Fang's Bites

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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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.

TBS Begins Airing The NCAA Final Four Next Year

This coming from the CBS/Turner Sports NCAA Tournament consortium. Starting next year, TBS will get a bigger role in March Madness. It will split the Regional Finals with CBS and for the next two years, air the National Semifinal games while CBS airs the National Championship Game. Then in 2016, TBS will both the Final Four and National Championship. CBS will get the events the following year and then the two networks will alternate carrying Final Four weekend until 2024 when the current TV contract ends.

Something like this had been expected. So 2013 marks the end of CBS’ 32 year run of airing the Final Four and National Championship exclusively. When Turner signed on as a partner in 2011, it said it wanted to air the Final Four, not just take the early rounds, so it will finally achieve that goal next season.

At least for 2014 and 2015, I would expect the announcing team of Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr to remain on the Final Four and National Championship with Turner making a tweak when it gets the weekend exclusively in 2016.

Here’s the press release.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS ANNOUNCE PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE FOR 2014 AND 2015 NCAA FINAL FOUR^® AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

TBS to Televise NCAA FINAL FOUR^® National Semi-Final Games and
CBS Sports to Broadcast National Championship Games
CBS and TBS to Split ‘Elite Eight’ Coverage Beginning Next Year
TBS to Televise 2016 FINAL FOUR and National Championship Game and
CBS to Broadcast 2017 FINAL FOUR and National Championship Game, Alternating Through 2024

CBS Sports and Turner Sports have announced the programming schedule for their exclusive joint television coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2014 and 2015. In each of the two years, TBS will televise the NCAA Final Four national semi-finals and CBS will broadcast the NCAA National Championship game.

Additionally, beginning in 2014 through 2024, coverage of the Regional Semi-finals and Regional Finals games will be split by TBS and CBS. Earlier round coverage of the tournament will continue to be televised across four national television networks – CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV with the First Four® airing exclusively on truTV.

In 2010, Turner Sports and CBS Sports entered into a 14-year exclusive media rights partnership with the NCAA to present the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship from 2011-2024. As part of that agreement, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will alternate coverage of the Final Four national semi-final games and National Championship game between TBS and CBS. The rotation begins on TBS with the network televising the Final Four and National Championship in 2016 with CBS broadcasting the games in 2017.

“Since the inception of our partnership, I don’t think we could have envisioned such a seamless collaboration between our two companies both in front of and behind the cameras,” said David Levy, president of Sales, Distribution and Sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “Coming off another incredible year of strong ratings and exciting games, the popularity of the NCAA Tournament and Final Four continues to resonate with fans across the country. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to televise the Final Four national semi-final games and two of the Elite Eight games on TBS beginning next year, and for the network to televise its first National Championship game in 2016.”

“From the beginning, our partnership with Turner Sports has exceeded every one of our expectations,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “Today’s news represents another win-win arrangement that continues to help us extend the reach of this marquee property by combining the resources of our two organizations. As we have done since 1982, CBS is pleased to showcase the National Championship game in 2014 and 2015.”

Turner Sports and CBS Sports recently concluded their third year of exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. The 2013 tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV was the most-watched NCAA Tournament in 19 years, averaging 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

That’s all for now.

Sunday MLB on TBS Brings the Braves Back to Turner Sports

It’s only for one day, but the Atlanta Braves are back on TBS Sunday. They’ll host the New York Mets in the final game of their three game series. Brian Anderson will be on the call along with analysts John Smoltz and Tom Verducci.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Continues with a Match-Up of NL East Rivals:
New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves on May 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET

Probable Starters Feature New York’s Matt Harvey to Face Atlanta’s Tim Hudson 

“Sunday MLB on TBS” will continue May 5 with a match-up of NL East rivals when David Wright and the New York Mets visit Justin Upton and the Atlanta Braves at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Mets’ Matt Harvey (4-0) is scheduled to take the mound against Braves probable starting pitcher Tim Hudson (3-1), who won his 200^th career game in his last start. Brian Anderson will call the action from the TBS broadcast booth alongside analyst John Smoltz and reporter Tom Verducci.

TBS’ regular season MLB coverage will include a 26-game regular season schedule and the exclusive telecast of the 2013 MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, June 30. In October, TBS will exclusively televise the American League and National League Wild Card games and will once again provide coverage of all four MLB Division Series and exclusive coverage of the National League Championship Series.

TBS has broadcast MLB for more than 30 years, televising the MLB Division Series and one League Championship Series since 2007, and was the home of the Atlanta Braves from 1977 to 2007.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Schedule:

May 5
1:30 p.m. ET	New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves
	Brian Anderson (play-by-play), John Smoltz and Tom Verducci (analysts)

Upcoming Schedule:

May 12
1:30 p.m.	Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox
	Brian Anderson (play-by-play) and John Smoltz (analyst)
May 19
1:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers @ Atlanta Braves
	Matt Devlin (play-by-play), Ron Darling and John Smoltz (analysts)

That’s all.

A Couple of Mid-Week Sports Media Thoughts

I haven’t done a sports media thoughts post in quite some time. You’re owed some, so lets not waste any time. Two thoughts today with a promise I’ll provide more with some regularity down the road. They’re in bullet form as always.

• Bizarre story that broke on Tuesday through Boston Sports Media Watch that Red Sox Radio Network host and fill-in announcer Jon Rish is leaving later this month. It’s a sad story that Rish has to leave a dream job over a proposed 30% pay cut by flagship station WEEI. As Rish told the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn, he could see the writing on the wall and started preparing for the future. Rish has four children and wants to plan for the future so he’s getting out of the radio business and becoming a software developer.

  It’s too bad that Rish had to make that decision, but with WEEI in dire straights, I can understand his thinking. As someone who has worked in radio and seen all types of cost cutting through personnel, salaries, benefits and other measures, it’s the rank and file who suffer, not the executives. Rish leaves just as the season begins, but as I wrote on Tuesday, the behind-the-scenes jockeying by management can be taxing on the workers, no matter what the job is. Rish says he had to think of his family and he’s at peace with his decision. Not many people have the opportunity to leave radio on their own terms. It seems Rish has done exactly that. Here’s wishing him nothing but the best as he goes on a new career path.

• The NCAA Tournament is over and as CBS/Turner Sports crow over a successful three week period that brought the highest viewership in almost two decades, there are some items upon which the CBS/Turner consortium can improve.

  First, cut down on the clutter in the studio. Charles Barkley told the New York Daily News that he’s overexposed during the Tournament and would like to cut his workload especially during the Second Round games. I wholeheartedly endorse this. In fact, let’s jettison Chuck out of the Tournament altogether. The Charles Barkley-Kenny Smith experiment on the NCAA Tournament just isn’t working. Keep Ernie Johnson, Jr. in the Atlanta studio and have him work with coaches and Steve Smith. In New York, reunite Greg Gumbel with Greg Anthony and Seth Davis. That trio works well together.

  Do not, do not, do not, do not bring Doug Gottlieb back to the studio. If he has to have a role, keep him on game analysis. It’s the lesser of two evils for the American people. If the viewing public has to be subjected to Gottlieb, then keep him at game sites where he can do less damage.

  If TBS is going to air the Final Four in 2014 as reported, let’s hope Turner won’t place Reggie Miller at courtside with Marv Albert and Steve Kerr. And I wouldn’t mind having Craig Sager and Rachel Nichols as reporters if Turner plans to put its stamp on the event.

  And why not bring Bill Walton over from Dial Global as a studio analyst?

That’s it.

2013 NCAA Tournament is the Most-Watched Since 1994

CBS/Turner Sports is certainly happy about this year’s NCAA Tournament. The average rating for the 67 games on CBS/TBS/TNT/tru TV was 6.7 with a 14 share. That’s up 10% from 2012′s 6.1/13. It’s the highest average rating for the tournament dating back to 2005 when the entire run was solely on CBS.

The average viewership was an impressive 10.7 million which is up 11% from 9.6 million in 2012. And it’s the highest average viewership  in 19 years which was 11.2 million.

For the National Championship Game on Monday night, CBS saw the fast national household rating resulting in 14.0/22 which is up big from last year’s 12.3/19. And the average viewership was 23.4 million which is in comparison on a par with the best Sunday Night Football audiences.

Here’s the press release from CBS/Turner.

2013 NCAA^® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is Most-Watched Tournament in 19 Years

2013 Championship Game Scores with Double Digit Increases in Rating and Viewers
Louisville’s Win Delivers Rating/Share of 14.0/22 and 23.4 Million Total Viewers

The 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV is the most-watched NCAA Tournament in 19 years, according to Nielsen.  The 2013 NCAA Tournament averaged 10.7 million total viewers, up 11% from last year’s 9.6 million total viewers, and is the highest average for the NCAA Tournament in 19 years (11.2 million; 1994).

The National Championship game, which saw Louisville defeat Michigan on CBS on Monday, April 8, earned an average fast national household rating/share of 14.0/22, up 14% from last year’s 12.3/19 (Kentucky-Kansas). The National Championship game averaged 23.4 million viewers, up 12% from last year’s 20.9 million.

The championship game coverage peaked in HH rating/share with a 16.1/27 and average viewers with 27.1 million, from 11-11:30 p.m. ET.

Coverage for the entire 2013 NCAA Tournament across Turner Sports and CBS Sports averaged a HH rating/share of 6.7/14, up 10% from last year’s 6.1/13, and is the highest average NCAA Tournament rating in eight years (6.9/15; 2005).

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 04/09/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 04/02/12. 2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of four telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2012 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS/ESPN average of First Round.

Quite impressive.

