouver Canucks at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. (San Jose leads 3-0). CSN California’s Randy Hahn will serve as play-by-play announcer alongside analysts Drew Remenda, Brodie Brazil and Bret Hedican.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: TOMORROW, May 8

Tomorrow’s Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs game, originally scheduled to air on NHL Network, will now air on CNBC at 7 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues game at 9 p.m. ET (puck drop approximately 9:15 p.m. ET), will likely begin on NHL Network and be joined-in-progress on CNBC at the conclusion of the Bruins-Maple Leafs game.

Wed., May 8
6:30 p.m.	NHL Live	NBCSN
7 p.m.	Boston (4) @ Toronto (5)	CNBC
7:30 p.m.	Washington (3) @ N.Y. Rangers (6)	NBCSN
9 p.m.	Los Angeles (5) @ St. Louis (4)	NHL Network/CNBC*
10 p.m.	Detroit (7) @ Anaheim (2)	NBCSN

*Joined-in-progress. Game will likely begin on NHL Network

There you have it.

NBC Sports Group Crows About 2013 NHL Regular Season Viewership

The NBC Sports Group is bullish about the NHL as the league enters the best postseason in sports. Regular season ratings ended with double digit increases for both NBC and NBC Sports Network. Viewership on NBCSN gave the Peacock the most viewed NHL regular season on cable dating back to the 1993-94 season on ESPN/ESPN2.

Viewership for 13 regular season games on NBC was up 15% from the previous season. That’s not counting the Winter Classic which was not played this season. For NBC Sports Network, viewership increased 18% from the season before.

NBCSN averaged 332,000 viewers for its regular season coverage. For its Wednesday Night Rivalry games, NBC Sports Network had an even higher viewership, almost 650,000 people. Two Wednesday night games gave NBCSN its highest viewership for an NHL regular season game and seven of its top eight. Expect the rivalry games to return next season.

Here’s the NBC Sports Group press release.

REGULAR-SEASON NHL VIEWERSHIP ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK IS BEST ON CABLE IN NEARLY TWO DECADES

Viewership on NBC Up 15%

NEW YORK – April 30, 2013 – More viewers watched the NHL regular season on NBC Sports Network this year than in any previous year since the channel began televising games in 2005-06. The 2013 NHL regular season on NBC Sports Network was also the most-watched season on cable in nearly two decades, and up 18 percent vs. last year.

Final NHL regular-season viewership on NBC won’t be available until Thursday, but this season, excluding the Winter Classic, is expected to be the most-watched on the network since 2005-06, when NBC Sports regained rights to broadcast NHL games. Through 13 games, regular-season viewership on NBC is up 15 percent this year, excluding the Winter Classic, which was not played this season.

“Despite unique programming challenges, NHL viewership grew this year and set numerous records and milestones across both NBC and NBC Sports Network, including a successful new franchise with Wednesday Night Rivalry,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “Considering there was a shortened season, no Winter Classic and no All-Star programming, these results speak well of the NHL’s popularity and the strength of our partnership.”

NBC SPORTS NETWORK

NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the 2013 NHL regular season averaged 392,000 viewers, up 18 percent from last year (332,000), and is the most-watched regular season on cable in 19 years (ESPN/ESPN2 1993/94 – 474,000).

• On the strength of the newly-created Wednesday Night Rivalry series, the 2013 season delivered the top two most-watched regular-season games in NBC Sports Network history, and seven of the top eight.

Game	Date	Avg. Viewers
Boston–N.Y. Rangers	January 23, 2013	956,000
Philadelphia-Pittsburgh	February, 20, 2013	901,000
Boston-Philadelphia	October 6, 2011	874,000
Buffalo-Boston	April 17, 2013	847,000
Chicago-Minnesota	January 30, 2013	827,000
Montreal-Boston	March 3, 2013	813,000
Montreal-Boston	March, 27, 2013	773,000
Boston-Montreal	February 6, 2013	771,000

• NBC Sports Network’s 14 Wednesday Night Rivalry telecasts averaged 646,000 viewers, up 46 percent from the 2011-12 exclusive time-period average for Wednesday night telecasts (443,000). Viewership was up 64 percent in the advertiser-coveted Adults 18-49 demographic.
• With 956,000 viewers, the inaugural Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup between Boston and the New York Rangers (Jan. 23) set the record for the most-watched NHL regular-season game in NBC Sports Network history. It was also the most-watched such game on cable in over a decade (ESPN, 1-23-02, San Jose-Detroit, 1.28 million).

NBC

• Through 13 games and excluding the Winter Classic, which was not played this season, viewership on NBC has averaged 1.5 million viewers, up 15 percent from 2011-12. When viewership figures are finalized on Thursday, this season is expected to be the most-watched on the network since 2005-06, when NBC regained rights to broadcast NHL games.
• The 2013 opening game telecast of the NHL regular season on NBC, featuring the Chicago Blackhawks-Los Angeles Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers (regionalized), averaged 2.8 million viewers, making it the most most-watched non-Winter Classic regular-season telecast on NBC since the network again began broadcasting the league in 2006, and the most-watched overall since three-game regional coverage on Fox in 1999 (4/18/99, 3.09 million).
• The NHL on NBC telecast on March 3, 2013, featuring the Chicago Blackhawks-Detroit Red Wings, delivered 1.9 million average viewers and was the most-watched regular-season single-game telecast since the network again began broadcasting the league in 2006, excluding Winter Classics.

That will do you.

NBC Sports Group is all over the Run for the Roses

Starting Wednesday, NBC Sports Group will begin coverage of Kentucky Derby Week leading to the actual Run for the Roses on Saturday. NBC Sports Network will carry the Kentucky Derby Draw on Wednesday as well as the Kentucky Oaks on Friday.

NBC will have the actual race after 6:30 p.m. ET and we’ll see which horse will be the leading candidate for the Triple Crown.

Tom Hammond and Bob Costas will lead the crew. The bald-headed Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey will be analysts. Mike Battaglia and Bob Neumeier will handicap and report from Churchill Downs. Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers and Jay Privman will be trackside. Larry Collmus will call the race. Michelle Beadle will be on-site to provide features. And someone named Coco Rocha will conduct celebrity interviews and talk fashion.

Overall, there will be 14½ hours of Kentucky Derby coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network.

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NHL on NBC/NBCSN/CNBC Announcing Assignments Through Sunday, May 5, 2013

Thanks to the fine people at NBC Sports public relations, I have the announcing assignments for the NHL Stanley Cup Conference Quarterfinals through Sunday. Mike Emrick and Pierre McGuire work in Chicago and Washington on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Then they’ll be joined in DC by Eddie Olcyzk on Saturday. The trio will travel to St. Paul, MN on Sunday.

The “B” team for the NHL on NBC of Dave Strader and Brian Engblom will be in St. Louis on Tuesday and Thursday.

Kenny Albert will be joined by Pierre McGuire in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Friday. That’s going to be an insane schedule for McGuire, but he did something similar last year in the first round as well.

Other teams include Rick Peckham and Joe Micheletti in addition to John Forslund and Daryl Reaugh.

NBC will depend on Comcast SportsNet California’s Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda for simulcasts of the San Jose-Vancouver series on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

NBC will utilize CBC for the Montreal-Ottawa series which will be called by Bob Cole, Garry Galley and Cassie Campbell-Pascall.

