Seen on Screen: MLB Net Sets World Series Coverage; HBO Doc to Focus on Kevin Durant

by Jarrel Harris, Editorial Assistant

With the World Series matchup set, MLB Network’s studio shows will hit the road as part of its expanded on-site programming starting October 20 in Kansas City. MLB Network’s extensive coverage of the AL Champion Kansas City Royals and NL champion San Francisco Giants include previews analysis, highlights and interviews on High Heat with Christopher Russo, MLB Now, International Talk and the flagship program MLB Tonight before and after every game.

…HBO Sports announced it has set its own documentary about one of the NBA’s biggest stars in Kevin Durant. The premium cabler will air The Offseason: Kevin Durant on Nov. 4, a week after Durant and his Oklahoma City Thunder tip off their 2014-15 campaign.

The special will give a first-person account from the Thunder star, following him from his teams’ elimination in last year’s Western Conference Finals on May 31 until the beginning of training camp in late September. HBO says cameras and microphones were embedded with the 26-year-old All-Star throughout the summer.  

… The key NFC matchup between the Seahawks and Panthers will air on CBS as part of the NFL’s new “cross-flexing.”

The league said Monday that the Oct. 26 game at Carolina will be on CBS instead of Fox, which owns the NFC package. The policy change in the current TV rights agreement aims to gain bigger audiences for appealing games. CBS owns the AFC package.

… ESPN’s extensive multiplatform coverage of the 2014-15 men’s college basketball season will include more than 1,500 games across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPNEWS, SEC Network and Longhorn Network as well as content on ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN The Magazine and more.

… ESPN will premiere The Grantland Basketball Hour on Thursday, October 23, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The first Grantland-branded television series will feature editor-in-chief Bill Simmons and ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose, along with special guests Michelle Beadle, Jeff Van Gundy, Zach Lowe and Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. During each show, Simmons, Rose and their guests will engage in dynamic conversations and offer fresh perspective on various NBA topics and trends in front of a studio audience.

The Grantland Basketball Hour, produced from ESPN’s Los Angeles Production Center as one of the first television extensions of Exit 31, will air up to 18 one-hour, prime-time episodes throughout the NBA regular season, playoffs and Finals. Additional episodes are planned for the NBA Draft and free agency period. In addition to airing on ESPN, re-airs will be seen regularly on ESPN2 and at times on ABC, while segments of the show will be featured on Grantland.com and incorporated into various ESPN platforms, including SportsCenter. Thursday’s premiere episode will re-air on ABC on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.