The Fang’s Bites College Basketball TV Awards: NCAA Tournament Edition

Last month, I gave you my College Basketball TV Awards for the 2012-13 regular season. As promised, I’ll provide you with the NCAA Tournament Edition featuring my picks for Final Four, Regional Final and First Week levels. Those not worthy and there will be a couple, will get the infamous Carton of Chinese Cigarettes handed out from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Communist China.

I’ll provide the awards first for play-by-play, then game analysts, reporters and finally the studio.

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Final Four Level

Marv Albert, Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan – Marv is Marvelous. The man is a Hall of Fame announcer and during the Michigan-Kansas game, was able to pick up on the Wolverines’ comeback late in the second half and his call of Trey Burke’s three pointer to tie the game was perfectly understated.

Ian Eagle showed his versatility in calling NCAA Tournament games on both TV and radio. Does both well and allows the action to come to him. Ian had a very good call of the Davidson-Marquette game that went down to the wire.

Kevin Harlan was outstanding especially as Ohio State’s Aaron Craft hit a jumper with :02 in its Sweet Sixteen game against Arizona.

Regional Final Level

Brian Anderson, Verne Lundquist, Jim Nantz – Having this trio in the Tournament shows some very good depth on the CBS/Turner Consortium. Brian Anderson is a rising star. Calls games on Big Ten Network during the winters, then moves to his best sport, baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers and TBS Sunday Afternoon games. Could easily be on a Regional Final team down the line.

What can you say about Uncle Verne Lundquist that hasn’t already been said? He and Bill Raftery form one of the fun broadcast teams and you know that Verne plays the perfect straight man to Raft. He’s perfect at the Regional Final level.

Jim Nantz is perfect here. He would go higher except that he calls only one to two regular season games a season, yet he’s on the “A” team that goes to the Final Four. Nantz calls a good game, but I think there are several announcers who are better.

First Week Level

Tim Brando – Tim is good, but sometimes falls back on cliches. He’s perfect on the ACC Tournament on the Raycom-produced ACC Network. A nice fit with long-time partner Mike Gminski.

Carton of Chinese Cigarettes

Spero Dedes – Dedes provided some real lackluster and sleep-inducing calls. When Harvard upset New Mexico, Dedes failed to rise to the occasion and when the game ended, he gave us quite a forgettable call. His partner, Doug Gottlieb overpowered him at times.

ANALYSTS

Final Four Level

Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr, Bill Raftery – Clark Kellogg knows his stuff and provides good analysis of the action. He’s able to spot trends and finds the right words. He also stepped up during the Louisville-Duke game when Kevin Ware broke his leg in a horrific sequence. And as Jim Nantz tried to collect himself in the minutes following the injury, Kellogg did his best to describe the emotions on the court.

When Steve Kerr found out that he was going to call the NCAA Tournament three years ago, he found work with Fox Sports to call Sunday night Pac-10 games and quickly got re-immersed in the college game. It was that preparation that puts him on the Final Four Level. And teamed with Marv Albert for the first two weeks of the Tournament, Kerr provides some really good tidbits especially during Michigan-Kansas.

Bill Raftery is the Mayor of College Basketball. Perfectly teamed with Uncle Verne Lundquist, Raft provides great anecdotes, one-liners and always knows when to use his signature “ONIONS!” call. I’d love for Raft to call a Final Four on TV, but you can always hear him on radio for the event.

Regional Final Level

Len Elmore and Jim Spanarkel – Len was the last ESPN exclusive holdover to remain on the Tournament after Turner came on board. Jay Bilas wasn’t kept and while Bill Raftery also works for ESPN, he does games for CBS during the regular season, pulling a rare network double. Elmore when Reggie Miller doesn’t step all over him, provides some salient points. He really could work solo with Kevin Harlan and doesn’t need Miller along side.

Jim Spanarkel works very well with Ian Eagle. It’s hard to believe that they’ve worked 17 previous tournaments together and they’re a very good team. Spanarkel was on top of trends especially when Marquette was coming back on Davidson in the second round.

First Week Level

Dan Bonner and Mike Gminski – Both ACC Network veterans, Bonner and Gminski are perfect analysts for the first weekend of games.

Carton of Chinese Cigarettes

Doug Gottlieb and Reggie Miller – Gottlieb will harp on points to where you want him to shut up. Reggie Miller must have pictures on a network executive somewhere as he’s a terrible analyst. I understand calling NCAA Tournament games was a dream for Gottlieb, but CBS/Turner should pull the plug on him working games next year. As for Miller, he’s basketball’s version of Marcelo Balboa, a person who makes statements just to hear himself talk and makes ridiculous points.

REPORTERS

Final Four Level

Jamie Maggio, Rachel Nichols, Craig Sager

Regional Final Level

Lewis Johnson, Marty Snider, Tracy “The Wolf” Wolfson

First Week Level

Allie LaForce, Otis Livingston

STUDIO HOSTS

Final Four Level

Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson, Jr.

Regional Final Level

Matt Winer

STUDIO ANALYSTS

Final Four Level

Greg Anthony

Regional Final Level

Seth Davis and Steve Smith

First Week Level

Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith – I understand why Barkley and Smith are there, but they’re much better on the NBA than college basketball. Charles’ candor on the NBA works against him on the Tournament as in the case where he harped against the Big Ten.

Carton of Chinese Cigarettes

Doug Gottlieb — Who else? Failed joke aside, Gottlieb has not differentiated himself from the pack. He overpowers people on the set. He comes off as abrasive as sandpaper.

So there you have the Awards for the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals Scores on CBS/TBS on Friday

Another press release from CBS/Turner Sports must mean good news for the NCAA Tournament and it does. Friday’s Sweet 16 action which included an exciting overtime Kansas-Michigan game which ended in a Wolverines win, scored in the ratings and in viewership.

CBS and TBS saw a big Fast National household rating of 8.2 and a 16 share, up a whopping 22% from last year’s 6.7/12. And viewership for the four games split evenly among CBS and TBS averaged 13.1 million viewers, again up by 20% from 2012′s 10.9 million.

For the tournament to date, CBS/Turner is averaging 9.4 million viewers which is the most since 1993. As my friend, Amanda Rykoff points out, Michigan was last in the Final Four in … 1993.

So here’s the press release from CBS and Turner Sports.

2013 NCAA^® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTv Scores as Most Watched Tournament-to-Date in 20 Years, Averaging 9.4 Million Total Viewers

Friday’s Regional Semi-Finals Deliver 13.1 Million Total Viewers; Most Viewed in 20 Years
NCAA Tournament Viewership and Ratings Up 9% vs. 2012

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is averaging 9.4 million total viewers to date, up 9% from last year’s 8.6 million viewers, and is the highest average for the NCAA Tournament through the Friday Regional Semi-Finals in 20 years (10.5 million; 1993).

The 2013 NCAA Tournament to date, is averaging a national HH rating/share of 6.1/13, up 9% from last year’s 5.6/12, and is the highest-to-date rating in 15 years (6.2/14; 1998).

Friday’s Regional Semi-Final coverage across CBS and TBS was the most-watched in 20 years, averaging 13.1 million viewers, up 20% from last year’s 10.9 million viewers. 

Regional Semi-Final coverage on Friday earned a Fast National HH rating/share of  8.2/16, up 22% from last year’s 6.7/12, and the highest average Friday Regional Semi-Final rating in 19 years (8.6/17; 1994).   

*  * * * *

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Fast National Data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 3/29/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/31/12.   2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of four telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2012 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS/ESPN average of First Round.

That is all.

MLB Opening Week Includes 22 Teams on National Television

This from Major League Baseball, we learn that combined through the ESPN family of networks, Fox Sports, MLB Network and TBS, a total of 22 teams will get their fun in the sun so to speak on national television.

This includes the Opening Night game tomorrow when the Texas Rangers take on the Houston Astros in the ‘stros first game as an American League team.

In addition, ESPN/ESPN2 will have seven games over a four day span. MLB Network will have the bulk of the games, 14 overall. Fox and TBS also join in the fun with games next weekend.

We have the official press release from Major League Baseball.

22 CLUBS FEATURED ON NATIONAL TV DURING MLB OPENING WEEK

Astros Officially Join AL on Sunday Night vs. Rangers on ESPN;
ESPN Opening Day Coverage Features Classic Rivalries
FOX & TBS Open Next Weekend With Postseason Rematches
MLB Network Airing 14 Games in First Week of Season

Major League Baseball is officially back, with 22 different MLB Clubs set to be featured on national television during MLB Opening Week. The action starts this Sunday night on ESPN as the Astros officially join the American League and face the Rangers, their new in-state, AL West rivals.  ESPN also will present a full slate of games on Opening Day on Monday as well as a doubleheader on Wednesday night, featuring top rivalries including Yankees vs. Red Sox and Giants vs. Dodgers. FOX opens with a tripleheader next Saturday featuring Postseason rematches including Cardinals vs. Giants and Yankees vs. Tigers. TBS returns next Sunday also featuring Yankees vs. Tigers. MLB Network will air 14 games throughout the week, anchored by the Giants vs. Dodgers on Tuesday night on MLB Network Showcase, ensuring baseball is on national TV every single night of the week.