Here’s the schedule.

2013 NHL PLAYOFFS – EAST/WEST CONFERENCE QUARTERFINAL

Tuesday, April 30

Game 1 — Minnesota at Chicago, 8 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Mike Emrick/Pierre McGuire)
Game 1 — Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8 p.m. — CNBC (Dave Strader/Brian Engblom)
Game 1 — Detroit at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (John Forslund/Daryl Reaugh

Wednesday, May 1

Game 1 — Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m. — CNBC (Rick Peckham/Joe Micheletti)
Game 1 — New York Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Kenny Albert/Pierre McGuire)
Game 1 — San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Comcast SportsNet California simulcast)

Thursday, May 2

Game 1 — Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m. — CNBC (CBC simulcast)
Game 1 — New York Rangers at Washington, 7:30 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Mike Emrick/Pierre McGuire)
Game 2 — Los Angeles at St. Louis, 9:30 p.m. — CNBC (Dave Strader/Brian Engblom)
Game 2 — Detroit at Anaheim, 10 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (John Forslund/Daryl Reaugh)

Friday, May 3

Game 2 — Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m. — CNBC (CBC simulcast)
Game 2 — New York Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Kenny Albert/Pierre McGuire)
Game 2 — Minnesota at Chicago, 9:30 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Dave Strader/Brian Engblom)
Game 2 — San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m. — CNBC (Comast SportsNet California simulcast)

Saturday, May 4

Game 2 — New York Rangers at Washington, 12:30 p.m. — NBC (Mike Emrick/Ed Olcyzk/Pierre McGuire)
Game 2 — Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m. — CNBC (CBC simulcast)
Game 3 — Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Rick Peckham/Joe Micheletti)
Game 3 — St. Louis at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (John Forslund/Daryl Reaugh)

Sunday, May 5

Game 3 — Pittsburgh at New York Islanders, noon — NBC (Dave Strader/Daryl Reaugh)
Game 3 — Chicago at Minnesota, 3 p.m. — NBC (Mike Emrick/Ed Olczyk/Pierre McGuire)
Game 3 — Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (CBC simulcast)
Game 3 — Vancouver at San Jose, 10 p.m. — NBC Sports Network (Comcast SportsNet California simulcast)

That’s it.

NBC Sports Group All Over 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Once again, NBC Sports Group will provide blanket coverage of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The networks of NBC will have every game of the playoffs. NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC and NHL Network will be involved in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Then NBC and NBC Sports Network will combine for the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final.

The Conference Quarterfinals will be carried on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC and NHL Network. The games in this round are not exclusive nationally except for NBC. Local regional sports networks will have exclusivity in the home markets and the national networks will be blacked out. This does not apply to NBC.

Starting with the Conference Semifinals all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, NBC Sports Group has exclusivity and the local RSN’s will no longer air any of playoff games.

Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones will be the main studio team. Bill Patrick and Jeremy Roenick will form another while Russ Thaler, Mike Keenan and Anson Carter will form a third studio team.

Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk and charlatan Pierre McGuire will be the lead announce team. Dave Strader and Brian Engblom will be the second team. Expect to hear from announcers John Forslund and Kenny Albert as well.

The Stanley Cup Final will once again be split between NBC and NBC Sports Network. This year, NBC will air Games 1 and 4 through 7. NBC Sports Network will air Games 2 and 3. That is a break from recent policy when NBC took the first two games and NBCSN aired 3 & 4 with NBC taking the rest. This ensures that any Cup clinching games will be aired on broadcast television.

All games will be streamed online. NBC’s games will be available to everyone on NBCSports.com and the NBC Live Extra App. NBC Sports Network’s games will also be available on the NBC Sports Live Extra app, but cable and satellite providers will have to authenticate.

The press release comes after a jump break.

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2013 NHL Stanley Cup Conference Quarterfinals Schedules and Networks

Now that the National Hockey League regular season is over, it’s time to post the schedules for each series. In the first round, local regional sports networks can air playoff games. Only NBC games are exclusive in the United States, while in Canada, the playoffs are split between CBC and TSN.

Playoff games in the United States will be distributed nationally between NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC and NHL Network. The RSN’s have exclusivity in the local markets so the national broadcasts would be blacked out unless NBC gets the games.

The US networks have been selected through Games 1-4 of the quarterfinals. Games 5-7, if necessary, will be rescheduled as the series continue.

Here’s what we have thus far.

NHL announces Stanley Cup Playoffs Rd. 1 schedule

NEW YORK – The National Hockey League today announced the dates, times and national broadcast information for the 2013 Stanley Cup Conference Quarterfinal round, which begins Tuesday, April 30th. Information on the U.S. broadcast networks for games later in the round will be released as it is determined.

