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Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases

Soccer on ESPN Platforms in May – MLS Matches on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+; FA Cup Final on ESPN+; Italian Serie A and Bundesliga; and more

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ESPN platforms – ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes – will carry marquee soccer matches from Italian Serie A, Bundesliga, and three cup finals – DFB-Pokal Final, England’s FA Cup Final and Coppa Italia Final – in May, the final month of the European soccer season. In addition, the 26th season of Major League Soccer continues on ESPN linear television networks with five matches in the month, including three on ABC.

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PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE AT STAKE & CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PREVIEW: MANCHESTER CITY HOST CHELSEA, TOMORROW, SAT. MAY 8 AT 12:30 PM ET ON NBC, TELEMUNDO & UNIVERSO

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“This match is going to be fascinating, a fight to control and dominate possession.” – NBC Sports analyst and former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux 

“It’s wonderful when Football throws up scenarios like this.” – NBC Sports’ lead Premier League play-by-play voice Arlo White 

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 7, 2021 – First-place Manchester City look to clinch the Premier League title tomorrow, Saturday, May 8 as they host Chelsea at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Telemundo, and Universo.  This weekend’s game is the second of three massive matches between the two streaking clubs in a six-week span.

Following are recent highlights in the rivalry:

    • On April 17, Chelsea topped Manchester City, 1-0, in an FA Cup semifinal. The Blues meet Leicester City in the final next week, as they aim for their first FA Cup title in three years.
    • Manchester City, with a win on Saturday, would clinch their third Premier League title in four years.
    • Chelsea have taken points in 14 of 15 Premier League matches (9 wins, 5 draws, 1 loss) since Thomas Tuchel was hired as head coach in January…to move from ninth place to fourth place.
    • Chelsea and Manchester City will meet in the Champions League final on May 29 in Istanbul, after Chelsea clinched their spot on May 5 – marking only the third time two English clubs will play in the Champions League/European Cup final.
    • Christian Pulisic assisted Chelsea’s second goal in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal victory over Real Madrid this week.
    • Pulisic became the first American to score in a Champions League semifinal, scoring Chelsea’s only goal 14 minutes into the first leg (1-1 draw) against Real Madrid.
    • For the first time, two U.S. Men’s National Team players face off in the Champions League final: Chelsea’s Pulisic and Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

 

Arlo White and former Chelsea player Graeme Le Saux will call the match on NBC live from Etihad Stadium.

“This match is going to be fascinating, a fight to control and dominate possession. So much so, I think the ball might need ice bath after the game!” said Le Saux, who played more than six seasons of his 14-year Premier League career with the Blues. “Both coaches have incredibly strong philosophies about how they want their teams to play, positive, attacking and dominant football. Both sets of players have completely bought into these philosophies, each and every one of them performing at the highest level as individuals and collectively.”

“It’s wonderful when Football throws up scenarios like this,” White said. “No sooner had both teams qualified for the Champions League final, they face each other in a vital Premier League game. The outcome on Saturday is vital for both sides, a win for City would clinch the title, whilst Chelsea are desperate for points to help secure a top four finish. It should be a wild and compelling 90 minutes.”

Rebecca Lowe hosts this weekend’s Premier League Mornings, Premier League Live and Goal Zone shows alongside former Jamaica National Team player Robbie Earle and former Premier League player Tim Howard Saturday and Sunday. For this weekend’s NBC Sports Premier League schedule, click here.

Premier League games on NBC and NBCSN will be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

–NBC SPORTS–

ESPN Networks to Carry NCAA Field Hockey Championship This Weekend for the First Time in More Than 30 Years

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ESPN’s extensive 2020-21 NCAA Championship coverage continues this weekend with the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship live from Karen Shelton Stadium on the campus of the University of North Carolina, May 7 and 9. Friday’s national semifinals will be carried on ESPN3 while Sunday’s final will air on ESPNU, marking the first time since the 1987 championship that the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship semifinals and final will be available on an ESPN network.

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Chael Sonnen Signs New Multi-Year Extension with ESPN

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Chael Sonnen, a former UFC Middleweight and Light Heavyweight title contender and longtime MMA studio and on-site analyst, has signed a new multi-year extension with ESPN.  Per his new agreement, Sonnen will continue to cover UFC fight weekends and, along with MMA Insider Ariel Helwani, continue to co-host the ESPN+ exclusive series Ariel & the Bad Guy.

