Seen on Screen: ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Others Forge on With Taped, Live Studio Programming

NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Labonte headline a high-powered lineup, including two-time and defending NASCAR CUP SERIES champion Kyle Busch, 2012 NASCAR CUP SERIES champion Brad Keselowski, 2018 NASCAR CUP Series champion Joey Logano, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, 2016 NASCAR CUP SERIES Rookie of the Year Chase Elliott, 2008 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES champion Clint Bowyer, 2014 NASCAR CUP SERIES Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson and 2017 NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES champion Christopher Bell.

Additional NASCAR CUP SERIES drivers competing on Sunday include Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Matt DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Michael McDowell, John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Preece, Garrett Smithley, Erik Jones, Ross Chastain, Parker Kligerman, Landon Cassill and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. A full 35-car lineup, including racers from the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES and NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES, will be announced Sunday.

Bowyer, who expanded his role with FOX Sports earlier this year, serves as the in-car analyst, competing in an iRacing simulator in the FOX NASCAR Charlotte studio…

…NBC Sports will partner with TVG to bring more horse racing to more fans beginning this weekend as NBCSN simulcasts TVG’s Trackside Live on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 from 4-8 p.m. ET.

Anchored by TVG host and NBC Sports reporter Britney Eurton, TVG’s Trackside Live provides fans with live horse racing from various tracks across the country.

The biggest race of the weekend – the $1 million Louisiana Derby from Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans – will air on NBCSN as previously scheduled on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET, and will be part of the Trackside Live coverage.

NBCSN will also simulcast Trackside Live the following weekend – Friday, March 27 through Sunday, March 29 from 4-8 p.m. ET on all three days, including the Florida Derby on NBCSN on Saturday, March 28 at 6 p.m. ET – if horse races continue to be held.

The winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby will receive qualifying points towards the 146th Kentucky Derby, which will be run on Saturday, Sept. 5. Previously run over nine furlongs on dirt, the Louisiana Derby will be 1 3/16ths miles on Saturday.

Enforceable, the 2020 Lecomte Stakes winner and runner-up in the first division of the 2020 Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford, will break from the #10 post in the 14-horse field as the 7-2 morning-line favorite. 2020 Lecomte Stakes runner-up Silver State and winner of the second division of the 2020 Risen Star Stakes, Modernist, will break from #13 and #14 posts, respectively. They are both 6-1 on the morning line.

Coverage of the Louisiana Derby will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs…

…Along with NBC Sport’s TVG Trackside Live simulcast, Fox Sports is broadcasting live coverage of America’s Day at the Races. Coverage includes weekend stakes action and live racing from tracks across the country, with fifteen hours of content across FS1 and FS2…

…Major League Rugby (MLR) launches MLR 2020: Virtual, a gaming competition between teams on Rugby20 during the suspension hiatus, to be live streamed to fans on Twitch. In addition, MLR has partnered with the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund to allow fans to donate in support of food banks during the live streams.

While fans can be sure MLR will return #ToPlayAnotherDay, the MLR and its clubs respond to the suspension as an opportunity to showcase rugby’s dedication to supporting local communities and keeping the spirit of competition alive. All MLR teams will raise money for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund that is built to help food banks across the country during this challenging time. Fans who donate will be entered into Fan of the Match prize giveaways…

…The Race All-Star Esports Battle returns this week with the world’s greatest sim racers set a huge challenge against leading drivers from Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula E, and more.

The inaugural event had a combined total of 12.1 million minutes watched on “The Race” YouTube channel – that’s a combined total of 23 years of total content consumed. The massive fan engagement featured nearly 30,000 combined comments and millions of impressions on social media.

Sunday’s event was created following the cancellation of the opening round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Australia. Other major motorsports championships including the NASCAR, Formula E, IndyCar, and the World Endurance Championship have also been shut down due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

The debut race attracted some of the world’s leading drivers including Formula 1 star Max Verstappen, Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud and FIA Formula E points leader Antonio Felix da Costa but was won by esports racer Jernej Simoncic.

Following the incredible debut event organizers, Torque Esports have been inundated with drivers – both real and virtual – looking to take part in this week’s race will be held on Saturday starting at 18:00 CET | 5:00 UK | 13:00 US Eastern | 10:00 US Pacific.