All times listed are ET and subject to change.
* – if necessary

2013 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES A	TIME (ET)	#1 Pittsburgh vs. #8 NY Islanders	Networks
Wednesday, May 1, 2013	7:30 p.m.	NY Islanders at Pittsburgh	NBCSN, TSN
Friday, May 3, 2013	7 p.m.	NY Islanders at Pittsburgh	NBCSN, TSN
Sunday, May 5, 2013	12 p.m.	Pittsburgh at NY Islanders	NBC, TSN
Tuesday, May 7, 2013	7 p.m.	Pittsburgh at NY Islanders	NBCSN, TSN
*Thursday, May 9, 2013	7 p.m.	NY Islanders at Pittsburgh	TSN
*Saturday, May 11, 2013	TBD	Pittsburgh at NY Islanders	TSN
*Sunday, May 12, 2013	TBD	NY Islanders at Pittsburgh	TSN
SERIES B	TIME (ET)	#2 Montreal vs. #7 Ottawa	Networks
Thursday, May 2, 2013	7 p.m.	Ottawa at Montreal	CNBC, CBC, RDS
Friday, May 3, 2013	7 p.m.	Ottawa at Montreal	CNBC, CBC, RDS
Sunday, May 5, 2013	7 p.m.	Montreal at Ottawa	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
Tuesday, May 7, 2013	7 p.m.	Montreal at Ottawa	CNBC, CBC, RDS
*Thursday, May 9, 2013	7 p.m.	Ottawa at Montreal	CBC, RDS
*Saturday, May 11, 2013	TBD	Montreal at Ottawa	CBC, RDS
*Sunday, May 12, 2013	TBD	Ottawa at Montreal	CBC, RDS
SERIES C	TIME (ET)	#3 Washington vs. #6 NY Rangers	Networks
Thursday, May 2, 2013	7:30 p.m.	NY Rangers at Washington	NBCSN, TSN
Saturday, May 4, 2013	12:30 p.m.	NY Rangers at Washington	NBC, TSN
Monday, May 6, 2013	7:30 p.m.	Washington at NY Rangers	NBCSN, TSN
Wednesday, May 8, 2013	7:30 p.m.	Washington at NY Rangers	NBCSN, TSN
*Friday, May 10, 2013	7:30 p.m.	NY Rangers at Washington	TSN
*Sunday, May 12, 2013	TBD	Washington at NY Rangers	TSN
*Monday, May 13, 2013	TBD	NY Rangers at Washington	TSN
SERIES D	TIME (ET)	#4 Boston vs. #5 Toronto	Networks
Wednesday, May 1, 2013	7 p.m.	Toronto at Boston	CNBC, CBC, RDS
Saturday, May 4, 2013	7 p.m.	Toronto at Boston	CNBC, CBC, RDS
Monday, May 6, 2013	7 p.m.	Boston at Toronto	NHLN-US, CBC, RDS
*Wednesday, May 8, 2013	7 p.m.	Toronto at Boston	NHLN-US, CBC, RDS
*Friday, May 10, 2013	7 P.M.	Boston at Toronto	CBC, RDS
*Sunday, May 12, 2013	TBD	Toronto at Boston	CBC, RDS
Monday, May 13, 2013	TBD	Boston at Toronto	CBC, RDS
2013 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES E	TIME (ET)	#1 Chicago vs. #8 Minnesota	Networks
Tuesday, April 30, 2013	8 p.m.	Minnesota at Chicago	NBCSN, CBC
Friday, May 3, 2013	9:30 p.m.	Minnesota at Chicago	NBCSN, CBC
Sunday, May 5, 2013	3 p.m.	Chicago at Minnesota	NBC, CBC
Tuesday, May 7, 2013	9:30 p.m.	Chicago at Minnesota	NBCSN, CBC
*Thursday, May 9, 2013	TBD	Minnesota at Chicago	CBC
*Saturday, May 11, 2013	TBD	Chicago at Minnesota	CBC
*Sunday, May 12, 2013	TBD	Minnesota at Chicago	CBC
SERIES F	TIME (ET)	#2 Anaheim vs. #7 Detroit	Networks
Tuesday, April 30, 2013	10:30 p.m.	Detroit at Anaheim	NBCSN, TSN
Thursday, May 2, 2013	10 p.m.	Detroit at Anaheim	NBCSN, TSN
Saturday, May 4, 2013	7:30 p.m.	Anaheim at Detroit	NBCSN, TSN
Monday, May 6, 2013	8 p.m.	Anaheim at Detroit	CNBC, TSN
*Wednesday, May 8, 2013	10 p.m.	Detroit at Anaheim	TSN
*Friday, May 10, 2013	TBD	Anaheim at Detroit	TSN
*Sunday, May 12, 2013	TBD	Detroit at Anaheim	TSN
SERIES G	TIME (ET)	#3 Vancouver vs. #6 San Jose	Networks
Wednesday, May 1, 2013	10:30 p.m.	San Jose at Vancouver	NBCSN, TSN
Friday, May 3, 2013	10 p.m.	San Jose at Vancouver	CNBC, TSN
Sunday, May 5, 2013	10 p.m.	Vancouver at San Jose	NBCSN, TSN
Tuesday, May 7, 2013	10 p.m.	Vancouver at San Jose	CNBC, TSN
*Thursday, May 9, 2013	10 p.m.	San Jose at Vancouver	TSN
*Saturday, May 11, 2013	TBD	Vancouver at San Jose	TSN
*Monday, May 13, 2013	TBD	San Jose at Vancouver	TSN
SERIES H	TIME (ET)	#4 St. Louis vs. #5 Los Angeles	Networks
Tuesday, April 30, 2013	8 p.m.	Los Angeles at St. Louis	CNBC, CBC
Thursday, May 2, 2013	9:30 p.m.	Los Angeles at St. Louis	CNBC, CBC
Saturday, May 4, 2013	10 p.m.	St. Louis at Los Angeles	NBCSN, CBC
Monday, May 6, 2013	10 p.m.	St. Louis at Los Angeles	NBCSN, CBC
*Wednesday, May 8, 2013	TBD	Los Angeles at St. Louis	CBC
*Friday, May 10, 2013	TBD	St. Louis at Los Angeles	CBC
*Monday, May 13, 2013	TBD	Los Angeles at St. Louis	CBC

I’ll update the times and networks for Games 5-7 as they become available. Keep this bookmarked.

NBC Unveils Its Plans for the English Premier League

In a Hollywood-style production in New York on Tuesday, NBC announced its coverage plans for the English Premier League starting this August. NBC says it will carry all 380 games of the 2013-14 season on the NBC Sports Group. Most will be carried on NBC Sports Network with others being carried on CNBC, USA and NBC. Telemundo and mun2 will also receive a number of games. Those games not carried on one of those networks will be seen on a new channel for English Premier League games only called “Premier League Extra Time” which will be offered to cable and satellite providers at “no extra charge” as long as they carry NBC Sports Network.

All games will be streamed on the NBC Sports Live Extra app.

In addition to the games, NBC Sports Group will have various studio programming including Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 which will be modeled after BBC’s venerable soccer programs of the same name.

NBC Sports Network will have a Saturday morning doubleheader with games at 7 and 10 a.m. ET. NBC will take Saturday midday games at 12:30 p.m. ET.

On Sundays, NBCSN will air Sunday games at 8 and 11 a.m. ET. And NBCSN will also air Monday and various midweek afternoon games at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s the breakdown of EPL games on NBC Sports Group.

And we have the official press release for you.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S 2013-14 ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE PROGRAMMING PLANS

Live Multi-Platform Coverage of All 380 Matches
Matches to Air Live on NBC, NBC Sports Network, Telemundo, Mun2, Premier League Extra Time, NBC Sports Live Extra and Other NBCUniversal Channels
All 10 Matches on Championship Sunday – May 11, 2014 – Available Live on an NBCUniversal Television Channel
More than 600 Hours of Original and Weekly Studio Programming on NBC Sports Network

New York – April 16, 2013 – All 380 games of the 2013-14 English Premier League season will be presented live on NBC Sports Group’s television and digital properties as well as other NBCUniversal channels. NBC Sports Group’s schedule, which begins on Saturday, August 17, includes live matches on NBC, NBC Sports Network, Telemundo, Mun2, the Premier League Extra Time package of overflow television channels, the NBC Sports Live Extra website and app, and other NBCUniversal channels including CNBC and USA.

As previously announced in October 2012, NBCUniversal, via the NBC Sports Group, acquired the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Premier League through a multi-year agreement that begins with the 2013-14 season. Per the agreement, NBCUniversal becomes the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 English Premier League matches across all media platforms and devices in the United States.

Details of the 2013-2014 NBC Sports Group Premier League programming include:

• All 380 matches presented live on television with studio pre- and post-game coverage;
• All 380 matches streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra;
• Games not aired on a designated NBCUniversal channel will be made available to distributors via Premier League Extra Time, a package of overflow television channels available at no extra cost for each of their customers who receives NBC Sports Network;
• Championship Sunday – May 11, 2014, when all 10 Premier League matches will be available live on a different NBCUniversal channel;
• 76 Spanish-language telecasts, 10 on Telemundo, 66 on Mun2;
• More than 600 hours of Premier League original programming.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: Every English Premier League match will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra, the NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktop, mobile and tablets and, in most cases, on the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, telco and other video subscription services. The vast majority of English Premier League matches will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of these services.

NBC Sports Live Extra provides a primary and second screen experience across mobile, tablet and desktop, delivering high quality video, match/player stats and video highlights while aggregating Premier League content from social media.

PREMIER LEAGUE EXTRA TIME: All games not aired on a designated NBCUniversal channel will be made available to distributors on Premier League Extra Time, a package of overflow television channels available at no extra cost for each of their customers who receives NBC Sports Network.