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UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Waterson May 8 on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+

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UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Waterson is set for this Saturday, May 8, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas.  The main card will be available on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

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ESPN Promotes Two Executives to Senior Vice President

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ESPN today announced it has promoted two executives to the title of Senior Vice President. Brian Lockhart has been promoted to Senior Vice President, ESPN+ Original Content and ESPN Films, overseeing strategy, development, production and integration of all original programming initiatives under the ESPN Films & 30 for 30 umbrella, as well as original series and studio shows on ESPN+. Additionally, ESPN has promoted Mike Shiffman to Senior Vice President, Production and he will continue to oversee all production aspects of ESPN’s basketball categories, including event and studio for the NBA, WNBA and men’s and women’s college basketball.

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NBC OLYMPICS AND TWITCH PARTNER TO DELIVER INTERACTIVE LIVE CONTENT SURROUNDING TOKYO OLYMPICS

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Live Studio Shows to Stream on Twitch Including Daily Live Studio Show from Tokyo

Unique Streaming Content to Include Pre-Olympic Activations, Athlete Interviews, Gaming Competitions and Interactions with Twitch Creators

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 6, 2021 – NBC Olympics and Twitch, the interactive livestreaming service, are partnering to produce and deliver live content that will live on a new NBC Olympics Twitch channel leading into and throughout the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, both parties announced today. This collaboration between NBC Olympics and Twitch will consist of unique programming tailored to the Twitch community, including highlight studio shows, game-ified pre-Olympic activations, Olympic athlete interviews and Olympic-themed gaming competitions.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Twitch on innovative ways to tell the stories of Team USA’s athletes in Tokyo and build Olympic excitement with their audience,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “The Olympic Games are perfectly aligned with Twitch consumers, who are passionate about great competition, personality and storytelling. We can’t wait to bring the unmatched moments and stories of the Olympics to Twitch’s interactive community.”

“The way that people consume traditional sporting events is changing. They no longer want to simply spectate; they want to be as close to the action and athletes as possible. We’ve seen this firsthand with the growth of our sports community on Twitch, as viewers tune in not only to watch their favorite athletes but to also take part in pre and post-game interviews and virtually connect with other fans from around the world,” said Michael Aragon, Chief Content Officer at Twitch. “The Olympics present an opportunity for a global fan base to embrace this new world of live and interactive sports. We are thrilled to partner with NBC to give fans in the United States an intimate, front row seat to this iconic sporting event and connect American athletes and fans in a way that can only happen on Twitch.”

NBC Olympics and Twitch will collaborate on a number of interactive tools leading into and during the Games. The first interactive experience on Twitch begins the week leading up to the Olympics before the Opening Ceremony. Twitch creators and their communities will work together to “keep the Torch alive” on the NBC Olympics Twitch channel. Viewers of the torch streams will need to work together to collect items and participate in chat to fan the flame and finally “Light the Cauldron” on the day of the Opening Ceremony.

NBC Olympics and Twitch will also host a pre-Opening Ceremony party on the NBC Olympics Channel the day before the Opening Ceremony, featuring Olympic-themed segments from top creators, all taking place in an innovative virtual setting. This event will lead into the Olympics-themed content on the NBC Olympics Channel, celebrating the Tokyo Olympics and preparing the community to gather together to participate.

During the Games, NBC Olympics and Twitch will collaborate on Olympic-themed programming to stream on its new NBC Olympics Channel on Twitch. will feature daily, unique Twitch-produced content inspired by the passion and competition of the Tokyo Games that will feature both Twitch and NBC Olympics talent.

  • Daily Interactive Clip Show Best-of moments from the Tokyo Olympics get the Twitch interactive treatment in a daily clip show format with polls, live AMAs, and games that reinforce NBC’s programming and the stories about athletes and events that the Twitch community is excited about.
  • Daily Competition – In the spirit of the Olympic Games, three teams of Twitch creators will compete in a daily competition featuring family-friendly games. Teams will accrue “medals” across multiple events throughout the 17 days of the Games. At the end of the Olympics, we’ll tally up to see which team takes home the ultimate gold.
  • Primetime Sidecasting – During the primetime block of shows on NBC, Twitch creators will be commentating live on a companion interactive broadcast that encourages co-viewing of the nightly primetime broadcast on NBC. Twitch creators, watching off-camera NBC’s primetime coverage of the Games, will invite viewers to submit discussion topics in line with what anchors and guests are covering on the linear channel.
  • Live From Tokyo – The Live From Tokyo segment will feature Olympic athlete interviews and Q&As giving fans in the United States the chance to connect with their favorite Olympic stars. This will also feature behind the scenes snapshots and live interactions and gaming from Tokyo.