The commentary team will again be led by Formula 1 callers Jack Nicholls and ex-Formula 1 racer Jolyon Palmer…

Live Studio Programming
ESPN’s popular Hoop Streams NBA digital show resumes on Friday, March 20, at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN’s Twitter and YouTube platforms. New episodes of the show will air on Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. All shows will be available on the ESPN App upon the conclusion of the live show.

ESPN host and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth hosts Hoop Streams with analyst and NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins and fellow analyst Amin Elhassan. The show will include reactions to pertinent news of the day as well as special guest appearances from NBA players and personnel…

…Amid the current situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic, Fox Sports has made significant changes to both their studio programming and live event production schedules.

On the events front, the network is continuing their live coverage of WWE Friday Night Smackdown, starting on Friday, March 20 at 8 p.m. ET.

As for studio shows, The Herd With Colin Cowherd will resume on weekdays at 12 p.m. ET on FS1. In addition, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed returns on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. ET on a modified one-hour format…

…The daily edition of The Jump returned on Thursday, March 19, with host Rachel Nichols joined by NBA Champions and analysts Paul Pierce and Matt Barnes. On Friday, March 20, Nichols and Pierce return with six-time NBA Champion Scottie Pippen. The Jump airs at 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Encore editions of the show will air at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 and at 5 p.m. on ESPN…

…PFT Live, hosted by NFL Insider Mike Florio and analyst Chris Simms, returns to NBCSN beginning Monday, March 23, in its usual weekday timeslot from 7–9 a.m. ET to analyze and discuss the latest news surrounding NFL free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft.

NBC Sports NFL Insider Peter King will also continue to make regular appearances on PFT Live, reporting on offseason activity from around the league.

With the new league year underway, Florio and Simms will provide the most up-to-date information and analysis on all free agency news and rumors, while continuing to preview the upcoming NFL Draft in April and other offseason news. PFT Live will also return on Sky Sports in the U.K. and Ireland…

…ESPN launched a 64-player bracket celebrating the best college basketball players of all time. The bracket comprised of men’s and women’s players, through the 2019-2020 season, who made their mark on the history of college basketball.

ESPN host Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg, Rebecca Lobo, Maria Taylor, Dick Vitale, Bill Walton, and Jay Williams, unveiled the full bracket Tuesday, during SportsCenter Special: College Basketball’s Greatest of All-Time at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Following the unveiling of the field of 64, fans can vote on who should advance. Voting for each region will be open for 24 hours, and can be done on Twitter and Instagram.

Regions will be discussed, analyzed, and debated throughout the coming weeks. Results began to be revealed on Thursday, March 19.

Players were chosen by ESPN based on their overall play as college basketball players, factoring in both regular season and NCAA Tournament performance, statistical achievements, and awards.

ESPN.com will provide a written guide to all 64 players in the bracket once names are revealed Tuesday night, and will complement the initiative with daily roundtables and predictions articles powered by ESPN writers and commentators, as the bracket advances through March 29.

Click HERE for a full schedule…

Taped Programming
NESN’s upcoming week of programming initiatives will include daily iconic Red Sox and Bruins postseason games, a Hockey East marathon on NESN+ and daily live programming with NESN After Hours.

NESN will air 2013 Red Sox postseason games at 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday next week, and will follow the team’s run to the 2013 World Series Championship. The next eight weeks will follow the Sox on their championship runs in 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018, starting next week with 2013. The next week of programming is as follows (and the following week will continue the 2013 postseason run).

Bruins programming will consistently air at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday next week and moving forward. The next five weeks will follow the B’s in their journey to win the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Next week will start off on Monday at 8 p.m. with Neely 50 in 44, airing the game in which Cam Neely reached his remarkable milestone of fifty goals in forty-four games (Mar. 7, 1994 vs. WSH), followed by a debut episode of NESN’s My Story featuring Chris Wagner at 9 p.m.

NESN’s live late night show, NESN After Hours, will air tonight at 9 p.m. and every night moving forward at 10 p.m.

The Hockey East marathon begins today at 2 p.m. on NESN+.

Click HERE for schedule updates…

ESPN will air an encore presentation of the Academy-Award winning 30 for 30 documentary “O.J.: Made in America” over four nights in primetime from March 23-26. The film originally premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016, premiered on ABC/ESPN in June 2016, and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 89^th Academy Awards in February 2017.