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY: The biggest day on the Premier League schedule is the last day of the season when all 20 teams play at the same time. NBCUniversal will present each match of Championship Sunday live across a host of NBCU channels, including NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA, MSNBC, E! and more.

STUDIO AND ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING: NBC Sports Network will present more than 600 hours each year of studio and original programming surrounding Premier League. Shows include:

• Premier League Countdown – A preview of the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season;
• Premier League Download – With the help of a number of high-profile celebrity supporters, comedians and journalists, Premier League Download will explore what it is that’s so intensely loved – and loathed – about England’s topflight league. Long-time supporters will enjoy the lively commentary, while new fans will learn the language of the only league that matters;
• Premier League 36 – NBC Sports Network’s acclaimed 36 series that follows athletes for the 36 hours leading up to a game/match/race comes to the Premier League;
• Premier League Goal Zone – A 30-minute program airing after the matches on Sunday with highlights of all the goals scored on Saturday and Sunday;
• Game Cut-Downs – On Monday nights, NBCSN will present a two-hour show featuring cut-down versions of the Manchester United and Manchester City matches. On Tuesdays, a two-hour program will feature the Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham matches;
• Match of the Day – A two-hour show featuring extended highlights with the natural calls of every game on Saturday. This show is modeled after the highly-regarded BBC show of the same name. Match of the Day will re-air on Sunday mornings;
• Match of the Day 2 – A 90-minute show featuring extended highlights with the natural calls of every game on Sunday. This show is modeled after the BBC show of the same name;
• Match of the Week – On Sunday nights, NBCSN will re-air the best match of the weekend in its entirety;
• Barclays Premier League World – A weekly magazine show produced by Premier League;
• Barclays Premier League Preview – A weekly show produced by Premier League that previews the upcoming week’s matches;
• Barclays Premier League Review – A weekly show produced by Premier League that recaps all the matches from the past week.

TYPICAL WEEKLY PROGRAMMING GRID (All games live; All times ET)

Saturday	Sunday	Monday/Midweek
7 a.m. – NBCSN	8 a.m. – NBCSN	2:30 p.m. – NBCSN
10 a.m. – NBCSN	11 a.m. – NBCSN/Telemundo
12:30 p.m. – NBC

(continue reading…)

NBC Sports Network Crowing About 1st Quarter Viewership

I received this from NBC Sports Network today touting its viewership in the first quarter of 2013. The release states that viewing of the network is up 14% across the board as compared to this time last year.

Thanks to live NHL programming for most of the quarter, NBCSN has seen a 14% rise in viewership in primetime (not counting the first three weeks of the quarter which did not have any NHL games due to the lockout).

MLS on NBC Sports Network had an 8% increase from last year’s first quarter.

And looking at IndyCar, its only race of the quarter had a 78% increase from NBCSN’s first race from last year, however, it’s a bit apples-oranges as the first race of the IndyCar season was on ABC rather than NBC Sports Network.

Here’s the press release in which NBC Sports Network is beating its proverbial chest and yelling out a primal scream.

NBC SPORTS NETWORK SEES DOUBLE DIGIT Q1 VIEWERSHIP GAINS

In Direct Comparison to Q1 2012 (Minus 3 Weeks of NHL Games and NHL All Star Weekend), Viewership on NBCSN is up 14%
7 of the 10 Most-Watched NHL Games in Network’s History Occurred in Q1 of 2013
First IndyCar Telecast of Season is up 78%
Dan Patrick Show on NBCSN up 58% Compared to Time Period in 2012

NEW YORK—April 8, 2013 – Buoyed by seven of the 10 most-watched NHL games in the network’s history, NBC Sports Network viewership rose 14% in the first quarter compared to first quarter in 2012, according to data released by The Nielsen Company. Additionally NHL programming, including the newly-created Wednesday Night Rivalry games, was up 58% compared to Q1 in 2012, the best start in the network’s history; The Dan Patrick Show viewership is up 58% compared to time period in 2012 Q1; the opening IndyCar telecast rose 78%; and MLS games are up eight percent over last year.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS:

There was no NHL programming for the first three weeks of the quarter in 2013, including no NHL All-Star Weekend programming. When removing the first three weeks of NHL programming (including All-Star Weekend) to form a direct comparison, NBC Sports Network was up 14% in primetime compared to first quarter 2012 (193k viewers vs. 170k viewers) and up 14% on total day (65k viewers vs. 57k viewers).

• In the Adult 18-49 demo, viewership is up 12% for primetime and 10% for total day for ALL programming (no NHL exclusions);
• NBC Sports Network’s audience got younger. Median age in first quarter of 2013 was 44 in primetime, down from 47 for first quarter in 2012.
• NBC Sports Network averaged 193k viewers in primetime (8-11 p.m.) and 65k viewers for total day (6 a.m. – 6 a.m.) during first quarter of 2013, both up from the first quarter in 2012 (191k and 63k, respectively including NHL programming).

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS:

NHL: NBC Sports Network delivered seven of the 10 most-watched regular-season games in the network’s history (NBCSN/VERSUS/OLN) during first quarter 2013, including the top two most-watched.

• NBCSN’s 38 games in the first quarter averaged 428k viewers, up 34% from the 2012 first quarter average, the best start for the NHL on NBC Sports Network in the network’s history.
• NBC Sports Network’s 10 Wednesday Night Rivalry games, newly-developed this season, averaged 680k viewers, an increase of 55% compared to the Wednesday night exclusive game average in first quarter 2012.

TOP 10 MOST-WATCHED NHL GAMES ON NBCSN/VERSUS/OLN

MATCHUP	DATE	AVERAGE VIEWERS
BRUINS-RANGERS	01/23/13	956,000
FLYERS-PENGUINS	02/20/13	901,000
BRUINS-FLYERS	10/06/11	874,000
BLACKHAWKS-WILD	01/30/13	827,000
CANADIENS-BRUINS	03/03/13	813,000
CANADIENS-BRUINS	03/27/13	773,000
BRUINS-CANADIENS	02/06/13	771,000
PENGUINS-FLYERS	12/14/10	750,000
FLYERS-PENGUINS	10/07/10	730,000
AVALANCHE-BLACKHAWKS	03/06/13	720,000

INDY CAR: The 2013 IndyCar season debuted on NBCSN with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 24. The race delivered 388,000 viewers, a 78-percent increase vs. last year’s first race on NBC Sports Network (218,000).

• It was also the second-best season-opener for NBC Sports Network’s IndyCar coverage (since 2009) behind only the 2010 race from Sao Paulo, Brazil (410,000).
• In the advertiser-coveted Adult 18-49 demo, the race delivered 126,000 viewers, up 91% vs. last year (66,000).

MLS: NBCSN’s six MLS matches in first quarter averaged 112k viewers, an increase of eight percent over last year’s first quarter matches.

• NBCSN’s primetime MLS Rivalry Day match on March 16 (Portland at Seattle) drew 209k viewers, the second most-watched MLS game on NBCSN (excluding games that had an Olympic lead-in).

THE DAN PATRICK SHOW: Viewership for The Dan Patrick Show (41k average viewers) rose 58% from the M-F 9 a.m. – Noon time period in first quarter of 2012.

That is all.