The program will conclude with a closing celebration, which will consist of a Twitch version of an awards ceremony and looks back on the top 10 moments from all the content on the NBC Olympics channel during Games.

NBC Olympics will lead the sales process, in collaboration with Twitch, for this unique content, giving advertisers another avenue to connect to its coverage of the Games and to Twitch’s robust youthful audience.

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

ABOUT TWITCH

Launched in 2011, Twitch is a global community that comes together each day to create multiplayer entertainment: unique, live, unpredictable experiences created by the interactions of millions. It brings the joy of co-op to everything, from casual gaming and world-class esports to anime marathons, music, and art streams. Twitch also hosts TwitchCon, the biggest community event of the year, where tens of thousands of people come together to celebrate and connect with others who share their interests and passions. We’re always live at Twitch. Stay up to date on all things Twitch on Twitter and on our Blog.

–NBC OLYMPICS–

ALLYSON FELIX, NOAH LYLES, SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN & DK METCALF HEADLINE NBC SPORTS’ LIVE COVERAGE OF USATF GOLDEN GAMES AT MT. SAC THIS SUNDAY, MAY 9 ON NBC AND PEACOCK

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Lyles, Felix & McLaughlin Expected to Compete at USATF ‘Journey to Gold – Tokyo Outdoor Series’ Event at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC & Peacock

Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl Wide Receiver Metcalf to Compete in 100m Heats, Live this Sunday at 3:15 p.m. ET Exclusively on Peacock

NBC Sports’ USATF Schedule Features Live Coverage of Premier U.S. Meets Across NBC, NBCSN, and Peacock

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 6, 2021 – Allyson Felix, Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin and DK Metcalf headline the field at the Golden Games at Mt. SAC as NBC Sports’ live coverage of the 2021 USATF ‘Journey to Gold – Tokyo Outdoor Series’ continues this Sunday, May 9 on NBC and Peacock from Walnut, Cal.

Expected to compete in this Sunday’s field beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock are reigning 200m world champion Lyles, the most decorated American woman in Olympic track & field history Felix (200m) and Rio Olympian and 2019 Diamond League 400m hurdles champion McLaughlin (100m hurdles).

Beginning at 3:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, Peacock exclusively presents free, live coverage of the 100m heats featuring Metcalf, as the Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl wide receiver is set to face top U.S. sprinters in the 100m.

Track and Field Pass content that had previously required an NBC Sports Gold subscription is now available on Peacock.

NBC Sports’ track and field coverage features five U.S.-based events, which began April 24 and runs through August 21 (remaining schedule below). The track and field schedule for the U.S. Olympic Trials and Tokyo Olympics will be announced in the coming weeks.

NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey will call the event, joined by analysts four-time Olympic medalist Ato Boldon, two-time Olympic long-distance runner Kara Goucher, and Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee. Lewis Johnson serves as the reporter.

SUNDAY, MAY 9 – GOLDEN GAMES AT MT. SAC

How to Watch

NBC/Peacock Premium Peacock
4:30-6 p.m. ET 3:15-3:55 p.m. ET

 

Commentators

    • Play-by-play: Leigh Diffey
    • Analysts: Four-time Olympic medalist Ato Boldon, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, and Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee
    • Reporter: Lewis Johnson

 

Following is NBC Sports’ remaining live 2021 USATF Journey to Gold – Tokyo Outdoor Series schedule:

Event Date Platform Time (ET)
USATF Golden Games at Mt. SAC May 9 NBC, Peacock Premium 4:30-6 p.m.
Adidas Boost Boston Games May 23 NBC, Peacock Premium 4:30-6 p.m.
Nike Prefontaine Classic (Diamond League) August 21 NBC, Peacock Premium 4:30-6 p.m.

 

For more information about how to stream these races and more Track and Field on Peacock, click here. Peacock is currently available on the Roku platform; Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD; Google platforms and devices, including Android™, Android TV™ devices, Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices; Microsoft’s Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One S and Xbox One X; Sony PlayStation4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and PlayStation5; and VIZIO SmartCast™ TVs and LG Smart TVs. Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers.

All NBC and NBCSN coverage also streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

-NBC SPORTS-

Inaugural Real Mountain Bike Competition Delivers Highest Audience in Real Series History

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Across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat, Real Mountain Bike total video views reached nearly 25 million. In addition, Danny MacAskill’s video part saw the greatest numbers on YouTube where it currently has more than 2.4 million views and reached as high as 29th among trending videos in the United States. Brage Vestavik’s ender section outperformed all previous Real Series content on Instagram and TikTok, delivering 1.3 million views on Instagram Reels and 7.3 million views on TikTok.

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