Seen on Screen: Championship Sunday Returns This Weekend on NBCSN; FS1 Launches ‘Speak for Yourself’

by Alicia Montanaro, Editorial Assistant

NBCUniversal presents “Championship Sunday,” with all 10 matches presented live simultaneously on 10 different NBCUniversal television networks this Sunday, May 15, at 10 a.m. ET. NBC and TELEMUNDO host coverage of Swansea City vs. Manchester City, with Manchester United vs. Bournemouth on NBCSN and NBC UNIVERSO. In addition, all 10 matches will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets…

…FS1 announced the partnership of Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitlock for a new discussion and opinion-based studio program, titled Speak for Yourself. Debuting on Monday, June 13 and airing weeknights from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. ET, the one-hour show will begin with the coverage of all the headlines from across the world of sports. Then, Cowherd and Whitlock will jump into additional segments such as “Read Between the Lines,” where contributors present the day’s most provocative stories from different angles, a one-on-one interview portion in which Whitlock examines and debates a range of topics with a guest athlete or newsmaker, and a “Good Bet/Bad Bet” feature for the hosts to tackle daily stories with a gambling twist…

…ESPN has selected seven Big Ten Conference college football games for Saturday prime-time on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2 during the 2016 college football season. The schedule contains eight Big Ten teams, including three teams in the ESPN.com’s way-too-early preseason rankings: No. 3 Michigan, No. 10 Ohio State, and No. 17 Iowa. Ohio State will be featured four consecutive weeks in the schedule from October 15 to November 5. In addition, Michigan opens and closes the six-week prime-time slate on the road: October 8 at Rutgers and November 12 at Iowa…

…NBC Olympics has announced its programming plans for golf’s 112-year anticipated return to the Olympics. The Golf Channel will join NBC Sports to become the first single-sport cable network to provide live coverage of its sport’s Olympic competition. The channel will feature more than 130 hours of live Olympics programming, surrounded by in-depth analytical previews and recaps. The programming coverage will also include the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Golf competition, from Thursday, August 11 through Sunday, August 14 for the men and Wednesday, August 17 through Saturday, August 20 for the women. “Golf Central’s Live from the Olympics” will also provide wraparound news coverage before and after the competition…

…ESPN announced that its 2016-17 college football bowl schedule will consist of 28 games, including 13 owned and operated games by ESPN Events. The games will begin on Saturday, December 17 with a tripleheader on ESPN and a doubleheader on ABC, and continue through Monday, January 2 with ESPN/ESPN2 televising 33 games and ABC airing four during the 17-action packed days. The New Year’s Six begins on Friday, December 30 with the Capital One Orange Bowl at 8:00 p.m. ET and continues with the College Football Playoff Semifinals, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET on December 31. A tripleheader on Monday, January 2 will conclude the third year of the premier bowl series: the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at 1:00 p.m. ET, the Rose Bowl Game at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8:30 p.m. ET. Each of the New Year’s Six games will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Radio…

…The next installment in ESPN Films’ SEC Stories series, “Mighty Ruthie,” premieres on Sunday, May 22 at 9:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The film observes gold medalist Ruthie Bolton, a former Auburn basketball player and a victim of domestic violence who has become an advocate for women. The documentary directed by Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern, features interviews from Bolton’s friends and family, as well as Ruthie herself. Bolton discusses the highs and lows of her life and career, and how she dedicates herself to helping women today…

… ESPN’s 2016 MLB Global Game series began on Monday, May 9, with a focus on Venezuela throughout the Tigers-Nationals game. The special episode of Monday Night Baseball, was the first of many games that will celebrate various cultural influences on the game of baseball. The Global Game Venezuela featured cultural discussions about the country, interviews with Venezuelan players, and a fielding demo with the Tigers’ first base coach Omar Vizquel. Three-time All-Star and Venezuelan-born former major league pitcher, Carlos Zambrano, served as a guest analyst throughout the broadcast. He spoke alongside ESPN MLB analysts Doug Glanville and Eduardo Perez, and play-by-play voice Karl Ravech. The 2016 Global Game series on ESPN will feature three more games throughout the remainder of the season, focusing on Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Japan…