Habs-Bruins Draws Decent Numbers for NBC Sports Network

Wednesday’s blood rivalry game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins that ended in a 6-5 shootout win for the Habs, drew pretty good numbers for the NBC Sports Network. The cable home of the National Hockey League saw a 0.48 household rating and an average of 773,000 viewers for the game. Viewership peaked at just over a million as the Canadiens tied the game with Boston with :08.2 left in regulation time.

Wednesday night’s game is the 6th most watched NHL regular season contest on the network (a.k.a OLN and Versus). Boston drew an 8.51 rating making it the second highest-rated game on NBCSN in the market, just after a B’s-Habs game earlier in the month.

Here’s what NBC is saying about last night’s game.

Montreal Canadiens-Boston Bruins “Wednesday Night Rivalry” Ratings

This week’s Wednesday Night Rivalry game on NBC Sports Network (7:30-10:39 p.m. ET), in which the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins, 6-5, in a shootout, posted a 0.48 HH rating and 773,000 viewers.

The game is the sixth-most watched regular-season game in network history and up 133% vs. last year’s full season average on NBC Sports Network. It peaked with more than one million viewers (1.005 million) from 9:45-10 p.m. ET.

The three Canadiens-Bruins games that have aired on NBC Sports Network this year are the three most-watched games on cable featuring a Canadian team since 2000 (Dec. 27, Tor-Pit, 1.046 on ESPN2).

• Mar. 3              813,000
• Mar. 27           773,000
• Feb. 26            771,000

In Boston, the game received an 8.51 HH rating, making it the second-highest rated regular-season Bruins game ever on NBC Sports Network, behind only the Mar. 3 game against the Canadiens (9.26).

NBC Sports Network was the No. 1 rated network overall in Boston during the 7:30-10:45 p.m. ET time period.

And that concludes this post.

NBC Sports Network All Over Habs-Bruins Tonight

The NHL which is back with a vengeance in the ratings both nationally and regionally. It’s as if people have totally forgotten about the lockout.

Tonight, NBC Sports Network airs one of the biggest rivalries not only in the NHL, but in sports as the Boston Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens at 7:30 p.m. It’s part of some big games coming up on NBC/NBC Sports Network.

Take a look at the NBC press release.

MONTREAL CANADIENS AND BOSTON BRUINS RENEW CLASSIC RIVALRY AS THEY BATTLE FOR THE TOP SPOT IN NORTHEAST ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK’S “WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY” AT 7:30 P.M. ET

Blackhawks, Red Wings, Penguins, Bruins and Canadiens featured in Five Games over Four Days and Nights
NHL Live, Sunday Night-Wednesday Night
NHL Overtime, Monday-Friday at 11:30 p.m. ET

NEW YORK – March 26, 2013 — In one of sports’ classic rivalries, Brian Gionta and the Montreal Canadiens (45pts) travel to TD Garden in Boston, Mass. to take on Zdeno Chara and the Boston Bruins (45pts) in a head-to-head battle for the top spot in the Northeast Division, on NBC Sports Network’s Wednesday Night Rivalry at 7:30 p.m. ET. Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk, and ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will call the game.

Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live, NBC Sports Group’s NHL pregame show. Liam McHugh hosts NHL Live from Studio 2 at NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., and will be joined by analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.

PIERRE MCGUIRE ON CANADIENS-BRUINS: “The Bruins will try to get physical against the quick and skilled Canadiens. Emotion usually plays a big role in this rivalry. Because of the intensity they bring to the arena, the fans for both teams help make this one of the best rivalries in all of sports. Even though the players change year to year, Montreal and Boston is always must-see TV.”

JEREMY ROENICK ON CANADIENS-BRUINS: “Montreal and Boston have emerged as the two best teams in the Northeast, but many are wondering if the Canadiens can remain in the top spot. There is never any love lost between these two teams, and the rivalry has become even more heated this season because of the physical nature of the Canadiens and Bruins previous meetings in 2013.”

In addition to NBC Sports Network’s Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup between the Canadiens and Bruins, NBC and NBC Sports Network will also deliver coverage of four other games over three days and nights, beginning Sunday: Chicago Blackhawks-Detroit Red Wings, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC; Boston Bruins–Buffalo Sabres, Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network; Colorado Avalanche–Detroit Red Wings, Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network; and Buffalo Sabres–Pittsburgh Penguins, Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

BLACKHAWKS-RED WINGS SUNDAY

NHL on NBC coverage will continue on Sunday, March 31 at 12:30 p.m. ET with a classic Central Division matchup between the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks (51pts), who started the season with a record-breaking 22-game point streak, and the Detroit Red Wings (39pts) who are currently in second place in the division. The Blackhawks and Red Wings have split their two previous meetings this season, with both games ending in 2-1 final scores. Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the action from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

BRUINS–SABRES SUNDAY NIGHT

Sunday night on NBC Sports Network, the Boston Bruins (45pts) will travel to the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY., to take on the Buffalo Sabres (30pts) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bruins are tied with the Canadiens for the top spot in the Northeast and will look to capitalize against the Sabres, who are struggling to remain in the playoff race. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the game.

AVALANCHE-RED WINGS MONDAY NIGHT

Monday, April 1, the Detroit Red Wings will host the Colorado Avalanche (26pts) at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Emrick (play-by-play) and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the game from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

SABRES-PENGUINS TUESDAY NIGHT

On Tuesday, April 2, Sidney Crosby and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins (50pts) will take the ice against the Buffalo Sabres at 7:30 p.m. ET. on NBC Sports Network. The Penguins have won 12 consecutive games and are chasing the Blackhawks for the top spot in the league. If the Penguins continue their current win streak, the team will enter its game against Buffalo having won 15 straight games, tied for second most in the history of the NHL (‘82-83 New York Islanders). A win against the Sabres could put Pittsburgh one game shy of tying the record for most consecutive wins in the history of the league (‘92-93 Pittsburgh Penguins – 17 games). Strader (play-by-play) and Engblom (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the action from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

There you have it.

NBC Taps The UK’s Rebecca Lowe as English Premier League Host

If you’ve watched ESPN’s international soccer coverage over the past few years, then you’ve probably seen Rebecca Lowe on its Women’s World Cup and UEFA Euro Cup studio programming. If you’ve lived in the UK over the past several years, then you’ve seen a lot of her.

Coming in August, Stateside fans will see Rebecca Lowe every weekend on NBC Sports Network as the Peacock has hired her to become the host of English Premier League games. This is a very good move. Rebecca is a very good presenter (the term used in the UK for host) and has good knowledge of the beautiful game.

She’s worked at the BBC, in particular on soccer and on its venerable Match of the Day recap shows, Setanta Sports and then for ESPN UK when it took over Setanta’s contract for the EPL. She became the first female host of FA Cup matches in the UK and has had a high profile in England.

Now she’ll be moving to the United States to host the English Premier League broadcasts for NBC Sports Network. We have the announcement below.

REBECCA LOWE TO SERVE AS HOST OF PREMIER LEAGUE FOR NBC SPORTS GROUP

Lowe to Relocate to U.S. and Host Coverage from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.

New York – March 26, 2013 – Rebecca Lowe, who currently serves as co-host of ESPN UK’s coverage of Premier League soccer, has signed a multi-year agreement with NBC Sports Group to serve as its host of the Premier League beginning in August, it was announced today.

Lowe will relocate to the U.S. this summer, and will host Premier League coverage from NBC Sports Group’s new state-of-the-art International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Additional talent announcements for NBC Sports Group’s Premier League coverage will be announced at a later date.