Sunday, March 31
Rangers vs. Astros — 8:05 p.m., ESPN

Monday, April 1
Red Sox vs. Yankees — 1:05 p.m., ESPN
Giants vs. Dodgers — 4:10 p.m., ESPN
Phillies vs. Braves — 7:10 p.m., ESPN2
Cardinals vs. D-backs — 10:10 p.m., ESPN2

Tuesday, April 2
Orioles vs. Rays — 3:10 p.m., MLBN
Cardinals vs. D-backs — 9:40 p.m., MLBN
Giants vs. Dodgers — 10:10 p.m., MLBN

Wednesday, April 3
Red Sox vs. Yankees — 7:05 p.m., ESPN2
Giants vs. Dodgers — 10:10 p.m., ESPN2

Thursday, April 4
Angels vs. Reds — 12:35 p.m., MLBN
Padres vs. Mets — 1:10 p.m., MLBN
Red Sox vs. Yankees — 7:05 p.m., MLBN
Phillies vs. Braves — 7:10 p.m.., MLBN

Friday, April 5
Yankees v. Tigers — 1:05 p.m., MLBN
Padres vs. Rockies — 4:10 p.m, MLBN
Cardinals vs. Giants — 4:35 p.m, MLBN
Cubs vs. Braves — 7:30 p.m., MLBN
A’s vs. Astros — 8:10 p.m., MLBN

Saturday, April 6
Cardinals vs. Giants — 4:05 p.m, FOX
Yankees vs. Tigers — 4:05 p.m., FOX
Angels vs. Rangers — 4:05 p.m., FOX
Royals vs. Phillies — 7:05 p.m., MLBN
Indians vs. Rays — 7:10 p.m., MLBN

Sunday, April 7
Yankees vs. Tigers — 1:05 p.m., TBS
Angels vs. Rangers — 8:05 p.m., ESPN2

*All Times ET; includes regional coverage, select game blacked out in home markets

That will do it.

CBS/Turner Posts Highest Friday Night NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Overnights in 23 Years

From the CBS Sports/Turner Sports consortium, we have Friday’s overnight ratings for the Regional Semifinal action and thanks to a Kansas-Michigan game that went to overtime on TBS, the NCAA Tournament posted the highest overnight ratings for that night since 1990. The ratings resulted in an 8.9 with a 17 share which beat last year’s numbers by a whopping 20%.

CBS/Turner adds that this year’s Tournament is running 6% ahead of last year’s pace averaging a 6.6/14. So overall, going into the Elite Eight today and tomorrow,  CBS/Turner is quite happy with how this year’s tourney is shaping up.

And if Duke advances to the Final Four, you can rest assure that CBS/Turner will be extremely happy. There may be simultaneous cartwheels and summersaults done down the CBS Sports and Turner corridors in New York and Atlanta. In fact, executives may even do a cartwheel and summersault competition, that’s how elated they would be. Ok, I may have gone too far with the elation and joy, but you get the idea.

Here’s the press release.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ Exclusive Coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Nets Highest Rated Friday Regional Semi-finals in 23 Years

Friday Regional Semi-final Ratings Up 20% vs. 2012; Tournament to Date Up 6%

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semi-finals on Friday, March 29, averaged a metered HH rating/share of 8.9/17, based on Nielsen overnight ratings, to become the highest rated Friday Regional Semi-final in 23 years, when the tournament expanded to its current format. The 8.9/17 is up 20% compared with a 7.4/14 last year.

Exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across the four networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – is averaging a gross rating/share of 6.6/14, based on Nielsen overnight ratings, up 6% compared with a 6.2/13 tournament to date in 2012.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Metered Market data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 03/29/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/23/12. 2013 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2010 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS / ESPN average of First Round.

Elite Eight action starts today on CBS with the East Regional Final between soon-to-ex Big East rivals Marquette and Syracuse at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.

2013 NCAA Tournament Viewership Highest in 20 Years

Thanks to the fine people at the CBS Sports and Turner Sports PR departments, we learn that viewership for the 2013 NCAA Tournament is up 8% from 2012. Even with the amount of blowouts we’ve seen, interest in the tournament has increased over last year.

According to Nielsen, the NCAA Tournament is averaging 9 million viewers through Thursday’s Regional Semifinals compared to 8.3 million last year.

And the tournament is averaging a 5.9 rating and a 12 share as compared to 5.5/12 in 2012.

Here’s the joint announcement.

2013 NCAA^® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTv is Most Watched in 20 Years, Averaging 9.0 Million Total Viewers

NCAA Tournament Viewership Up 8% and Ratings Up 7% vs. 2012

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is averaging 9.0 million total viewers to date, up 8% from last year’s 8.3 million viewers, and is the highest average for the NCAA Tournament through the Thursday Regional Semifinals in 20 years (10.2 million; 1993).

The 2013 NCAA Tournament to date, is averaging a national HH rating/share of 5.9/12, up 7% from last year’s 5.5/12, and is the highest-to-date rating in 15 years (6.1/14; 1998).

Thursday night’s coverage across CBS and TBS averaged 10.4 million viewers, up 4% from last year’s 10.0 million viewers; and earned a Fast National HH rating/share of a 6.7/12, up 3% from last year’s 6.5/12. 

* * * * *

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Fast National Data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 3/28/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/22/12.   2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of four telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2012 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS/ESPN average of First Round.

That’s all.

CBS/Turner Says Thursday Night’s Sweet 16′s Overnight Ratings Up From Last Year

This from CBS/Turner, overnight ratings for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal games are up 4% from 2012. The games on CBS and TBS averaged a 7.3 and a 14 share, up from last year’s 7.0/12. Ratings were up despite the fact that three of four of the games were blowouts.

Overall, the ratings for the NCAA Tournament are up 5% from last year’s Big Dance averaging a 6.4/14.

Here’s the press release from CBS/Turner.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ Exclusive Coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semifinals Up 4% vs. 2012

2013 NCAA Tournament to Date Ratings Up 5% vs. Last Year

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semifinals on Thursday, March 28, averaged a 7.3/14, based on Nielsen overnight ratings, an increase of 4% over a 7.0/12 last year.  Ratings improved despite three of the four games being decided by 10 points or more.

Exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across the four networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – is averaging a gross rating/share of 6.4/14, based on Nielsen overnight ratings, up 5% compared with a 6.1/13 tournament to date in 2012.

Regional Semifinal coverage continues tonight, March 29, with the following slate of games:

Regional Semifinals – Friday, March 29 (7 p.m.-Midnight ET)
Tip (ET)	Network	Site	Game	Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
7:15 p.m.	CBS	Indianapolis I	Oregon vs. Louisville	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
7:37 p.m.	TBS	North Texas I	Kansas vs. Michigan	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
After conc. I	CBS	Indianapolis II	Michigan State vs. Duke	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
After conc. I	TBS	North Texas II	Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager

There you have it.

Doug Gottlieb Apologizes for the White Man’s Perspective

It occurred early in CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. As host Greg Gumbel introduced Doug Gottlieb to the studio joining Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Gottlieb tried to make a diversity joke and it backfired.

You can clearly see Anthony, Barkley and Smith glaring at Gottlieb and forcing laughter. It did catch them off-guard. And while I don’t believe Gottlieb meant anything malicious towards the four African-American men on the set, the joke sank like a 500 pound boulder in water. Had Gottlieb been more likable, he might have gotten some laughs.

For its part, CBS has issued a statement from Gottlieb:

“It was not a smart thing to say and I apologize.”

Barkley did come to Gottlieb’s defense later in the evening on TBS, but that was after reaction went negative to the comments.

Former ESPN colleague Mark May called for Gottlieb to be fired, but I don’t think CBS needs to go that far.

Certainly an interesting start to the second week of the NCAA Tournament and one in which CBS would probably want a mulligan.

2013 NCAA Tournament Grabs Most Viewers Since 1993

The ratings and viewership for the NCAA Tournament continue to set records. CBS/Turner Sports note that the average 8.9 million combined viewers for the first week of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV are the most dating back twenty years. Last year, the first week average was 8.2 million viewers.

The Tournament is to date, averaging 5.8 rating and 12 share which is up 7% from 2012. Sunday’s final average household rating was 7.1/14 for the eight games on Sunday across the CBS/Turner consortium. That’s up an amazing 27% from last year.

Here’s the CBS/Turner press release.

THE 2013 NCAA^® DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ON TBS, CBS, TNT AND truTV SCORES MOST-WATCHED FIRST WEEK IN 20 YEARS

First Week of Tournament Averages 8.9 Million Total Viewers and
Delivers 7 % Ratings Growth
Sunday’s Third-Round Coverage is Highest Rated in 13 Years, Up 27%

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV combined to deliver the most viewed first week of the NCAA Tournament in 20 years (1993), according to Nielsen Fast National ratings.

The combined coverage averaged 8.9 million total viewers, up 9% over last year’s 8.2 million.

The 2013 NCAA Tournament is averaging a HH rating/share of 5.8/12, up 7% from a 5.4/12 last year, and is the highest average rating for the Tournament’s first week in 15 years (1998; 5.9/15).

Sunday’s coverage averaged 11.1 million viewers, up 29% from last year’s 8.6 million, making it the most watched first Sunday in 15 years.

Third-round coverage on Sunday, March 24 combined to deliver an average fast national HH rating/share of 7.1/14, up 27% from last year’s 5.6/11. The 7.1/14 is the highest rating for the first Sunday of the Tournament in 13 years (7.2/17; 2000).

Third round coverage on Sunday, March 24 scored with ratings increases across all four telecast windows:

• The first daytime telecast window (12:00-2:41 PM, ET) averaged a 5.0/12, up 39% over last year’s 3.6/9, the highest rating for the window in 11 years (5.2/13; 2002).
• The second daytime telecast window (2:57-5:18 PM, ET) averaged a 6.8/14, up 26% over last year’s 5.4/12, the highest rating for the window since 2006 (7.0/16).
• The first primetime telecast window (5:18-9:20 PM, ET) averaged a 10.9/20, up 31% over last year’s 8.3/16, the highest rating for the window in 20 years (12.6/27; 1993).

