Starting on Friday, Sports Illustrated and Turner Sports will team up for a new video series that will be seen at SI.com. It will involve various broadcasters who will discuss the latest news in the sports they cover, plus go in-depth on current issues. This sounds quite interesting and has some good potential. The good thing is that this is not limited to TBS/TNT and SI personalities, it will go across the board to CBS, Fox, NBC and other networks.
Here’s the joint release from Sports Illustrated and Turner Sports.
SI.com to Launch a New Weekly Video Franchise Featuring Some of the Biggest Names in Sports Broadcasting with Behind the Mic Set to Launch on October 1The Sports Illustrated Group and Turner Sports announced today the launch of a new online video franchise for SI.com entitled Behind the Mic. The new SI.com video series will debut on Oct. 1, showcasing the candid views, insights and expertise of some of the biggest names in sports broadcasting.Each week Behind the Mic will feature multiple 90-second video segments with the analysts offering their insights and opinions on topics impacting the sports they are most associated with, as well as responding to comments made by newsmakers that have resonated within their sport. Additional video segments will be added during each sport’s respective postseasons and championships.The collection of on-air personalities includes multiple Hall of Famers, MVP’s, World Champions, All-Stars, Pro Bowlers and Emmy Award winners including Turner Sports roster of marquee on-air personalities. Featured Analysts for Behind the Mic include:– Charles Barkley, 1993 NBA MVP & Basketball Hall of Famer (NBA)– Cris Collinsworth, 3-time Pro Bowler (NFL)– Boomer Esiason, 1988 NFL MVP & 4-time Pro Bowler (NFL)– Nick Faldo, 6-time Major Winner (Golf)– Doug Flutie, Heisman Trophy Winner (NCAA Football)– Howie Long, 8-time Pro Bowler & Pro Football Hall of Famer (NFL)– Kevin McHale, 7-time NBA All-Star & Basketball Hall of Famer– Reggie Miller, 5-time NBA All-Star– Cal Ripken, 19-time MLB All-Star & MLB Hall of Famer (MLB)– Phil Simms, 2-time Super Bowl Champion & Super Bowl XX MVP (NFL)– Kenny Smith, 2-time NBA Champion (NBA)The debut video segments on October 1 will include:
- Cris Collinsworth on Michael Vick’s performance and what to expect in the coming weeks from the Eagles QB.
- Boomer Esiason on the Pittsburgh Steelers 3-0 start and how Ben Roethisberger’s return will impact their team.
- Nick Faldo previewing this weekend’s Ryder Cup.
- Doug Flutie on how Boise State would fair vs. power conference teams like Alabama and Ohio State, as well as addressing if Georgia head coach Mark Richt is on the hot seat.
- Howie Long on the poor start by the NY Giants and where he sees their season going.
- Cal Ripken looking ahead to next week’s MLB Postseason Division Series, which will air exclusively on Turner’s TBS cable network.
“Behind the Mic is the kind of collaboration with Turner Sports that raises our game with lively, experienced voices that fans want to hear,” said Terry McDonell, Sports Illustrated Group Editor.“Behind the Mic is our first collaborative product since our recent partnership announcement with SI.com and one we envision bringing thoughtful discussion to their passionate fan-base through some of the most candid voices in sports broadcasting,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “It represents one of our key goals through this collaboration; providing the fans, through our joint industry resources, with high-quality, timely video content. This is without a doubt, a great collection of broadcast talent assembled and SI.com users will enjoy their informative and entertaining insights.”
If SI and Turner allow it, I’ll embed it here so we can all take a look.