“I’m about to begin the most exciting chapter of my life,” said Lowe. “Joining NBC to present the Premier League is an enormous privilege. Not only do I get to combine my love of football and of TV presenting, but I’m getting the chance to do that in a new country, which poses a real challenge. I’m impatient for the summer to come, and inspired by NBC’s outlook on putting live football on the telly…as we say in England.”

“Rebecca has the perfect combination of soccer knowledge and perspective to lead our viewers through all the drama and excitement of Premier League,” said Pierre Moossa, Coordinating Producer, NBC Sports Group Soccer. “When we started the talent search, Rebecca was our top choice as host, and we are extremely fortunate to have her join our team”

Lowe joined ESPN UK in 2009 to co-host its Premier League matches as well as its FA Cup coverage, and co-anchor Between the Lines, a football debate and opinion program. Lowe co-hosted ESPN’s coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2011, in Germany, and its Euro 2012 coverage from Bristol, Conn. In May, 2012, Lowe became the first woman in UK history to host the FA Cup Final – a six-hour live broadcast from Wembley Stadium. Lowe will conclude her Premier League and FA Cup duties with ESPN UK in May.

Prior to her work with ESPN UK, Lowe was a presenter and reporter for Setanta Sports (2007-2009), and a host for Setanta’s coverage of the Football Conference. She also co-hosted Football Matters, Setanta’s Premier League studio program.

Lowe’s sports-television career began when won the 2002 BBC Talent Search for a football reporter, from a field of 650 candidates. While at the BBC – from 2002-2007 – Lowe contributed to the network’s soccer programming, including reporting for Final Score from a key Premiership match each Saturday; contributing features and reporting for Football Focus; and presenting a lifestyle feature each Sunday morning on Match of the Day called “Football in the Community.”

Additionally, Lowe reported for BBC Two at the 2004 African World Cup of Nations, in Tunisia, and in 2005, was the Team England reporter from the Women’s European Championships in Manchester for BBC One. She also covered the FA Women’s Cup Final (2003-2007) and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany for BBC One.

# # #

NBCUniversal, via the NBC Sports Group, has acquired the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Premier League through a multi-year agreement that begins with the 2013-14 season. Per the agreement, NBCUniversal becomes the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 Premier League matches across all platforms and devices in the United States.

Each of the 20 Premier League teams plays 38 matches over a 41-week period from August to May. Although specific programming details will be announced soon, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and NBCSports.com will all be utilized to present live Premier League coverage, as well as Telemundo and mun2 for Spanish-language coverage. Additional NBCUniversal platforms and networks will occasionally be scheduled to air Premier League matches, while NBC Sports Live Extra will provide the live streaming platform across web, tablet and mobile devices.

NBC Sports Group will also produce comprehensive shoulder programming around its live-event coverage of the Premier League, including pre- and post-match shows, as well as highlight and weekly wrap-up programs. It is also developing a package to make sure the most avid fans have access to every Premier League match.

That’s it.

NBC Sports Group Crows About Its 58 Sports Emmy Nominations

NBC received a total of 58 nominations for the 34th annual Sports Emmy Awards. The NBC Sports Group consisting of NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and NBCOlympics.com received the most nominations of any sports media group over ESPN, Fox Sports Media Group, CBS and Turner Sports. Of course, NBC is coming off an Olympics so that will increase its nominations.

Among the major nods include Bob Costas and Dan Patrick for Studio Host, Al Michaels for Play-by-Play, Cris Collinsworth as Event Analyst, Tony Dungy for Studio Analyst, multiple nominees for Sports Reporter including last year’s winner Michele Tafoya and last year’s nominee Pierre McGuire (why?), Sunday Night Football for Live Sports Series, Super Bowl XLVI in the Live Sports Special category and there were plenty for the London Olympics.

Let’s take a look at what NBC Sports Group is saying.

NBC SPORTS GROUP GARNERS 58 SPORTS EMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS, MOST OF ANY SPORTS MEDIA COMPANY

Total Nominations for NBC Sports Group up from 33 Last Year
NBC Leads All Networks (Broadcast or Cable) with 36 Nominations
London Olympics Receives 19 Nominations
NBC Sports Group’s NFL Coverage Receives 16 Nominations
Super Bowl XLVI Receives Nomination for Outstanding Live Sports Special
Sunday Night Football & Football Night in America Nominated for Outstanding Live Sports Series & Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly
On-Air Personalities Costas, Michaels, Emrick, Collinsworth, Dungy, Patrick, Mayock, Tafoya, McGuire, Boldon & Joyce Nominated
NBC Sports Network Garners 9 Nominations; NBCOlympics.com Receives 3; Golf Channel Earns 2

NEW YORK – March 20, 2013 – NBC Sports Group received 58 total Sports Emmy Award nominations for 2012, the most nominations for any sports media company or network. NBC led all networks, broadcast or cable, with 36 nominations. The announcement was made today by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The winners will be announced by the Academy on Tuesday, May 7.

Highlights of NBC Sports Group’s nominations include:

• The London Olympics received 19 nominations, including Outstanding Live Event Turnaround;
• NBC’s NFL coverage received 16 nominations;
• Super Bowl XLVI on NBC was nominated for Outstanding Live Sports Special;
• Once again, Sunday Night Football on NBC was nominated for Outstanding Live Sports Series, which it has won each of the last four years;
• Football Night in America was nominated for the third consecutive year for Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly;
• NBC’s NFL Wild Card Saturday received its second nomination for Outstanding Playoff Coverage;
• NBC Sports Network received nine nominations, the most in its history, and Golf Channel earned two.
• NBC Sports Group’s digital assets NBCOlympics.com and NBCSports.com received a combined four nominations.
• 11 nominations in individual talent categories:

• Bob Costas (Studio Host)
• Dan Patrick (Studio Host)
• Al Michaels (Play-by-Play)
• Cris Collinsworth (Event Analyst)
• Michele Tafoya (Reporter)
• Tony Dungy (Studio Analyst)
• Mike Mayock (Event Analyst)
• Mike Emrick (Play-by-Play)
• Pierre McGuire (Reporter)
• Ato Boldon (Event Analyst)
• Andrea Joyce (Reporter)

All of the national platforms of NBC Sports Group — NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, NBCOlympics.com and NBCSports.com — received nominations. Most notably, NBC Sports Group received 19 nominations related to coverage of the London Olympics and 16 nominations for its NFL coverage. Golf Channel earned two nominations, NBCOlympics.com received three nominations and NBCSports.com was honored with one. MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo and Telemundo each received nominations for their London Olympics coverage.