The second primetime window (8:01 PM-12:12 AM, ET) averaged a 5.9/10, up 4% vs. a 5.7/9 in 2012.

Social Buzz
Additionally, according to Bluefin, the opening week of the NCAA Tournament generated over 6.3 million comments across social media with comment volume up 154% over the same period last year.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Fast National Data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 03/24/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/18/12. 2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2012 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS / ESPN average of First Round. Social Media data based on Bluefin for the same dates of the Tournament.

That’s it.

CBS/Turner Crows About Sunday Overnights for NCAA Tournament

I’m out and about today. CBS/Turner are happy about Sunday’s overnight numbers. The day averaged a 7.6 rating with a 15 share, up a whopping 19% from last year, the highest for the first Sunday of the NCAA Tournament since 1993, and the first week is averaging a 6.3/14, the highest average in 23 years.

Thanks to the storyline of Florida Gulf Coast capturing America’s imagination, plus some compelling games for the most part, interest in the Tournament has been high.

We have the joint press release fom CBS and Turner Sports.

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ Exclusive Coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is Highest Rated in 23 Years

Sunday’s Third Round Coverage Highest Rated in 20 Years; Up 19% vs. 2012

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive live coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV is averaging a 6.3/14 overnight rating/share, the highest rating for the opening week of the NCAA Tournament in 23 years, when the tournament expanded to its current format, according to Nielsen metered market ratings.

The networks’ combined coverage, from the NCAA First Four to the completion of the third round, is up 5% vs. last year’s comparable 6.0/13 rating.

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ exclusive third round coverage on Sunday, March 24 – across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – averaged an overnight household rating/share of 7.6/15, the highest rating for the first Sunday of the NCAA Tournament in 20 years (8.5/20 in 1993). This year’s rating/share is up 19% compared with a 6.4/13 in 2012.

Sunday’s coverage showed audience increases in all four telecast windows including more than 20% in three of the four:

• The first daytime telecast window (12:00-2:45 p.m. ET) averaged a 5.4/13, the highest rating for the window since 2002 (5.8/13) and an increase of 26% over last year’s 4.3/11.
• The second daytime telecast window (3:00-5:15 p.m.) averaged a 7.2/15, tied with 2007 as the highest rating for the window since 2006 (7.5/16) and up 20% over last year’s 6.0/13.
• The first primetime telecast window (5:15-9:15 p.m.) averaged an 11.8/22, the highest rating for the window since 1991’s 12.1/24 and a 26% increase over a 9.4/18 in 2012.
• The second primetime window (8:00 p.m.-12:15 a.m.) averaged a 6.5/11, up 2% vs. a 6.4/10 in 2012.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Metered Market data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 03/24/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/18/12. 2013 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2010 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS / ESPN average of First Round.

There you have it.

Sweet 16 Tip Times and Announcing Assignments for 2013 NCAA Tournament

Here we go for the tip times and announcing assignments for the Regional Semifinals on Thursday and Friday for the 2013 NCAA Tournament. CBS and TBS will share the games.

Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Rachel Nichols are assigned to the East region.

Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller and Lewis Johnson are out West.

Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson are in the Midwest.

And Marv Albert, Steve Kerr along with Craig Sager and his loud wardrobe are in Arlington, TX.

Oh, and Doug Gottlieb who tormented America on a total of six games on Thursday and Saturday will get to torment America in the studio for the Regional semis and finals. This won’t end well.

Without further delay, here’s what you are looking for.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS ANNOUNCE TIP TIMES AND ANNOUNCE TEAMS FOR REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

Exclusive Coverage Continues with Regional Semifinals on Thursday, March 28, and Friday, March 29

Turner Sports and CBS Sports announce tip times, match-ups and announce teams for its exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semifinals on Thursday, March 28, and Friday, March 29 (7 p.m.-Midnight ET), with all games available in their entirety on TBS and CBS.  Coverage will begin both nights with the NCAA Tip-Off pregame show at 6 p.m. on TBS.

The announce teams for the Regional Semifinals and Finals are as follows:

Play-By-Play/Analyst//Reporter

Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson

Studio coverage will continue with Greg Gumbel hosting along with analysts Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony, Kenny Smith and Doug Gottlieb from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Ernie Johnson will host studio coverage from Turner Studios in Atlanta with analysts Seth Davis and Steve Smith.

Tip times for the Regional Finals on Saturday will be announced after the conclusion of Thursday’s games. Sunday’s tip times will be released after the conclusion of play on Friday.

NCAA March Madness Live® will continue to provide college basketball fans unparalleled multi-screen digital access to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship including live streaming of every game.  The digital suite of products will also feature video highlights, full game replays, real-time game alerts, live game scoring, real-time tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, robust social media integration and more.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28 (7 p.m.-Midnight ET)
Tip (ET)	Network	Site	Game	Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
7:15 p.m.	CBS	Washington, D.C. I	Marquette vs. Miami	Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
7:47 p.m.	TBS	Los Angeles I	Arizona vs. Ohio State	Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Len Elmore//Lewis Johnson
9:45 p.m.	CBS	Washington, D.C II	Syracuse vs. Indiana	Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
10:17 p.m.	TBS	Los Angeles II	La Salle vs. Wichita St.	Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Len Elmore//Lewis Johnson

 

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 (7 p.m.-Midnight ET)
Tip (ET)	Network	Site	Game	Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
7:15 p.m.	CBS	Indianapolis I	Oregon vs. Louisville	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
7:37 p.m.	TBS	North Texas I	Kansas vs. Michigan	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
9:45 p.m.	CBS	Indianapolis II	Michigan State vs. Duke	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
10:07 p.m.	TBS	North Texas II	Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager

That’s it.

College Basketball Viewing Picks for 03/23 & 03/24/2013, All Times Eastern

Saturday, March 23

Pregame & Studio Shows
NCAA March Madness 360 — CBS Sports Network, 2 p.m.
NCAA Tip-Off — TNT, 5 p.m.
College GameDay Scoreboard — ESPN2, midnight
Inside March Madness — TBS, midnight
NCAA March Madness Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 1 a.m. (Sunday)

Men’s
NCAA Tournament
3rd Round
East Region
Lexington, KY
Butler vs. Marquette — CBS, 7:45 p.m. (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce)

San Jose, CA
Cal vs. Syracuse — TBS, 9:40 p.m. (Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider)

Midwest Region
Auburn Hills, MI
Memphis vs. Michigan State — CBS, 2:45 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols)

Lexington, KY
Colorado State vs. Louisville — CBS, 5:15 p.m. (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce)

San Jose, CA
Oregon vs. Saint Louis — TBS, 7:10 p.m. (Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider)

South Region
Auburn Hills, MI
Virginia Commonwealth vs. Michigan — CBS, 12:15 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nicols)

Salt Lake City, UT
Harvard vs. Arizona — TNT, 6:10 p.m. (Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio!!!)
Wichita State vs. Gonzaga — TNT, 8:40 p.m. (Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio!!!)

National Invitation Tournament
2nd RoundStanford at Alabama — ESPN, 11 a.m. (Rich Hollenberg/Miles Simon)

Women’s
NCAA Tournament
1st Round

11 a.m
All Games on ESPN2
Quinnipiac vs. Maryland (Mark Kestecher/LaChina Robinson)
Central Michigan vs. Oklahoma (Clay Matvick/Swin Cash)
Creighton vs. Syracuse (Bob Wischusen/Nell Fortner)St. Joseph’s vs. Vanderbilt (Dave O’Brien/Doris Burke)

1:30 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
Marist vs. Michigan State (Mark Kestecher/LaChina Robinson)
Stetson vs. UCLA (Clay Matvick/Swin Cash)
Oral Roberts vs. Tennessee (Bob Wischusen/Nell Fortner)
Idaho vs. UConn (Dave O’Brien/Doris Burke)

4 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
South Dakota State vs. South Carolina (Mark Jones/Fran Fraschilla)
Wichita State vs. Texas A&M (Carter Blackburn/Maria Taylor)
Fresno State vs. Cal (Cara Capuano/Stephen Bardo)
Gonzaga vs. Iowa State (Dave Flemming/Sean Farnham)

6:30 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
Kansas vs. Colorado (Mark Jones/Fran Fraschilla)
Chattanooga vs. Nebraska (Carter Blackburn/Maria Taylor)
South Florida vs. Texas (Cara Capuano/Stephen Bardo)
Montana vs. Georgia (Dave Flemming/Sean Farnham)

Sunday, March 24

Pregame & Studio Shows
NCAA March Madness 360 — CBS Sports Network, 2 p.m.
NCAA Basketball Tournament Press Conferences — Big Ten Network, 5 p.m.
NCAA Tip-Off — TNT, 5 p.m.
NCAA March Madness 360 — CBS Sports Network, 10 p.m.
College GameDay Scoreboard — ESPN2, midnight
Inside March Madness — TBS, midnight
NCAA March Madness Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 12:30 a.m. (Monday)

Men’s
NCAA Tournament
3rd Round
East Region
Dayton, OH
Temple vs. Indiana — CBS, 2:45 p.m. (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson)

Austin, TX
Illinois vs. Miami — TNT, 8:40 p.m. (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston)

Midwest Region
Philadelphia, PA
Creighton vs. Duke — TBS, 9:40 p.m. (Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson)

South Region
Kansas City, MO
North Carolina vs. Kansas — CBS, 5:15 p.m. (Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager)

Austin, TX
Minnesota vs. Florida — TNT, 6:10 p.m. (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston)

Philadelphia, PA
Florida Gulf Coast vs. San Diego State — TBS (Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson)