Click HERE for a full schedule…

…Monumental Sports Network and NBC Sports Washington (NBCSW) will present one-hour video game simulations of previously scheduled Washington Wizards (NBA) and Washington Capitals (NHL) games through Take-Two Interactive’s NBA 2K20 and EA Sports’ NHL 20, respectively, beginning this weekend.

The artificial intelligence (AI) gameplay will be presented in alignment with the teams’ remaining schedules of postponed regular-season games, including opponents and dates. The matchups will be televised on NBCSW, and available via its 24/7 authenticated streaming platforms, and streamed direct-to-consumer on Monumental Sports Network via its website or via any of its available apps on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Xbox.

The Wizards simulations, which begin Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m. ET with Wizards vs. Milwaukee, will be conducted through Take-Two Interactive’s NBA 2K20. The viewer experience will include the same video and audio components of NBA 2K20 gameplay, along with contributions from NBCSW’s Wizards experts surrounding the coverage.

The Capitals schedule of game simulations, using EA Sports’ NHL 20, will begin on Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. ET, with a matchup of the last two Stanley Cup Champions, the Capitals vs. St. Louis. Several elements of the NHL 20 user experience will be included, but the presentations will feature commentary from NBCSW’s Capitals announcers…

…ESPN will bring back the high school appearances of some professional basketball’s biggest names on Saturday, March 21, with a slate of McDonald’s All American Games and Jam Fests of the past. The schedule begins at 6 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and runs until midnight. Fan favorites featured in the 18-hour lineup include Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love, Candace Parker, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, James Harden, Zion Williamson, and LeBron James…

…Last summer, the Toronto Raptors united Canadians across the country during their historic 24-game journey en route to becoming NBA Champions. Now, TSN and Sportsnet are joining forces for fans to relive the highs, lows and unforgettable moments over 24 consecutive nights.

From Friday, March 20 to Sunday, April 12, Sportsnet and TSN will alternate coverage in prime time of the Raptors post-season showdowns against the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors. The broadcasts will also be available on both networks’ streaming subscription services, TSN Direct and Sportsnet NOW.

Click HERE for a full schedule…

…ESPN will present a seven-hour programming marathon this Sunday, March 22, highlighting Tom Brady’s Championship performances with the New England Patriots over the past two decades. The combination of NFL’s Greatest Games and Super Bowl Highlights specials will feature nine seminal games – including condensed versions of all six Super Bowl victories – from Brady’s time with the Patriots.

The seven-hour block begins at 12 p.m. ET with NFL’s Greatest Games: 2001 AFC Divisional Round, Brady’s first playoff game (the Tuck Rule Game) – a 16-13 overtime win against the Oakland Raiders in a snowstorm at Foxboro Stadium. At 6:30 p.m., NFL’s Greatest Games: Super Bowl LIII concludes the marathon with a look back at Brady’s final Super Bowl appearance when he led the Pats to two scores in the fourth quarter for a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN’s Brady marathon will run simultaneously to The Ocho on ESPN2, locking in the majority of ESPN and ESPN2’s programming for Sunday, March 22. Additional programming information regarding ESPN and ESPN2’s schedule for Saturday, March 21 and ESPN’s primetime window on Sunday, March 22 is forthcoming.

For a full schedule, click here…

…Despite the cancellation of this year’s March Madness, CBS Sports is still curbing the cravings of college basketball fans with reruns of past tournaments. Over the next two weeks, the network has added a total of nine classic games to its daily programming for viewers to enjoy…

…As the National Hockey League (NHL) community continues to practice social distancing and take all necessary precautions during this ever-changing time, the League will continue to help fans stay connected to the League’s players and the game by providing access to unique content and archived games. Starting Friday, the NHL will serve fans with an increased offering of video, editorial, and digital content on NHL.com, the NHL app and across the NHL’s social channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by providing fans access to an expansive selection of classic NHL games, long-form content from the NHL Original Productions’ vast library and free access to stream full replays of games from the 2019-20 regular season.

Starting Friday, March 20 and through April 30, the NHL and Sportsnet have decided to make full replays of all 2019-20 NHL regular-season games already played available to stream on demand. The games will be accessible via the scores and schedule pages of NHL.com and the NHL app and in Canada via NHL LIVE. For additional details on accessing the games visit NHL.TV or (in Canada) NHLLive.com on Friday.