The complete list of NBC Sports Group nominations are as follows:

• Outstanding Live Sports Special: Super Bowl XLVI (NBC)
• Outstanding Live Sports Series: Sunday Night Football (NBC)
• Outstanding Live Event Turnaround: London Olympics (NBC)
• Outstanding Live Event Turnaround: USA Pro Challenge (NBC)
• Outstanding Playoff Coverage: NFL Wild Card Saturday (NBC)
• Outstanding Edited Sports Special: Still Standing: The Earl Campbell Story (NBC Sports Network)
• Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly: Football Night in America(NBC)
• Outstanding Long Feature: London Olympics – Olga Korbut (NBC)
• Outstanding Open/Tease: Sunday Night Football (NBC)
• Outstanding Open/Tease: London Olympics – Measure & Motion (NBC)
• Outstanding Open/Tease: Red Bull Signature Series – Show Open (NBC)
• Outstanding New Approaches, Sports Event Coverage: Super Bowl XLVI Extra (NBCSports.com)
• Outstanding New Approaches, Sports Event Coverage: London Olympics – Live From London (NBCOlympics.com)
• Outstanding New Approaches, Sports Programming: London Olympics – Countdown to London (NBCOlympics.com)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host: Bob Costas (NBC/NBC Sports Network)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host: Dan Patrick (NBC/NBC Sports Network/DirecTV)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play: Al Michaels (NBC)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play: Mike Emrick (NBC/NBC Sports Network)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Analyst: Tony Dungy (NBC)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst: Cris Collinsworth (NBC)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst: Mike Mayock (NBC/NFL Network)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst: Ato Boldon (NBC)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter: Michele Tafoya (NBC)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter: Pierre McGuire (NBC/NBC Sports Network)
• Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter: Andrea Joyce (NBC/NBC Sports Network)
• Outstanding Technical Team Remote: America’s Cup World Series (NBC)
• Outstanding Technical Team Remote: London Olympics (NBC)
• Outstanding Technical Team Studio: London Olympics (NBC/NBC Sports Network/MSNBC/Telemundo/Bravo)
• Outstanding Camera Work: London Olympics – Measure & Motion (NBC)
• Outstanding Camera Work: 2012 Ironman World Championship (NBC)
• Outstanding Editing: London Olympics – Profiles of the London Games (NBC)
• Dick Schaap Writing Award: London Olympics – Measure & Motion (NBC)
• Outstanding Post Produced Audio/Sound: London Olympics – Measure & Motion (NBC)
• Outstanding Graphic Design: Sunday Night Football (NBC)
• Outstanding Graphic Design: London Olympics (NBC/NBC Sports Network)
• Outstanding Production Design / Art Direction: Sunday Night Football – Open (NBC)
• George Wensel Technical Achievement Award: London Olympics – The Multi-Screen Olympics (NBC/NBC Sports Network/ NBCOlympics.com/ MSNBC/ CNBC/ Telemundo/Bravo)
• George Wensel Technical Achievement Award: London Olympics/NBC Golf Tour – 360 Cam (NBC)
• Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement – Episodic:
  • London Olympics – Britain Just Got Great (NBC)
  • Triple Crown Trailer (NBC)
  • Feherty Live from Ryder Cup(Golf Channel)

That will do it. More Emmy nomination press releases next.

34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Nominations Announced

Just received this from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the full press release of the nominations for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards.

NBC Sports Group received the most nominations with 58 followed by ESPN with 43 and Turner in third with 27.

Bob Costas was nominated yet again for Outstanding Studio Host along with Dan Patrick, James Brown, Ernie Johnson and Rich Eisen.

There were only four nominees for Outstanding Play-by-play, Mike Breen, Mike Emrick, Al Michaels and Jim Nantz.

Cris Collinsworth received another nomination for Outstanding Event Analyst. He’s joined by Ato Boldon of NBC Olympics, Jon Gruden, Jim Kaat and Mike Mayock.

Studio Analyst was full with Charles Barkley of TNT, Tony Dungy of NBC’s Football Night in America, CBS’ Boomer Esiason, MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken also from MLB Network and Kurt Warner of NFL Network.

Let us take a look at the full list. We need a jump break in here as well. Let’s go. Lots of things to read through. Get ready to scroll.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 34th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS

Winners to be Honored During the May 7th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center

New York, NY – March 20, 2013 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.

More than 170 nominees were announced in 34 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst. The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 in New York City.

“What a world we live in,” said Malachy Wienges, Chair, NATAS. “The Olympics, NASCAR, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the World Series, The Stanley Cup, The NBA, the US Open, the Masters…it just goes on and on! This is another outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmy Awards illustrate the high-water mark of quality each of us gets to enjoy every time we turn on our favorite program. With so much talent vying for the prestigious Emmy Award and with many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities, and television professionals in attendance, it promises to be an exciting evening.”

The networks of NBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, nbcsports.com, & Telemundo) lead the nomination totals with 58, ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, grantland.com, ABC, ESPN3D, ESPNU & ESPNews), garnered 43, and Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NCAA.com & truTV) garnered 27. A complete list of all Networks and individual show nominations follows below.

A complete list of all nominees is attached and also available at www.emmyonline.tv/sports

34th Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group
Network or Network Group Nominations

NBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, nbcsports.com, Telemundo) — 58
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, grantland.com, ABC, ESPN 3D, ESPNU, ESPNews) — 43
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, truTV, NCAA.com) — 27
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED, FOX Soccer Channel) — 17
HBO Sports — 17
NFL Network (NFL Network, NFL Media, NFL.com) — 16
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBS Sports Network) — 15
MLB Network — 9
DIRECTV — 1
YouTube — 1

34th Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network

NETWORK — NOMINATIONS

NBC — 36
ESPN — 23
HBO Sports — 17
FOX — 13
NFL Network — 13
TNT — 13
CBS — 10
ESPN2 — 10
MLB Network — 9
NBC Sports Network — 9
TBS — 5
NBA TV — 4
Showtime — 4
truTV — 4
grantland.com — 3
NBCOlympics.com — 3
Speed — 3
ABC — 2
Bravo — 2
ESPN3D — 2
ESPNU — 2
Golf Channel — 2
MSNBC — 2
NFL Media — 2
Telemundo — 2
CBS Sports Network — 1
CNBC — 1
DIRECTV — 1
ESPNews — 1
FOX Soccer Channel — 1
nbcsports.com — 1
NCAA.com — 1
NFL.com — 1
YouTube — 1

BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM — SERIES NOMINATIONS

Program/Network/Nominations
Games of the XXX Olympiad (NBC/Bravo/CNBC/MSNBC/NBC SportsNetwork/NBCOlympics.com/Telemundo) — 14
NBA on TNT (TNT) — 6
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (TNT) — 6
E:60 (ESPN2) — 5
24/7 (HBO) — 4
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins (HBO) — 4
MLB on FOX (FOX) — 4
Outside the Lines (ESPN) — 4
Sunday Night Football (NBC) — 4
NASCAR on FOX (FOX) — 3
NFL Films Presents (NFL Network) — 3
30 for 30 (ESPN) — 2
A Football Life (NFL Network) — 2
College Gameday (ESPN) — 2
The Dream Team (NBA TV) — 2
Inside the NBA (NBA TV) — 2
Inside the NFL (Showtime) –2
MLB Network Division Series (MLB Network) — 2
MLB Tonight (MLB Network) — 2
Namath (HBO) — 2
NCAA March Madness (TBS) — 2
NFL on FOX (FOX) — 2
SportsCenter (ESPN) — 2
Sport Science (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNews) — 2
UEFA Euro 2012 (ESPN) — 2

The nominations are coming after a jump break.
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NBC Sports Group Goes All In on MLS This Saturday

This Saturday, NBC and NBC Sports Network will combine to provide 10 hours of live MLS coverage. This will include the airing of three complete games and for the first time, whiparound coverage of four other games. It’s an unprecedented day for MLS and something that will give soccer aficionados some one stop destination when NBC Sports Network begins its coverage at 3 p.m.