West Region
Dayton, OH
Iowa State vs. Ohio State — CBS, 12:15 p.m. (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson)

Kansas City, MO
La Salle vs. Mississippi — truTV, 7:45 p.m. (Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager)

National Invitation Tournament
2nd Round
St. John’s at Virginia — ESPN, noon (Mike Crispino/Derek Whittenberg)

Women’s
NCAA Tournament
1st Round

Noon
All Games on ESPN2
West Virginia vs. Delaware (Pam Ward/Rebecca Lobo)
Hampton vs. Duke (Joe Davis/Debbie Antonelli)
Liberty vs. Purdue (Melissa Lee/Brooke Weisbrod)
Navy vs. Kentucky (Bob Picozzi/Rosalyn Gold-Onwude) (also on ESPNU)

2:30 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
Albany vs. North Carolina (Pam Ward/Rebecca Lobo)
DePaul vs. Oklahoma State (Joe Davis/Debbie Antonelli)
Middle Tennessee vs. Louisville (Melissa Lee/Brooke Weisbrod)
St. John’s vs. Dayton (Bob Picozzi/Rosalyn Gold-Onwude)

5 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
Cal Poly vs. Penn State (Tom Hart/Krista Blunk)
Tennessee-Martin vs. Notre Dame (Holly Rowe/Brenda VanLengen)
Tulsa vs. Stanford (Dave Pasch/Mary Murphy)
Princeton vs. Florida State (Beth Mowins/Stephanie White)

7:30 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
Green Bay vs. LSU (Tom Hart/Krista Blunk)
Iowa vs. Miami (FL) (Holly Rowe/Brenda VanLengen)
Villanova vs. Michigan (Dave Pasch/Mary Murphy)
Prairie View A&M vs. Baylor (Beth Mowins/Stephanie White)

Tip Times for Sunday of 3rd Round of 2013 NCAA Tournament

Ok, the tip times are in for the final day of the opening weekend of the 75th NCAA Tournament.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS ANNOUNCE TIP TIMES AND MATCH-UPS FOR THIRD ROUND GAMES ON SUNDAY, MARCH 24

Turner Sports and CBS Sports announce tip times and match-ups for exclusive third round coverage of the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 24 (Noon-Midnight ET) with all games available in their entirety across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.

Studio coverage will feature Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson sharing hosting duties. Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith will provide analysis throughout the tournament alongside Gumbel or Johnson from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Matt Winer will host studio coverage from Turner Studios in Atlanta with analysts Seth Davis and Steve Smith and Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon as an in-studio guest analyst.

Following are the tip times for Sunday’s third round games, as well as the announce and production team assignments. Tip times for the Regional Semifinals (Thursday, March 28, and Friday, Mach 29) will be announced after the conclusion of the games on Sunday, March 24. For a complete channel guide see the “Channel Finder” feature at NCAA.com/MyChannels.

NCAA March Madness Live® will continue to provide college basketball fans unparalleled multi-screen digital access to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship including live streaming of every game. The digital suite of products will also feature video highlights, full game replays, real-time game alerts, live game scoring, real-time tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, robust social media integration and more.

 

THIRD ROUND GAMES SUNDAY, MARCH 24 (Noon-Midnight ET)
12:15 p.m.	CBS	Dayton I	Iowa State vs. Ohio State	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
2:45 p.m.	CBS	Dayton II	Temple vs. Indiana	Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
5:15 p.m.	CBS	Kansas City I	North Carolina vs. Kansas	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
6:10 p.m.	TNT	Austin I	Minnesota vs. Florida	Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston
7:10 pm	TBS	Philadelphia I	Florida Gulf Coast vs. San Diego State	Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson
7:45 p.m.	truTV	Kansas City II	La Salle vs. Ole Miss	Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
8:40 p.m.	TNT	Austin II	Illinois vs. Miami	Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston
9:40 p.m.	TBS	Philadelphia II	Creighton vs. Duke	Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson

That will do it.

CBS/Turner Deliver Most Viewers to 1st Thursday of NCAA Tournament Since 1991

This from CBS/Turner Sports. The final ratings are in for the first Thursday of the 2013 NCAA Tournament and they are good. This CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV combination combined for an overall 5.5 household rating with a 12 share. That is up 4% from 2012 and it’s the highest rating dating back to 1994 when CBS was in the early days of airing the Tournament solo.

The viewership numbers are also good. CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV received an average viewership of 8.1 million which is the highest since 1991.

The NCAA Tournament is averaging a 5.0/11 thus far.

Here’s what CBS/Turner want you to know about all this.

2013 NCAA^® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTv is Most-Watched First Thursday Since 1991

Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Coverage Delivers a 5.5 U.S. HH Rating and 8.1 Million Total Viewers
NCAA Tournament to Date is Most Watched in 20 Years

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive second round coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV on Thursday, March 21, combined to deliver the most viewed (8.1 million total viewers) first Thursday of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship since 1991, when the tournament expanded to four telecast windows, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals.

Thursday’s coverage earned a Fast National U.S. household rating/share of a 5.5/12, +4% vs. 2012, 5.3/13, the highest average rating for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament in 19 years (5.6/14, 1994).

The 2013 NCAA Tournament to date, including the First Four, is averaging a 5.0/11, +6% from last year’s 4.7/11, and is tied with the highest-to-date rating since 2006 (5.0/11).

Overall, the 2013 NCAA Tournament to date is the most-watched in 20 years (1993). The First Four and Thursday’s coverage averaged 7.4 million viewers, +7% vs. 6.9 million viewers last year.

• The first telecast window of the day combined to earn a 4.0/13, +14% vs. last year’s 3.5/13.
• The second telecast window of the day combined to earn a 5.1/13, +6% vs. last year’s 4.8/13.
• The third telecast window of the day combined to earn a 7.1/12, +11% vs. last year’s 6.4/12.
• The fourth telecast window of the day combined to earn a 5.9/11 vs. last year’s 6.4/12.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, based on Fast National Data, Live +SD data stream. 3/19/13 to 03/21/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/15/12. 2013, 2012 and 2011 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data. 2006 through 2012 based on Live + SD. 2003 based on CBS/ESPN average of First Round.

There it is.

NCAA Tournament Overnight Ratings for 1st Thursday Best in 22 Years

The CBS/Turner Sports partnership for the NCAA Tournament is working. Having all of the games available nationally and no regionalization has led to higher ratings for the first Thursday of the Big Dance. CBS/Turner says the Tournament garnered a 5.8 overnight rating and a 14 share for the 16 games played last night. That’s up 4% from last year’s 5.6/13. And yesterday’s numbers were the highest for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament dating back to 1991. That’s quite impressive.

Here’s what CBS/Turner has to tell us about the Thursday overnight rating for the NCAA Tournament on CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV. Check it all out below in black and white.

2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV Scores Highest Rating for First Thursday of Tournament in 22 Years

Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Coverage Earns 5.8 Overnight Rating, Up 4% vs. 2012

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive second round coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV on Thursday, March 21, averaged an overnight household rating/share of 5.8/14, the highest rating for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament in 22 years.  The 5.8/14 is up 4% compared with a 5.6/13 in 2012.

Thursday’s coverage showed significant audience increases in three of the four telecast windows, including several record setters.

• The first daytime telecast window (12-4:15 p.m. ET) averaged a 4.1/14 to deliver the second highest rating for the time slot since 1991, when the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day (trailing only 2011’s 4.4/15).  The telecast window is up 5% compared with a 3.9/13 last year.
• The second daytime telecast window (2:30-7:15 p.m.) averaged a 5.5/15 to garner the highest rating ever for the time slot.  The window is up 6% over last year’s 5.2/14.
• The first primetime telecast window (7-10:15 p.m.) averaged a 7.4/14 to register the highest rating ever for the time slot.  The window is up 9% over a 6.8/13 in 2012.
• The second primetime window (9:30 p.m.-12:45 a.m.) averaged a 6.4/11, which included a pair of lopsided victories (VCU’s 46-point win vs. Akron and Syracuse’s 47-point triumph vs. Montana), vs. a 6.8/12 in 2012.

Tournament to date, including the NCAA First Four, the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is averaging a 5.2/12, up 2% compared with a 5.1/12 at this same time last year. For the third consecutive year, Turner Sports and CBS Sports are providing exclusive live coverage of all 67 games from the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across the four national television networks.

Source:  Nielsen Media Research, based on Metered Market data, Live +SD data stream.  3/19/13 to  03/21/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/15/12.  2013 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.  Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data.  2006 through 2010 based on Live + SD.  2003 based on CBS / ESPN average of First Round. 

That’s it.

2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV Scores Highest Rating for First Thursday of Tournament in 22 Years

Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Coverage Earns 5.8 Overnight Rating, Up 4% vs. 2012

CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ exclusive second round coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV on Thursday, March 21, averaged an overnight household rating/share of 5.8/14, the highest rating for the first Thursday of the NCAA Tournament in 22 years.  The 5.8/14 is up 4% compared with a 5.6/13 in 2012.

Thursday’s coverage showed significant audience increases in three of the four telecast windows, including several record setters.                               

§  The first daytime telecast window (12-4:15 p.m. ET) averaged a 4.1/14 to deliver the second highest rating for the time slot since 1991, when the tournament expanded to four telecast windows for the entire day (trailing only 2011’s 4.4/15).  The telecast window is up 5% compared with a 3.9/13 last year.

§  The second daytime telecast window (2:30-7:15 p.m.) averaged a 5.5/15 to garner the highest rating ever for the time slot.  The window is up 6% over last year’s 5.2/14.

§  The first primetime telecast window (7-10:15 p.m.) averaged a 7.4/14 to register the highest rating ever for the time slot.  The window is up 9% over a 6.8/13 in 2012.