The NHL will launch the “NHL Pause Binge” on NHL.com and on its official YouTube channel, which will consist of a curated collection of NHL Original Productions content, from the critically-acclaimed, behind-the-scenes programs Road to the NHL Winter Classic, Behind The Glass, and NHL All Access to full-length classic NHL games dating from the 1950s to present day. NHL.com and NHL Social daily programming will include fan favorites This Day in History and Players to Watch: Next Gen, profiles on top rookies and draft prospects, a look back at top Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final moments, and much more.

The 2020 NHL Gaming World Championship featuring the best EA Sports NHL 2o HUT players in the world is underway. Gamers are showcasing their skills and testing their talent against one another for a chance to raise the championship trophy and take home their share of $150,000+ USD, the largest prize pool in NHL gaming history. Fans can follow the conversation on social using hashtag #NHLGWC and by visiting www.nhl.com/gaming.

Click HERE for more information…

…In collaboration with WWE, ESPN is airing encore presentations of historic WrestleMania events over the next three Sundays on ESPN and streaming via the ESPN App. The special content initiative begins this Sunday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET with the airing of WrestleMania 30.

The full schedule is below:

WrestleMania 30 (airs Sunday, March 22, 7 p.m. ET) – from April 6, 2014
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin kick off the 30th anniversary of the “Showcase of the Immortals” before a record-breaking crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar attempts to end the most celebrated streak in WWE history, Undertaker’s 21 consecutive victories at WrestleMania; witness the emotional culmination of Daniel Bryan’s “Yes! movement” in a championship triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.

WrestleMania 32 (airs Sunday, March 29, 7 p.m. ET) – from April 3, 2016
The largest crowd in WWE history filled Jerry World at AT&T Stadium for WrestleMania 32, as more than 101,000 fans witness the “Show of Shows.” Roman Reigns takes on Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event; Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in a match to crown the first-ever WWE Women’s Champion; the world famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders welcome The Rock to AT&T Stadium; and Shane McMahon stuns the WWE Universe with a death-defying leap in his Hell in a Cell match against Undertaker.

WrestleMania 35 (airs Sunday, April 5, 3 p.m. ET) – from April 7, 2019
WrestleMania at MetLife Stadium features a significant moment in WWE’s Women’s Evolution as the “baddest woman on the planet” Ronda Rousey takes on Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a “Winner Take All” Triple Threat match for the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships, marking the first time women were the main event at WrestleMania; Kofi Kingston finally gets a shot at realizing his lifelong dream of becoming WWE Champion against Daniel Bryan; and Batista faces his one-time friend and mentor Triple H in a “no holds barred” match.

These three encore presentations will air in advance of this year’s WrestleMania, which for the first time ever, will be held as a two-night event streaming live on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET on WWE Network and available on pay-per-view. WrestleMania will be hosted by three-time Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski. As WWE previously announced, only essential personnel will be on closed sets at multiple locations, including WWE’s training facility in Orlando, during the production of WrestleMania…

…Two weekends ago, the Manchester Derby on NBC became the most-watched Premier League match in U.S. TV history. And this weekend, Premier League programming on NBCSN features full event replays of recent memorable Manchester United-Manchester City games.

The Manchester Derby memories begin this Sunday, March 22 at 6 a.m. ET when Manchester City kept their place as Premier League leaders after beating archrivals Manchester United, 3-1, on November 11, 2018. Goals from Manchester City’s David Silva, Sergio Aguero, and Ilkay Gundogan highlighted the match. The action continues at 8 a.m. ET when Manchester City earned a 2-1 derby victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 10, 2017. Manchester City made Premier League history at the time as they became the first team to win 14 consecutive matches within the same season, while also ending Manchester United’s 24-match unbeaten home run in the league.

Derby action concludes at 10 a.m. ET when Manchester United rallied from two goals down to win 3-2 over Manchester City on April 7, 2018, delaying City’s title celebrations. Paul Pogba’s double early in the second half was the turning point of the match, while teammate Chris Smalling scored the 69th-minute winner.

This weekend’s Premier League programming kicks off this Saturday, March 21, with back-to-back episodes of Soccerbox on NBCSN. First, at 6 a.m. ET, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville sits down with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. Then at 6:30 a.m., Neville chats with his former United teammate Paul Scholes. The action continues with seven hours of Premier League Goals of the Season featuring highlights from the 2010-17 seasons.

