Seen on Screen: Showtime Sports Premieres ‘All Access: Quest For The Stanley Cup’; NBC Sports Announces Coverage Plans for The Open

Showtime Sports has launched its real-time, behind-the-scenes documentary series ALL ACCESS: Quest For The Stanley Cup. Enter the Pittsburgh Penguins dressing room for an intimate look before and after an intense Game 4 of the Second Round series versus the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh. The docuseries, which premiered on Friday, May 20, is the first of its kind to nationally televise the championship of a major North American sport as it unfolds. Weekly episodes will chronicle the Eastern and Western Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final as the top-four NHL teams battle for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup…

… NBC Sports Group will devote 49.5 live hours of tournament coverage to The 145th Open from July 14-17, including 14.5 live hours on Golf Channel over each of the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday; 10.5 live hours across Golf Channel and NBC during the third round on Saturday; and 10 live hours across Golf Channel and NBC during the final round on Sunday. In total, NBC Sports Group will provide 78.5 hours, including the live coverage of all four rounds, as well as two highlight specials on NBC from 4-6 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday, and encore presentations of each round on Golf Channel. All coverage will be streamed via NBC Sports Live Extra and Golf Live Extra, and additional digital extensions will be announced at a later date…

…Golf Channel’s signature news programs, Morning Drive and Golf Central Live From The Open, will provide 31.5 live hours of comprehensive news coverage the week of The Open. Golf Central’s Live From The Open will be onsite throughout the week with 25.5 live hours from Royal Troon, which will be hosting The Open for the ninth time in its history. Morning Drive will kick things off from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. ET before The Open’s first round to lead into live coverage of the opening tee shot. Coverage will be complemented by comprehensive news and highlights via NBC Sports Digital, Golf Channel Digital, and social media platforms throughout the week…

…Golf Channel and NBC will carry live coverage of The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, July 21-24, and the RICOH Women’s British Open, July 28-31. The Open also will commence NBC Sports’ unprecedented 12-week stretch of premier golf events, including the Rio Olympics, PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs, and Ryder Cup…

… A new summer series of PBC on ESPN begins Saturday, June 4, on ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 11 p.m. ET.  The cards will air evenings June through August on ESPN and ESPN Deportes; all fights will also simulcast on WatchESPN. The June 4th card features light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev against 2008 Argentinean Olympian Ezequiel Maderna in a 10-round fight from Montreal’s Bell Centre. The co-feature pits undefeated welterweights Bryant Perrella and David Grayton, also scheduled for 10 rounds…

… NBC Sports Group and Notre Dame will kick off the 26th season of Notre Dame Football on NBC, when the Fighting Irish host the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday, September 10, at 3:30 p.m. ET, from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. NBC Sports’ coverage of 2016 Notre Dame Football is highlighted by primetime match-ups vs. 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinalist Michigan State on Saturday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET, and 2015 Pac-12 and Rose Bowl Champion Stanford on Saturday, October 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition, coverage includes games against Duke on Saturday, September 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET; Miami on Saturday, October 29, at 3:30 p.m. ET; and Virginia Tech on Saturday, November 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET…

…The next installment in ESPN Films’ Emmy Award-winning 30 for 30 series will be “Doc & Darryl,” will premiere on Thursday, July 14, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Directors Judd Apatow (“Trainwreck,” “This Is 40”) and Michael Bonfiglio (“You Don’t Know Bo”) will explore the lives and careers of former New York Mets superstars, the young flame thrower, Dwight “Doc” Gooden and feared power hitter Darryl Strawberry…

…Nearly 50 years since Richard Petty won an historic 10 consecutive races, the spirit of NASCAR racing remains the same. Presented by Smithfield Foods, Building 43 guides viewers through the history of Richard Petty Motorsports, the 1967 season that crowned “The King,” and the No. 43 team’s current focus on capturing checkered flags. Building 43 airs Saturday, May 21, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing returns to NBC with the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday, July 2 at 7:45 p.m. ET. In 2016 NBC Sports Group presents 20 Sprint Cup, 19 XFINITY and 37 touring series races in addition to coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies and the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony…

…ESPN will begin the 2016 college football season with DICK’s Sporting Goods Kickoff Week, a marquee Week 1 slate featuring top teams, ranked squads going head-to-head and games from historic locations. The schedule will feature the defending College Football Playoff National Champion and No. 1 team in ESPN.com’s “way too early top 25” Alabama, in addition to No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Oklahoma, and No. 6 LSU. The location of games adds to the interest, as Lambeau Field hosts its first college game in more than 30 years (No. 6 LSU vs. Wisconsin on ABC) and 2016’s first college football Saturday begins in Dublin, Ireland (Georgia Tech vs. Boston College on ESPN2)…

…ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 will combine to present over 13 live hours of the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee, presented by Kindle, from National Harbor, MD, on May 25 and 26. This is the 89th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee and ESPN’s 23rd straight year of televising the finals. ESPN3 will exclusively carry all preliminary rounds live on Wednesday (8 a.m.). Live coverage of the Finals will begin on Thursday, May 26, at 10 a.m. on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. The Finals competition will conclude on ESPN and WatchESPN at 8 p.m. Throughout the competition, ESPN3 on WatchESPN will feature a second-screen, multiple-choice Play-Along version that gives fans a one-in-four chance to pick the correct spelling of the given word, allowing fans to try their hand at competing along with the spellers...

…ESPN has launched The Undefeated, a digital content platform exploring the intersection of sports, race and culture.  TheUndefeated.com will combine innovative long-form and short-form storytelling, original reporting and provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans, as well as sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of black athletes, culture and related issues…

…WWE Superstar/actor John Cena has pinned down the role of host for the 2016 ESPYS. The ESPYs, which will air live on ABC July 13, raises more than $1 million annually for The V Foundation to promote cancer research.