§  The second primetime window (9:30 p.m.-12:45 a.m.) averaged a 6.4/11, which included a pair of lopsided victories (VCU’s 46-point win vs. Akron and Syracuse’s 47-point triumph vs. Montana), vs. a 6.8/12 in 2012.

Tournament to date, including the NCAA First Four, the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is averaging a 5.2/12, up 2% compared with a 5.1/12 at this same time last year. 

For the third consecutive year, Turner Sports and CBS Sports are providing exclusive live coverage of all 67 games from the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across the four national television networks. 

-30-

Source:  Nielsen Media Research, based on Metered Market data, Live +SD data stream.  3/19/13 to  03/21/13 vs. 03/13/12 to 03/15/12.  2013 averages based on weighted average of 4 telecast gross across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.  Historical audiences, CBS 1991 through 2005 based on Live data.  2006 through 2010 based on Live + SD.  2003 based on CBS / ESPN average of First Round. 

Tip Times for Saturday of 3rd Round of 2013 NCAA Tournament

CBS/Turner has sent out the tip times for Saturday.

TURNER SPORTS AND CBS SPORTS ANNOUNCE TIP TIMES AND MATCH-UPS FOR THIRD ROUND GAMES ON SATURDAY, MARCH 23

CBS Sports and Turner Sports announce tip times and match-ups for third round coverage of the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 23 (Noon-Midnight ET) with all games available in their entirety across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.

Studio coverage will continue with Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson sharing hosting duties. Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith will provide analysis throughout the tournament alongside Gumbel or Johnson from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Matt Winer will host the studio coverage from Turner Studios in Atlanta with analysts Seth Davis and Steve Smith on Saturday and Sunday.

Following are the tip times for Saturday’s third round games, as well as the announce team assignments. Tip times for the third round games on Sunday will be announced on Friday after the conclusion of the day’s games. For a complete channel guide see the channel finder at NCAA.com/MyChannels.

NCAA March Madness Live^® will continue to provide college basketball fans unparalleled multi-screen digital access to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship including live streaming of every game.  The digital suite of products will also feature video highlights, full game replays, real-time game alerts, live game scoring, real-time tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, robust social media integration and more.

THIRD ROUND GAMES SATURDAY, MARCH 23 (Noon-Midnight ET)
12:15 p.m.	CBS	Auburn Hills I	VCU vs. Michigan	Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
2:45 p.m.	CBS	Auburn Hills II	Memphis vs. Michigan St.	Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
5:15 p.m.	CBS	Lexington I	Colorado State vs. Louisville	Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce
6:10 p.m.	TNT	Salt Lake City I	Harvard vs. Arizona	Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio
7:10 pm	TBS	San Jose I	Oregon vs. St. Louis	Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider
7:45 p.m.	CBS	Lexington II	Butler vs. Marquette	Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce
8:40 p.m.	TNT	Salt Lake City II	Wichita St. vs. Gonzaga	Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio
9:40 p.m.	TBS	San Jose II	California vs. Syracuse	Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider

That is all.

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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First Four and 2nd Round Tip Times and Announcing Assignments for 2013 NCAA Tournament

Ok, we have the tip times and the announcing assignments for the First Four™ and 2nd Round games of the NCAA Tournament. It’s all below. No need for me to say anything. You can see where your favorite teams are playing and who’s calling the game on either CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV.

CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS’ EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF 2013 NCAA^® DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TIPS OFF MARCH 19

Announce and Production Teams Assigned for NCAA First Four™ and Second Round Coverage

Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will tip off with first round coverage of the NCAA First Four™ on Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20 (6 p.m. ET; both days), on truTV. Second-round game coverage will begin Thursday, March 21, and Friday, March 22 (Noon-Midnight; both days), with all games available live in their entirety across four national television networks – CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.  Additionally, on Thursday and Friday, truTV will televise a one-hour pregame show at 11 a.m.

Marv Albert and Steve Kerr will call the action, with Craig Sager courtside for the two First Four games on Tuesday. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, along with courtside reporter Tracy Wolfson, will handle the call for the First Four games on Wednesday.  Studio coverage for the First Four originates from Atlanta and features Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Steve Smith and Rex Chapman on Tuesday with Matt Winer, Seth Davis, Smith and Chapman providing analysis on Wednesday (6 p.m.; both days).

Following are the tip times for the First Four games, as well as the announce and production team assignments for the second round games.  Tip times for the third round games on Saturday will be announced on Thursday after the conclusion of the day’s games. Sunday’s tip times will be released after the conclusion of play on Friday.  Fans can access a Channel Finder for every tournament game at www.ncaa.com/march-madness.

NCAA March Madness Live^® will provide college basketball fans unparalleled multi-screen digital access to the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship including live streaming of every game.  The digital suite of products will also feature video highlights, full game replays, real-time game alerts, live game scoring, real-time tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, robust social media integration and more.

FIRST ROUND GAMES TUESDAY, MARCH 19
Tip (ET)	Network		Site		Game		Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
6:40 p.m.	truTV		Dayton I		N.C. A&T vs. Liberty		Marv Albert/Steve Kerr// Craig Sager
9:15 p.m.	truTV		Dayton II		Middle Tennessee  vs. St. Mary’s		Albert/Kerr//Sager
FIRST ROUND GAMES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20
6:40 p.m.	truTV	Dayton I			LIU-Brooklyn vs. James Madison		Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
9:15 p.m.	truTV	Dayton II			Boise St. vs. LaSalle		Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
SECOND ROUND GAMES THURSDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 21 (Noon-5 p.m. ET)
Tip (ET)	Network		Site		Game		Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
12:15 p.m.	CBS		Auburn Hills I		Valparaiso vs. Michigan State		Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
12:40 p.m.	truTV		Lexington I		Bucknell vs. Butler		Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel// Allie LaForce
1:40 p.m.	TBS		Salt Lake City I		Wichita St. vs. Pittsburgh		Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio
2:10 p.m.	TNT		San Jose I		New Mexico State vs. Saint Louis		Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider
2:45 p.m.	CBS		Auburn Hills II		Middle Tennessee/St. Mary’s vs. Memphis		Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Rachel Nichols
3:10 p.m.	truTV		Lexington II		Davidson vs. Marquette		Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce
4:10 p.m.	TBS		Salt Lake City II		Southern U. vs. Gonzaga		Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio
4:40 p.m.	TNT		San Jose II		Oregon vs. Oklahoma St.		Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider
SECOND ROUND GAMES THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 21 (6:30 p.m.-Midnight ET) (Announce Teams Same as Day Games)
6:50 p.m.	TBS		Lexington III	N.C. A&T/Liberty vs. Louisville		Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce
7:15 p.m.	CBS		Auburn Hills III	South Dakota St. vs. Michigan		Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Rachel Nichols
7:20 p.m.	TNT		Salt Lake City III	Belmont vs. Arizona		Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio
7:27 p.m.	truTV		San Jose III	California vs. UNLV		Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner//Marty Snider
9:20 p.m.	TBS		Lexington IV	Missouri vs. Colorado St.		Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce
9:45 p.m.	CBS		Auburn Hills IV	Akron vs. VCU		Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Rachel Nichols
9:50 p.m.	TNT		Salt Lake City IV	Harvard vs. New Mexico		Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb//Jamie Maggio
9:57 p.m.	truTV		San Jose IV	Montana vs. Syracuse		Anderson/Bonner//Snider
SECOND ROUND GAMES FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 22 (Noon-5 p.m. ET)
Tip (ET)	Network		Site	Game		Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter
12:15 p.m.	CBS		Philadelphia I	Albany vs. Duke		Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson
12:40 p.m.	truTV		Kansas City I	Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin		Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
1:40 p.m.	TBS		Dayton I	Temple vs. N.C. State		Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
2:10 p.m.	TNT		Austin I	Pacific vs. Miami		Tim Brando/Mike Gminski// Otis Livingston
2:45 p.m.	CBS		Philadelphia II	Cincinnati vs. Creighton		Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson
3:10 p.m.	truTV		Kansas City II	Boise St./LaSalle vs. Kansas State		Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
4:10 p.m.	TBS		Dayton II	LIU Brooklyn/James Madison vs. Indiana		Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
4:40 p.m.	TNT		Austin II	Colorado vs. Illinois		Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston
SECOND ROUND GAMES FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 22 (6:30 p.m.-Midnight ET) (Announce Teams Same as Day Games)
6:50 p.m.	TBS		Philadelphia III	Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown		Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson
7:15 p.m.	CBS		Dayton III	Iona vs. Ohio State		Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
7:20 p.m.	TNT		Kansas City III	Villanova vs. North Carolina		Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
7:27 p.m.	truTV		Austin III	Northwestern St. vs. Florida		Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston
9:20 p.m.	TBS		Philadelphia IV	Oklahoma vs. San Diego State		Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//Lewis Johnson
9:45 p.m.	CBS		Dayton IV	Iowa St. vs. Notre Dame		Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
9:50 p.m.	TNT		Kansas City IV	Western Kentucky vs. Kansas		Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
9:57 p.m.	truTV		Austin IV	Minnesota vs. UCLA		Tim Brando/Mike Gminski//Otis Livingston

That’s it.

CBS/Turner Sports Announce The 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Broadcast Schedule

This is a long release with lots of grids. I’ll keep this wraparound short and you can read this for yourself.