NBCSN will also premiere the documentary, Klopp’s Promise, this Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Narrated by Roger Bennett, the show highlights Liverpool’s journey in the four-plus years under manager Jurgen Klopp, from winning the Champions League, to closing in on their first league title in 30 years, to having to wait for that title due to the Premier League season being suspended. An encore presentation will air on Sunday at noon ET (NBCSN).

Click HERE for a full schedule…

…Beginning March 23, NBC Sports will present Hockey Week in America on NBCSN, reliving the top NHL games and moments from the past 10-plus years, including Stanley Cup clinchers, Game 7 overtime thrillers, NHL outdoor games, Olympic hockey moments, and the best of the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin rivalry.

Beginning Monday, March 23, through Thursday, March 26, NBCSN will present 12 hours of hockey programming from 3 p.m. – 3 a.m. ET, with each night focusing on a specific theme of recent hockey history. From Friday, March 27 – Sunday, March 29, NBCSN will showcase seven hours of themed hockey programming in primetime from 8 p.m. ET to 3 a.m. ET. Below is each day’s highlighted content throughout the week:

• Monday, March 23: Game 7 overtime thrillers
• Tuesday, March 24: Notable playoff rivalry games
• Wednesday, March 25: NHL outdoor games
• Thursday, March 26: Stanley Cup Final clinching games
• Friday, March 27: Top Olympic moments
• Saturday, March 28: Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin playoff showdowns
• Sunday, March 29: Game 7 overtime thrillers

Programming will also stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Leading into Hockey Week in America, NBC will air three hours of hockey programming this Sunday, beginning with a 2020 Hockey Day in America special at 12 p.m. ET that will be a collection of feature stories from NBC Sports’ day-long broadcast last month. Additionally, the Miracle on Ice – 40th Anniversary special that features Al Michaels and Mike Tirico will be presented at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Wired: Stadium Series programs from 2020 and 2019.

Click HERE for a full schedule.

…ESPN8: The Ocho will return on Sunday, March 22 on ESPN2 for a full 24-hours of seldom-seen sports. This will be the fourth edition of ESPN8: The Ocho since the initiative began in the summer of 2017.

The line-up includes:

• Stupid Robot Fighting League: Created in New Zealand by John Espin (Yes, that is his actual name.), Stupid Robot Fighting is a rather unique form of fighting that pits two life-sized hanging puppets controlled by an operator sitting behind each Stupid Robot.
• 2019 Jelle’s Marble Runs: Races in which both participants and spectators are marbles.
• Cherry Pit Spitting: The 46th Annual Cherry Pit-Spitting Competition is held each year in Eau Claire, Mich., with one goal for competitors—to spit the farthest cherry pit.
• Sign Spinning: The 12th Annual World Sign Spinning Championship, held in Las Vegas, brought together AArrow Sign Spinners from more than 50 cities and a dozen countries to asses style, execution, and technical sign spinning ability.
• 2007 World Sport Stacking Championships: Sport stacking can be an individual or team sport where participants stack specially designed cups in predetermined sequences as fast as possible.
• 2019 Death Diving World Championship: An amateur diving sport performed from a 10m platform with separate competitions for Classic and Freestyle.

Click HERE for a full schedule

…On Friday, March 20, Fox Sports will give U.S. Women’s National Team fans a reason to watch FS1. At 8 p.m. ET, the network will air an encore presentation of the USWNT’s victory over the Netherlands in the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019…

…Along with Fox Sports, FIFA is keeping soccer fans entertained on their YouTube account. Starting on March 21, 30 men’s and women’s matches from past FIFA World Cups will be available at any time to watch…

…Also on YouTube, Dude Perfect is giving their online-based fans something to watch in the comfort of their homes. Rather than sticking to their weekly routine of releasing a new video every Monday, the trick-shot masters decided to go unfiltered with an unedited broadcast complete with multiple camera angles and a commentary team…

…Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the most famous fax ever sent in sports history, NBC Sports Chicago will air a brand new documentary presentation entitled I’m Back, detailing the announcement process and eventual on-court return of the Chicago Bulls/NBA legend Michael Jordan. Also, the RSN will be re-airing all 16 Stanley Cup Playoffs wins from the Chicago Blackhawks 2010 championship season, with this year marking the team’s 10th anniversary of their first NHL championship since 1961, along with all 15 victories from the Chicago Bulls incredible NBA Playoffs title run from 1996.

Click HERE for more details.