NBC will begin the day with the airing of New York vs. DC United at 12:30 p.m. with the network’s main voices of Arlo White, Kyle Martino and host Russ Thaler at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

Then White, Martino and Thaler will hoof it to NBC Sports’ new world headquarters in Stamford, CT to host studio coverage of MLS Breakaway, an NFL RedZone-type show, which will provide whiparound coverage of six games. NBC Sports Network will provide full game coverage of Chicago vs. Sporting Kansas City and Seattle vs. Portland.

MLS Breakaway will provide cut-ins to Montreal vs. Toronto, Philadelphia vs. New England, Columbus vs. San Jose and Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado.

Let’s look at the coverage plans for what will be a smorgasbord for MLS fans.

NBC SPORTS GROUP TO PRESENT 10 CONSECUTIVE HOURS OF MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER ON MLS RIVALRY SATURDAY

Coverage of Seven Live Games, Including Three Complete Games and Four Live Look-ins on MLS Breakaway Highlight Coverage this Saturday, March 16 on NBC and NBC Sports Network Beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET
Rivalries Include: D.C. United at N.Y. Red Bulls, Chicago Fire at Sporting Kansas City and Portland Timbers at Seattle Sounders
MLS Breakaway “Whip-Around” Show Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET Hosted by Arlo White, Kyle Martino and Russ Thaler from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.

NEW YORK – Mar. 13, 2013 – NBC and NBC Sports Network will present unprecedented wall-to-wall Major League Soccer coverage with 10 consecutive live hours of seven games this Saturday, March 16 beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Every MLS game played on Saturday will be covered, including three live games – one on NBC and two on NBC Sports Network. A special two-and-a-half hour studio “whip-around” show, MLS Breakaway (5:30-8 p.m. ET on NBCSN) will cover all four games being played at that time. It is hosted by NBC’s MLS broadcast team of Arlo White, Kyle Martino and Russ Thaler – who will also call the N.Y. Red Bulls-DC United game earlier in the day – from NBC Sports Group’s new International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.

Coverage on Saturday begins on NBC at 12:30 p.m. ET with a playoff rematch as the New York Red Bulls host D.C. United, from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Coverage continues on NBC Sports Network with two more games: Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire at 3 p.m. ET, and a Cascadia Cup matchup as the Seattle Sounders host the Portland Timbers at 8 p.m. ET.

FROM HARRISON, N.J. TO STAMFORD CONN.: NBC Sports Group’s MLS announce team of White (play-by-play) and Martino (“Between-the-Benches” analyst) and Thaler (host) will call the Red Bulls-DC United game on NBC from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., and, immediately after the game ends, will travel to the new NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., to host MLS Breakaway, a “whip-around” studio show showcasing coverage of the rest of Saturday’s MLS games (Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution, Columbus Crew vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids).

COMMENTATORS: NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the Chicago Fire at Sporting Kansas City will be called by the team of JP Dellacamera (play-by-play), Robbie Earl (“Between the Benches” analyst) and Rob Carlin (host). John Strong (play-by-play), Brian Dunseth (“Between the Benches” analyst) and Jim Kozimor (host) will be at CenturyLink Field in Seattle to call the Sounders vs. Portland game.

“Our goal is to be the destination for soccer fans, and MLS Rivalry Saturday provides a perfect vehicle for them to enjoy the games they love,” said Pierre Moossa, Coordinating Producer for NBC Sports Group’s soccer coverage. “During MLS Breakaway, Arlo, Kyle and Russ will guide viewers through all the exciting soccer action and provide a balance between all four games.”

WHITE ON MLS BREAKAWAY: “Saturday is going to be a high-octane, adrenalin-fuelled day, which Kyle, Russ and I are very excited about. This type of show has never been done before in U.S. Soccer, so we are stepping into the unknown. But with a talented editorial team behind us, we can’t wait to provide some compelling television. It’s going to be an energetic show, containing all the best action from these key rivalry battles in MLS. The rest is up to the teams. Hopefully, they’ll provide some great goals and storylines to keep everyone entertained.”

Full Coverage of NBC Sports Group’s Rivalry Saturday Coverage (All Times ET):

Game	Away	Home	Start Time	Network
Game 1	D.C.	New York	12:30 p.m.	NBC
Game 2	Chicago	Kansas City	3 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 3	Toronto	Montreal	4 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 4	New England	Philadelphia	5 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 5	San Jose	Columbus	5:30 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 6	Colorado	Salt Lake	6 p.m.	NBCSN*
Game 7	Portland	Seattle	8 p.m.	NBCSN

*MLS Breakaway “Whip-Around” Coverage

NOTE: Due to WNBC’s commitment to cover the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, coverage of D.C. United at New York Red Bulls can be seen in the New York DMA on NBC Sports Network and Cozi TV, a new national network developed by the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The D.C. United-New York Red Bulls game is also available live across the country on NBC Sports Live Extra, the NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platform.

To Find Cozy-TV click here: http://www.cozitv.com/get-cozi-tv/

To Find NBC Sports Network click here: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/ and use the channel finder.

That’s it.

NBC Sports Network To Air First Round of A-10 Tournament

The A-10 Tournament tips off in its new home of Brooklyn, NY this week. NBC Sports Network will air all first round games on Thursday starting at noon ET. Mike Corey will call the games and he’ll be joined courtside by Dave Kaplan with Brooke Weisbrod on the sidelines.

Carolyn Manno and Rob Simmelkjaer will share the hosting duties.

The A-10 Tournament will also have national TV coverage later in the week with the semifinals on CBS Sports Network on Saturday and the Championship Game on CBS Sunday.

Here’s the NBC Sports Network release.

ATLANTIC 10 MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND GAMES ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK THURSDAY & THURSDAY NIGHT

More Than Eight Hours of A-10 Tournament Coverage

NEW YORK – March 11, 2013 – As previously announced, NBC Sports Network will deliver first-round coverage of the A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 14, from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Per the agreement, NBC Sports Network will televise all four first-round games and more than eight hours of A-10 men’s basketball.

Coverage will begin at Noon ET, when the No. 8 seed Richmond takes on the No. 9 seed Charlotte, in game one of the first-round.

At 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network will deliver game two of the first-round, featuring No. 5 Butler vs. No. 12 Dayton.

A-10 Men’s Championship excitement continues at 6:30 p.m. ET. In game three of the first-round, No. 7 Xavier plays No. 10 Saint Joseph’s.

Coverage concludes with game four at 9 p.m. ET, when No. 6 UMass challenges No. 11 George Washington. Mike Corey will manage play-by-play for all four games and will be joined by analyst Dave Kaplan. Brooke Weisbrod will serve as the courtside reporter.

Carolyn Manno and Rob Simmelkjaer will split host assignments for NBC Sports Network’s college basketball studio show and will be joined by former New Jersey Nets and UCONN forward Donny Marshall.

A-10 Tournament First Round Games

Thurs., March 14	Richmond – Charlotte	Noon ET
Thurs., March 14	Butler-Dayton	2:30 p.m. ET
Thurs., March 14	Xavier-Saint Joseph’s	6:30 p.m. ET
Thurs., March 14	UMass-George Washington	9 p.m. ET

That is all.