TURNER SPORTS AND CBS SPORTS ANNOUNCE 2013 NCAA^® DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TELECAST SCHEDULE

ALL GAMES TO BE BROADCAST NATIONALLY ACROSS CBS, TBS, TNT AND truTV

For the third consecutive year, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will provide live coverage of all 67 games from the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.  Turner Sports and CBS Sports will present fully integrated game and studio productions across the four networks with pregame, halftime, bridge and post-game shows from studios in New York City and Atlanta. Studio shows will include THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR^®and NCAA TIP-OFF pregame shows, AT THE HALF, TOURNAMENT CENTRAL and the INSIDE MARCH MADNESS^® post-game show.

The 2013 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will tip off in primetime with the NCAA First Four™ on truTV on Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20 with coverage beginning at 6:00 PM, ET both nights. Coverage will culminate with the Final Four games on Saturday, April 6, and for the 32^nd straight year, CBS Sports broadcasts the National Championship game, which airs Monday, April 8 at 9:00 PM, ET from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Additional highlights include (complete telecast schedule attached):

• Turner Sports will televise 41 games across its three television networks (TBS, TNT and truTV).
• CBS will broadcast 26 games throughout the tournament including the second round, third round, Sweet 16^®, Elite 8^®, Final Four and National Championship. CBS will also air the Division II Men’s National Championship game on Sunday, April 7 at 4:00 PM, ET from Philips Arena.
• TBS will televise 16 contests including games in the second round, third round and Sweet 16.
• truTV, including the First Four™, will air a total of 13 games also spanning the second and third rounds.
• TNT will televise 12 games including second and third round match ups.

Coverage of the 2013 NCAA Tournament will culminate with extensive live coverage of the Final Four games and National Championship from Atlanta. Saturday’s Final Four coverage will begin on CBS with THE FINAL FOUR SHOW (4:00-6:00 PM, ET), followed by the broadcast of the two national semifinal games beginning at 6:00 PM, ET. truTV will wrap up the day’s Final Four coverage with INSIDE MARCH MADNESS.

NCAA March Madness Live®, managed by Turner Sports and in partnership with CBS Sports and the NCAA, will provide live streaming video of every broadcast for the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship from the First Four™ through the National Championship Game.

NCAA, March Madness, Elite 8, Sweet 16, First Four, Final Four and Road to the Final Four are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The schedules for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four and National Championship Game will be coming after the break.
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REPORT: TBS Likely To Air The NCAA Final Four and National Championship Game in 2014

This coming from the great John Ourand of Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily, it appears that Turner Sports will begin airing the NCAA Men’s Final Four™ and National Championship game starting next year, two years earlier than expected. When CBS and Turner combined to win the rights for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2010, one stipulation was that Turner’s TBS would begin airing the Final Four™ in 2016 and alternate with CBS every other year until the contract’s end in 2024.

With this being the 32nd year for CBS airing the NCAA Tournament, it appears its run of airing Final Fours consecutively starting in 1982 will end in 2013. However, it will continue airing the Final Four™ in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. TBS will have the event in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

Ourand tweeted the following in the last hour:

This development certainly came out of left field and we’ll be monitoring for more developments on Tuesday.

UPDATE, 11:20 p.m.: Richard Sandomir of the New York Times also has a quick blurb on the story, but that may be updated throughout the night.

CBS/ Turner Unveil 2013 NCAA Tournament Announcing Teams

Announced today by the CBS/Turner Sports consortium for the 2013 NCAA Tournament, the 75th incarnation of college basketball’s national championship, will be the men and women who will be in front of the camera this year. As usual, Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will work the Final Four™ from Atlanta.

Some changes from last year, first Doug Gottlieb who came to CBS from ESPN late last year will call 2nd and 3rd round games with Spero Dedes replacing Bob Wenzel. Lesley Visser becomes a special contributor to the studio shows, leaving the sidelines. Rachel Nichols of Turner Sports takes her place on the team of Uncle Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery. And Allie LaForce, co-host of CBS Sports Network’s Lead Off with the aforementioned Gottlieb will work the sidelines as well with Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel.

Your regional final teams will be Nantz/Kellogg/Tracy Wolfson, Marv Albert/Steve Kerr /Craig Sager, Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols and Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Len Elmore/Lewis Johnson.

Calling the one half of the First Four™ games in Dayton, OH will be Albert and Kerr on March 19.

And the studio will be manned by hosts Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson in New York with Matt Winer in Atlanta. Studio analysts will be Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, Seth Davis, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Steve Smith. Doug Gottlieb joins the New York crew for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight.

Here’s the CBS/Turner announcement.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports Return All-Star Line-up of Broadcast Teams for Coverage of 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

?Turner Sports and CBS Sports today announces its lineup of broadcast teams for the third year of combined coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Once again, CBS Sports and Turner Sports provide live, full national coverage of the tournament’s 67 games across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – as well as across multiple platforms including NCAA March Madness Live®.

The tournament tips off on Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR™ on truTV Presented by Northwestern Mutual. Marv Albert and Steve Kerr will be courtside calling the action from Dayton, Ohio on March 19, with Craig Sager reporting. Wednesday’s FIRST FOUR broadcast team, which will also call the second and third round games from the Dayton site, will be announced on Selection Sunday.

For the third consecutive year Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr and reporter Tracy Wolfson will team up for the Final Four® and National Championship game live from Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, April 6 and Monday, April 8.

Joining this year’s announcer line-up are Doug Gottlieb, who will serve as a game and studio analyst, and courtside reporters Rachel Nichols and Allie LaForce.

Following are the announcer pairings for the second and third rounds (Thursday, March 21-Sunday, March 24):

Play-By-Play / Analyst // Reporter
*Regional Announce Teams

Jim Nantz / Clark Kellogg // Tracy Wolfson*
Marv Albert / Steve Kerr // Craig Sager*
Verne Lundquist / Bill Raftery // Rachel Nichols*
Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Len Elmore // Lewis Johnson*
Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel // Allie LaForce
Brian Anderson / Dan Bonner // Marty Snider
Tim Brando / Mike Gminski // Otis Livingston
Spero Dedes / Doug Gottlieb // Jaime Maggio

Studio Coverage

For the third consecutive year, Turner Sports and CBS Sports will utilize two studios, based in New York and Atlanta, to cover all the tournament action. Studio coverage again will be anchored by Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson with Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith providing analysis throughout the tournament from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Matt Winer anchors the coverage from Turner Studios in Atlanta and will be joined by Seth Davis and Steve Smith. In addition, Lesley Visser will serve as a contributor.

During the Regional Semi-finals and Finals, Gottlieb will join the New York studio team. Gumbel will remain in New York alongside Barkley, Anthony, Gottlieb and Kenny Smith, while Johnson will shift to the Atlanta studio to join Davis and Steve Smith.

Studio coverage for the FIRST FOUR originates from Atlanta and will feature Johnson, Barkley, Kenny Smith and Steve Smith on Tuesday with Winer, Davis and Steve Smith providing analysis on Wednesday.

There you have it.

TBS Unveils First Eight Games of Its 2013 MLB Schedule

This being the last year of TBS’ current contract with MLB, we note that the first eight weeks of its 2013 schedule has been released. As usual, it’s big market team-heavy as the New York Yankees appear three times while the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are on twice. Also appearing twice will be the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays.

TBS will have a full schedule of 26 Sunday afternoon games and that ties into its MLB Postseason schedule in which it has both Wild Card Playoff games, all but two games of the League Division Series and the National League Championship Series.

In 2014, TBS will have 13 regular season games, one Wild Card Game, two League Division Series (two go to Fox Sports 1) and one League Championship Series.

But let’s focus on 2013 and what you’ll see on TBS this season starting on April 7. All games are subject to local blackout.

“Sunday MLB on TBS” Steps to the Plate with Multiple Appearances by the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox in April and May

Regular Season Coverage Leads Off Sunday, April 7, with ALCS Rematch – Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

“Sunday MLB on TBS” will return Sunday, April 7, at 1 p.m. ET, as the network begins its 26-game Major League Baseball regular season schedule with a rematch of the American League Championship Series when the Detroit Tigers and reigning AL MVP and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera host the New York Yankees and four-time All-Star Robinson Cano.

Over the first two months of the season, the “Sunday MLB on TBS” schedule will feature multiple appearances by the Yankees (April 7, April 28 and May 26), Los Angeles Dodgers (April 21 and May 19) and Boston Red Sox (April 14 and May 12), as well as the Atlanta Braves (May 5 and May 19), Toronto Blue Jays (April 28 and May 12) and Tampa Bay Rays (April 14 and May 26). The network’s 2013 schedule includes matchups every Sunday afternoon throughout the regular season. Scheduling highlights include:

• April 21: An early season interleague matchup featuring the Dodgers and Adrian Gonzalez visiting one of the surprise teams of 2012, the Baltimore Orioles and Adam Jones, at 1:30 p.m.
• May 12: An American League East showdown featuring the Red Sox and offseason acquisition Shane Victorino hosting a revamped Blue Jays roster including high-profile acquisition Jose Reyes at 1:30 p.m.
• May 19: A National League matchup featuring the Braves and the re-united Upton brothers (B.J. and Justin) hosting the Dodgers and Hanley Ramirez at 1:30 p.m.

TBS will utilize a deep roster of commentators to call the early-season action including Ernie Johnson, a Sports Emmy®-winning host, and Brian Anderson on play-by-play and analysts Ron Darling, Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken, Jr., and John Smoltz.

2013 “Sunday MLB on TBS” Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game
April 7	1 p.m.	New York Yankees @ Detroit Tigers
April 14	1:30 p.m.	Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox
April 21	1:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers @ Baltimore Orioles
April 28	1 p.m.	Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees
May 5	1:30 p.m.	New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves
May 12	1:30 p.m.	Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox
May 19	1:30 p.m.	Los Angeles Dodgers @ Atlanta Braves
May 26	1:30 p.m.	New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays
* TBS telecasts are not seen in the local markets

The network will also exclusively televise the 2013 MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday, June 30. In October, TBS will exclusively televise the American League and National League Wild Card games and will once again provide coverage of all four MLB Division Series and exclusive coverage of the National League Championship Series. The network will announce future games on its schedule coinciding with its selection windows.

