Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases
Today on ESPN’s First Take, with Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim Rose, Basketball Hall of Famer, 12-time NBA All-Star, 2-time NBA Champion and Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas joined the show.
The post Today on ESPN’s First Take: Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas Responds to Michael Jordan’s Comments in Sunday’s Edition of “The Last Dance” appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
Fans missing sports tuned to ESPN and ESPN2 in droves to watch the first two episodes of “The Last Dance,” the 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ quest to win a sixth NBA title in eight years. “The Last Dance” averaged 6.1 million viewers for episodes 1 and 2 across ESPN & ESPN2 from 9-11 p.m. ET. Of those 6.1 million, 3.5 million were in the 18-49 demo. Episode 1 (9-10 p.m.) averaged 6.3 million viewers and episode 2 (10-11 p.m.) averaged 5.8 million viewers. In addition to viewership, “The Last Dance” dominated the conversation on social media.
The post “The Last Dance” Series Premiere Episodes are the Most-Viewed ESPN Documentary Content Ever, Averaging 6.1 Million Viewers appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
ESPN adds Facebook, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and State Farm® as presenting sponsors of the highly anticipated 10-part documentary series, “The Last Dance,” which will air on ESPN in the U.S. over five weeks from April 19 through May 17. The series chronicles Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls with never-before-seen footage from the 1997-98 season as the team pursued its sixth NBA championship in eight years.
The post ESPN Debuts Innovative Ad Sponsorships with Facebook, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and State Farm for Highly Anticipated Documentary Series “The Last Dance” appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
Today it was announced that the premiere of “The Last Dance,” the highly anticipated 10-part documentary series will air on ESPN in the U.S. on Sunday nights over five weeks from April 19 through May 17. The series will also be available outside of the U.S. on Netflix.
The post ESPN and Netflix Set New April 19 Premiere Date for Highly Anticipated Documentary Series “The Last Dance” appeared first on ESPN Press Room U.S..
ESPN has made an update to its upcoming NBA telecast schedule: the Houston Rockets and early M.V.P. candidate James Harden will visit the Philadelphia 76ers and rookie sensation Joel Embiid on Friday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. The game will replace the previously scheduled Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls telecast.
ESPN will take its NBA studio shows – NBA Countdown and The Jump – as well as SportsCenter to the ‘Windy City’ on Friday, Dec. 2, for on-site coverage leading up to – and through – the Chicago Bulls and Dwyane Wade vs. Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James showdown at 8 p.m. ET, which airs on ESPN.
Overnight ratings for ESPN’s prime-time NBA doubleheader on Friday, Nov. 4, were up 42 percent from last season’s comparable windows, according to Nielsen. Friday’s doubleheader averaged a 1.7 overnight rating, up from a 1.2 last year. Additionally, ESPN’s streaming audience was up 134 percent with 10,460,000 total average minutes streamed, up 96 percent with 238,000 average unique viewers and up 126 percent with an average audience of 68,000 viewers.
SportsCenter will examine and compare the historic seasons of the current Golden State Warriors and the record-setting 1995-96 Chicago Bulls in a one-hour special airing Friday, April 15, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
SC Special: The Chase for 72, hosted by SportsCenter anchor Kevin Connors, will continue the season-long #SCThrowback celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 72-win Bulls campaign, which set an NBA record for the most wins during the regular season, and how SportsCenter covered that team during that season. The special also will highlight Golden State’s current pursuit of the record.
Elements of the special will include:
Former Chicago Bulls announcer Ray Clay provides the voice for the program’s intro.
-30-
Media contact: andy.hall@espn.com
Pre-Season Action begins Oct. 6, First Regular Season game on Oct. 30, Plus – Live Pre/Post-Game Shows all season long and comprehensive nightly coverage on ‘SportsNet Central,’ Highlight 2015-16 Schedule
Live streaming coverage of EVERY Pre-Season and Regular Season Bulls telecast – including all Pre/Post-Game Shows – to be made available to authenticated subscribers on CSNChicago.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra app
CSNChicago.com to feature 24/7 reporting from Bulls “Insider” Vincent Goodwill; website to also feature live video of Post-Game Press Conferences, “Bulls Pulse” Social Media Center, Daily Player/Coaches Interviews, Game Highlights, plus In-Game Twitter updates from CSN talent and much more!