…The Prudential Center has declared that it will host the inaugural “Never Forget Tribute Classic,” an annual NCAA men’s basketball doubleheader, on Saturday, December 10. The event will partner with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which helps support the education of children of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and will feature the 2016 NCAA Men’s Champion Villanova vs. Notre Dame, followed by Pitt vs. Penn State. CBS Sports will broadcast the doubleheader, with Game 1 on CBS at 12:00 p.m. ET, and Game 2 on CBS Sports Network at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be available on CBS Sports Radio. Tickets to the “Never Forget Tribute Classic” start at $30 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at Prudential Center’s box office starting Thursday, May 5 at 10:00 a.m…

…Kobe Bryant’s production company Kobe Studios, Sports Illustrated, and Believe Entertainment Group have announced their partnership on a multi-platform video project based on Bryant’s “Dear Basketball” poem. Bryant used the poem to announce his retirement from the NBA this year. The now retired Lakers star will narrate the short film, which is set to premiere on SI.com in the fall. Viewers may also obtain a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the project, through several exclusive SI Films mini documentaries…

…ESPN Films will broadcast “Believeland,” a new installment in its 30 for 30 series on Saturday, May 14 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The documentary will explore the struggles of Cleveland’s major sports franchises over the past 50 years and the impact it has all had on the spirit of a typical Cleveland sports fan. Cleveland is the only city with at least three major sports teams, that has failed to win a championship in the last half-century. Directed by Ohio native Andy Billman, “Believeland” is a testament to how much sports mean to Cleveland, and how much Cleveland means to sports…

…The PGA Tour has announced the release of 12 original 30-minute programs, produced by PGA Tour Entertainment. The programs include “The 9,” a series counting down the Top-9 finishes, rivalries, seasons, and moments in PGA Tour History, as well as “PGA Tour Portraits,” which focuses on the careers of current stars on the Tour such Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson. “The 9” debuted on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The PGA Tour’s series will air every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET through August on the CBS Sports Network…

…On May 4, Showtime Sports and Matchroom Boxing announced a multi-fight licensing agreement for Showtime Networks to be the exclusive U.S. television partner of the undefeated heavyweight world champion, Anthony Joshua. The partnership begins on Saturday, June 25 when Joshua attempts to make the first defense of his IBF heavyweight world championship title against undefeated American challenger, Dominic Breazeale…

…Running from May 9 through May 11, ESPN2’s nightly prime-time shows from Invictus Games Orlando 2016 included “Up Close and Personal” features on several of the competitors. The purpose was to present viewers with an insight into the lives and struggles of the brave participants. Bob Woodruff, a veteran who was injured by a roadside bomb while reporting in Iraq for ABC News, voiced the features. Also, John Brenkus, host of ESPN Sport Science, looked at the competitor’s performances from a scientific viewpoint each night. ESPN’s coverage began on Sunday, May 8 with a two-hour Opening Ceremony and culminated on May 12, with a Closing Ceremony…

…From Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8, Turner Sports presented live coverage of the inaugural NCAA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship from Gulf Shores, AL. truTV televised the live event coverage from May 6 to May 7, and TBS broadcast the championship round on May 8. Anne Marie Anderson provided play-by-play commentary for the televised matches alongside analyst Holly McPeak and reporters Kelli Tennant, Michelle McMahon, and Nicole Branagh. All matches airing on truTV and TBS were also available through Turner’s TV Everywhere platforms, including the Watch TBS and Watch truTV apps. NCAA.com provided fans with live streaming for every match throughout the tournament…

…On Wednesday, May 4, FS1’s original program Garbage Time with Katie Nolan returned to television for its third season. The show will continue to tackle the biggest sports stories of the week, accompanied by Nolan’s wit, off-the-wall guest interviews, and unique comedy bits. During the season’s premiere episode, Nolan searched for a retirement gift for David Ortiz and played Jenga with the U.S. Women’s National Team star, Carli Lloyd. Garbage Time with Katie Nolan airs every Wednesday night at 12:00 a.m. ET on FS1.