TBS has broadcast MLB coverage for more than 30 years, televising the MLB Division Series and one League Championship Series since 2007, and was the home of Atlanta Braves coverage from 1977 to 2007.

There you have it.

March Madness Live Returns and So Does Authentication

Remember last year when Turner took over March Madness Live and it was so complicated to authenticate to get the free streaming of the NCAA Tournament? And it got to the point where some gave up while others got so frustrated, they decided to pay the $3.99 fee even though they could have watched for free?

Well, Turner Sports has decided to bring back the authentication process, but simplify it. This year, there won’t be a fee. Games that air on TBS, TNT and truTV will require authentication. Games on CBS won’t. And there will be a four hour preview option that won’t require registration.

March Madness Live will launch on mobiles and tablets in March (naturally) and will be available for download for both Apple and Google platforms.

All 67 games of the NCAA Tournament including the Final Four™ will be streamed on March Madness Live

Let us take a look at what’s in store this year for March Madness Live.

NCAA March Madness Live® to Offer Fans an Unprecedented Multi-Screen Viewing Experience for the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship

NCAA March Madness Live® App Available in App Store and Google Play in March

NCAA March Madness Live® will provide college basketball fans with unparalleled multi-screen digital access to the 2013 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Produced by Turner Sports, NCAA March Madness Live® will offer free streaming across all devices to pay TV subscribers throughout the tournament and is designed to be either a primary or companion viewing experience available to fans across a collection of screens including online, mobile and tablet. NCAA March Madness Live® will feature social and interactive components to provide portable access to the tournament and – in partnership between the NCAA, Turner Sports and CBS Sports – will launch from www.ncaa.com/marchmadness, www.CBSSports.com and www.bleacherreport.com, along with Google Play and the App Store beginning in March.

NCAA March Madness Live® will provide an unlimited viewing experience throughout Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ coverage of the entire tournament. Fans will have access to all games on TNT, TBS and truTV on the digital device of their choice, by logging in with their TV service provider information, and all games broadcast on CBS with no registration required. As an added feature, NCAA March Madness Live® will offer a preview option that allows up to four hours of live game streaming that does not require viewer registration.

For the third consecutive year, all 67 games of the tournament will again be available live on TV in their entirety across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

“Whether viewing on a big-screen TV or a computer, tablet, or smart phone, fans can enjoy the incomparable excitement of March Madness anywhere they are and however they choose,” said Matthew Hong, senior vice president and general manager of operations, for Turner Sports. “With Turner’s commitment to TV Everywhere, passionate fans can use NCAA March Madness Live® as either a first- or second-screen interactive experience to enjoy all 67 tournament games.”

“NCAA March Madness Live® provides our membership and fan bases with the most up to date coverage of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship so everyone can catch all of the action at any time and from any place,” said Keith Martin, managing director of championships and alliances. “We’re in an age now where fans want access to games simultaneously and they want to chat about what they’ve seen.  NCAA March Madness Live® is a great resource for fans who want to keep up with the games while they are at an arena, at home or from any location.”

This year’s NCAA March Madness Live® product offers several enhancements including:

• Redesigned for optimization across platforms – With improved navigation, NCAA March Madness Live® will have a completely new look and feel while also providing users with the same levels of access and a consistent user experience across all devices
• Available on new devices – NCAA March Madness Live® will be available on more devices than ever before including smart phones and tablets with the Android 4.0+ operating system, the iPhone 5 and iPad mini
• NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge – The official bracket game of March Madness includes new designs and feature enhancements on smart phones and tablets, along with expanded social functionality across all devices allowing fans to join groups, share brackets and chat with friends and other passionate fans via Facebook
• NCAA March Madness Social Arena – A forum to extend the conversation surrounding all of the games within NCAA March Madness Live® products, fans can follow game and tournament tweets, participate in fan chats, watch the games and keep a pulse on all the key moments of every game via the NCAA March Madness Social Arena.  Fans can participate in the social commentary by using the hashtag #marchmadness

Additionally, NCAA March Madness Live® will once again provide video highlights, full game replays and real-time game alerts, as well as fan-favorite features, including live game scoring, real-time tournament brackets, personal channel lineup features, live stats, live social companion views and the return of the “Boss Button.” Fans will have direct access to live radio broadcasts, courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Radio Network, for all 67 games across the collection of digital products.

There you have it.

Some Sunday Linkage

I have some time on this NFL Sunday to provide some rare weekend linkage. Let’s get to it.

Chris Chase at USA Today’s Game On blog notes that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has confirmed that he’s dating ESPN College GameDay’s Samantha Steele.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News talks about the Pac-12 Networks being made available to Apple mobile devices as long as they’re subscribers of participating cable and satellite providers.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report reviews this week’s 30 for 30 documentary which has a Chicago slant.

Sports Media Watch says expect Fox to be a player for the rights to the second half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season if ESPN and Turner falter in their negotiations next year.

SportsRantz says Jen Royle is owed an apology by Toronto Blue Jays fans after she correctly reported that John Farrell was a target of the Red Sox for its managerial opening.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group says Fox Sports is ready to launch its New Orleans channel with the rights to the Hornets in hand.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead notes that actress Natalie Portman turned heads at the Baylor-Texas game last night.

Stephen Douglas of The Big Lead has video evidence of Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Ryan Lochte being dumber than you and me.

Tom Ley at Deadspin notes that ESPN’s Rick Reilly got fooled by web satire once again.

Once again, Phil Mushnick at the New York Post finds something to hate.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog recaps President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s comments on DC NFL team QB Robert Griffin III on Fox NFL Sunday.

Jim Williams from the Washington Examiner talks with Doug Gottlieb about his new CBS Sports Network late night show.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times rates the commissioners‘ of MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL.

Nice to have Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News back in Fang’s Bites. He wonders where are the Cowboys fans as the team’s TV ratings have fallen like a rock this season.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle bids farewell to Big Tex, the huge statue that adorned the Texas State Fair outside Dallas that burned down on Friday and the voice of Big Tex.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman reviews Fox Sports Net’s production of last night’s Oklahoma blowout of Kansas.

The Oklahoman notes that ESPN’s College GameDay will be at the Notre Dame-Oklahoma game in Norman next Saturday.

The Cincinnati Enquirier’s John Kiesewetter talks with NBC’s Al Michaels who got his big break in the Queen City.

John has some outtakes with Al that didn’t make the newspaper story.

Joe Reedy of the Enquirer talks with Cris Collinsworth who will have a heavy heart working with Al Michaels tonight.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco has his work cut out for him in negotiating a new TV contract for the conference.

At TimeOut Chicago, Robert Feder discusses Jenny McCarthy joining the Sun-Times as a columnist, the Tribune going behind the dreaded paywall, and Bob Brenly’s replacement as Cubs analyst.

At the Los Angeles Daily News, Tom Hoffarth recalls the 31st Anniversary of “Blue Monday” for the Dodgers with Vin Scully.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog enjoys the MLB International productions over TBS and Fox in the postseason.

And that will do it.

American League Championship Series Scores For TBS

After having the maximum amount of 20 combined Wild Card and League Division Games, TBS ended up with the minimal amount of just four American League Championship games as the ALCS ended in a Detroit Tigers sweep of the New York Yankees. Despite the four game procession, TBS did well, getting an increase from last year when it carried the National League Championship Series. And TBS has the nation’s #1 market of New York to thank for the ratings increase.

Overall, TBS averaged a 3.8 household rating for the ALCS up 38% from last year’s 2.9 average for the NLCS. The ALCS on TBS averaged 5.9 million viewers, a big 28% increase from last year’s 4.6 million average viewership for the NLCS.

For Detroit’s series clinching Game 4 on Thursday afternoon, TBS saw a 3.5 rating and a viewership of 5.25 million. Locally, Detroit led the nation with a huge 30.6 rating for Game 4 while New York garnered a respectable 8.7 rating.

Here are the details from Turner.

Four Games of American League Championship Series on TBS Average More Than 5.9 Million Total Viewers, Up 28 Percent vs. 2011

The Network Averages 6.6 Million Total Viewers for Two Primetime Games

TBS’ exclusive coverage of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees, averaged 5,924,000 total viewers, an increase of 28 percent over last year’s average of 4,612,000 total viewers for the network’s coverage of the National League Championship Series (NLCS). The network’s ALCS coverage averaged a 3.8 U.S. household rating, up 31 percent over an average 2.9 U.S. household rating for the NLCS last year.

Additional ALCS highlights:

• In 2012, TBS aired two ALCS games in primetime (Saturday’s Game 1 and Tuesday’s Game 3) and two afternoon telecasts (Sunday’s Game 2 and Thursday’s Game 4).

• In primetime, the Yankees/Tigers games averaged a 4.1 U.S. household rating and 6.6 million total viewers.
• The two afternoon telecasts averaged a 3.3 U.S. household rating and 5.2 million total viewers.
• In 2011, TBS aired five NLCS games in primetime and one contest during the day.

Yesterday afternoon’s ALCS Game 4 (4-7:48 p.m. ET) averaged a 3.5 U.S. household rating and 5,251,000 total viewers. Locally, the ALCS Game 4 telecast registered a 30.6 metered market rating in Detroit – the highest local rating for any market during the 2012 MLB Postseason on TBS – and an 8.7 metered market rating in New York.

There you have it.