Chicago, IL (September 29, 2015) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the Chicago Bulls, is once again ready to deliver another thrill-packed season of NBA excitement with 42 live regular season Bulls games (23 home, 19 away), including in-depth pre-game and post-game shows, and the most thorough 24/7 online Bulls coverage to date on CSNChicago.com!
In addition — EVERY pre-season and regular season Bulls telecast on Comcast SportsNet, including surrounding Bulls Pre/Postgame Live coverage, will be streamed live on CSNChicago.com and will be made available via the NBC Sports Live Extra app on tablets and smart phones. Authenticated Comcast SportsNet Chicago subscribers can watch live Bulls action from anywhere in the United States. The live streaming service is currently available to customers of Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-verse, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, Time Warner Cable and Charter among numerous other carriers. For a full list of carriers and more information about CSN Chicago’s live streaming service of Bulls games, viewers are urged to visit the following link: csnchicago.com/page/live-extra-faq.
The 2015-16 Chicago Bulls regular season on Comcast SportsNet/CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports Live Extra gets underway on Friday, October 30, as 2015 NBA All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol join a loaded Bulls roster featuring Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Mike Dunleavy, Nikola Mirotic, Kirk Hinrich and rookie Bobby Portis among others, as the Bulls travel to face the Central Division rival Detroit Pistons at 6:30 PM CT, featuring the always-entertaining announcing tandem of Neil Funk and Stacey King (NOTE: Coverage gets underway on Bulls Pregame Live presented by Coors Light at 6:00 PM with hosts Mark Schanowski and Will Perdue). Kia Bulls Postgame Live immediately follows the game featuring new Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg’s post-game press conference, along with live locker room player interviews and complete post-game analysis. Plus – CSNChicago.com Bulls “Insider” Vincent Goodwill will make regular on-air appearances throughout the season on Bulls Pre/Postgame Live and during home game telecasts.
Game enhancements of note for the 2015-16 Bulls season include a brand new, expanded graphics package, along with the addition of a second super slo-mo camera that is capable of showing slow-motion replays of over 2,000 frames per second.
Comcast SportsNet/CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports Live Extra’s first home game telecast of the ’15-’16 campaign takes place on Friday, November 13 vs. Charlotte featuring expanded, live coverage from the United Center beginning at 5:00 PM on SportsTalk Live presented by The Chevy Silverado, which will then followed by SportsNet Central presented by Comcast Business at 6:00 PM, Bulls Pregame Live presented by Coors Light at 6:30 PM, with tip-off set for 7:00 PM.
In addition to the 42 regular season games, Comcast SportsNet/CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports Live Extra will also televise six Bulls pre-season games starting on Tuesday, October 6 at 7:00 PM, when the Bulls face the Milwaukee Bucks live at the United Center. Additional pre-season match-ups will air on Oct. 10 vs. Minnesota (in Winnipeg, MB), Oct. 12 vs. New Orleans, Oct. 14 vs. Detroit, Oct. 19 at Charlotte, and Oct. 23 vs. Dallas (in Lincoln, NB).
Highlights from this season’s Bulls regular season schedule on Comcast SportsNet/CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports Live Extra features 32 big games against Eastern Conference foes, eight of which are against Central Division opponents. Among the key highlights on this season’s Bulls telecast schedule include three divisional match-ups against former Simeon Career Academy sensation Jabari Parker and the Milwaukee Bucks (Jan. 5 & 12, Apr. 3), three games against Whitney Young H.S. National Player of the Year/2015 NCAA champion Duke standout Jahlil Okafor and the Philadelphia 76ers (Nov. 9, Dec. 14 & Apr. 13), a home battle against four-time NBA All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs (Nov. 30), a pair of games against Chicago native/11-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat (Jan. 25 & Mar. 1), along with the only regular season home game against NBA MVP Stephen Curry and the defending champion Golden State Warriors (Jan. 20). (NOTE: Comcast SportsNet/CSNChicago.com/NBC Sports Live Extra’s complete 2015-16 pre-season and regular season Bulls schedule appears at the end of this release).
For the eighth-straight season, veteran Bulls play-by-play announcer Neil Funk will be teamed up with former Bulls standout center Stacey King, who will handle color analysis all season long. SportsNet Central’s Bulls beat reporter Chuck Garfien will also be the primary courtside reporter for Bulls home game telecasts this season.
Bulls Pregame Live presented by Coors Light (featuring hosts Mark Schanowski and four-time NBA champion center, including three titles with the Bulls, Will Perdue) is a half-hour pre-game show featuring a breakdown of the evening’s match-up, interviews with coaches and players and a look at the other games around the NBA. Bulls Pregame Live will air prior to every Bulls game this season with additional weeknight Bulls pre-game discussion airing on SportsTalk Live presented by The Chevy Silverado. Featuring host David Kaplan, SportsTalk Live will also be the place to hear from numerous Bulls/NBA experts all season long.
Immediately following every game this season, viewers can look forward to the most comprehensive post-game wrap-up show on Kia Bulls Postgame Live. Kia Bulls Postgame Live (hosted by Schanowski/Perdue) will also feature live coverage of new Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg’s post-game press conference and live locker room interviews with Bulls players. Following the majority of evening Kia Bulls Postgame Live airings, viewers can catch GMC SportsNet Central at 10:00 & 10:30 PM and SportsNet Central presented by CLR at 12 Midnight with the most complete recap of the day’s top local and national sports news.
Two regular season Bulls games are currently scheduled to be telecast on Comcast SportsNet Plus (see attached schedule). Comcast SportsNet Plus (CSN+) telecasts are provided to Comcast SportsNet affiliates and distributed to viewers when two live events are scheduled simultaneously. CSN+ is available in high-definition on Comcast/Xfinity ch. 201 in the Chicago area/South Bend, IN & on Comcast/Xfinity ch. 285 in the Peoria, Springfield, Rockford and Champaign markets, along with being made available in DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-verse, RCN, and WOW! homes among others; viewers are urged to visit CSNChicago.com’s CHANNEL FINDER for complete channel location details). Comcast Cable and RCN subscribers can also watch all CSN+ games in standard definition on CLTV.
From a digital/online perspective, Comcast SportsNet’s website, CSNChicago.com, delivers comprehensive 24/7 Bulls coverage all season long, including the following highlights:
COMCAST SPORTSNET CHICAGO
CSNChicago.com/NBA Sports Live Extra
2015 – 2016 Chicago Bulls Schedule
Pre-season:
Regular Season:
6 pre-season, 42 regular season (22 Home, 19 Road regular season)
Total 48 Games
All Times Central Time
Schedule Subject to Change
Viewers are also urged to visit CSNChicago.com for even more extensive information on the 2015-16 Bulls, including web exclusive features, “Insider” reports from Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill), game previews/recaps, video highlights, along with detailed stats, social media interaction and much more.
Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a partnership between the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Chicago Bulls (NBA), Chicago Cubs (MLB), Chicago White Sox (MLB) and the NBC Sports Group, features over 275 live pro games in high definition each year. In addition, CSN delivers extensive pre/post-game coverage for its core pro team partners, as well as the Chicago Bears, along with Emmy Award-winning regional sports news and analysis via SportsNet Central and SportsTalk Live. Through the network’s growing digital platform, CSNChicago.com, Chicago sports fans tap into the most comprehensive and dedicated 24/7 online destination for breaking news, up-to-the-minute game previews/recaps, highlights, multimedia video clips, blogs and standout coverage from CSNChicago.com’s team of “Insiders.” Follow the network on Twitter via @CSNChicago.
NBC Sports Regional Networks, part of the NBC Sports Group, consist of 11 regional networks that deliver more than 2,400 live sporting events annually, along with award-winning breaking news, comprehensive analysis, digital content and original programming to more than 43 million homes. The NBC Sports Regional Networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, which serves Baltimore and Washington D.C., Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast SportsNet Northwest, The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and SportsNet New York. For more information, visit ComcastSportsNet.com. For more information about NBC Sports Group properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
###
