Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases
The 2020 Australian Football League Premiership Season heads into Round 6 this week with five matches live on the FOX Sports family of networks, including a key matchup between top-ranked Port Adelaide and No. 7 Greater Western Sydney Giants Saturday at 11:00 PM ET on FS2, as the Power look to avenge last year’s one-point loss to the Giants in Round 19.
The 2020 Australian Football League Premiership Season heads into Round 5 this weekend with five matches live on the FOX Sports family of networks, including a key matchup between undefeated Port Adelaide and third-ranked Brisbane Lions on Saturday at 5:30 AM ET on FS1.
The 2020 Australian Football League Premiership Season heads into Round 4 this weekend with four live matches across the FOX Sports family of networks, including top-ranked Port Adelaide looking to stay undefeated on Friday at 11:00 PM ET on FS2.
CBS SPORTS SET TO BROADCAST HISTORIC ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE REMATCH IN ARENABOWL XXVI ON SATURDAY, AUG. 17
In a historic Arena Football League rematch between the defending champion Arizona Rattlers (15-3) versus the Philadelphia Soul (12-6), CBS Sports broadcasts ARENABOWL XXVI presented by Insurance Office of America on Saturday, Aug. 17 (1:00-3:30 PM, ET) live from the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. on the CBS Television Network. The game marks the first time in AFL history that the same two teams from the year before meet in the ArenaBowl championship game.
CBS Sports’ announce team of Andrew Catalon and Anthony Herron, along with reporters Ari Wolfe and Sherdrick Bonner, call the action.
In addition, CBS Sports Network airs the ARENABOWL XXVI POST-GAME SHOW immediately following the game. Catalon, Herron, Wolfe and Bonner lead the post-game show that features the trophy presentation, coach and player interviews, as well as analysis and recap of the game and season live from on the field.
ARENABOWL XXVI is the culmination of CBS Sports Network’s season-long, exclusive national coverage of the AFL.
CBS Sports’ Cory Fishman serves as coordinating producer of ArenaBowl XXVI coverage. Harold Bryant is Executive Producer and Vice President, Production, CBS Sports.
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Ari Wolfe set to join Anthony Herron in the broadcast booth
CHICAGO – Anthony Herron and Ari Wolfe will be in the NFL Network broadcast booth for AVITAE ArenaBowl XXV in New Orleans on Friday, August 10. AFL great, Sherdrick Bonner, will serve as the sideline analyst for the game, the Arena Football League announced today.
Herron starred at the University of Iowa as a defensive lineman and played for five years in the NFL before playing and coaching over the course of five seasons in the AFL. Following his AFL career, Herron joined NFL Network in 2010 as a football analyst for “Arena Football Friday.” He also serves as a game and studio analyst for NBC Sports Network.
Wolfe, who serves as both a news anchor for NFL Network Now updates and a play-by-play announcer for “NET10 Arena Football Friday,” also called Albany/Indiana Firebirds games from 1998-2003. He served as a play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Soul from 2004-2008 along with being the NFL preseason voice of the Minnesota Vikings from 2007-20011. Wolfe has worked in some capacity at every ArenaBowl since 2002. During the 2008 season, Wolfe had his own column on ArenaFootball.com entitled “Wolfe’s Den.”
Bonner was named the Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee this year and has also appeared on a number of “NET10 Arena Football Friday” broadcasts on NFL Network this season. In his 15 seasons in the AFL, Bonner was a four-time All-Arena selection and was named MVP of ArenaBowl VII. Bonner is also a finalist for the 2012 AFL Hall of Fame Class.
AVITAE ArenaBowl XXV kicks off at 10:30 pm ET from the New Orleans Arena. Tim Tebow’s first preseason game as a member of the New York Jets will serve as a prelude to the AVITAE ArenaBowl XXV telecast. Tickets are available by calling 888-277-5526, in person at the New Orleans VooDoo Ticket Office located at 1515 Poydras St, Suite 100, or at the New Orleans Arena Box Office, at any Ticketmaster location, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
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NFL NETWORK NAMES ANNOUNCERS FOR 2012 DEBUT OF “NET10 ARENA FOOTBALL FRIDAY”
Paul Burmeister & Charles Davis kick off the League’s Silver Anniversary on NFL Network
CHICAGO – NFL Network personalities Paul Burmeister and Charles Davis will be in the booth as the AFL opens its 25th season on March 9, 2012 featuring the Pittsburgh Power at Orlando Predators. The season opener will be coined as the “Hall of Fame Game” as members of the 2011 AFL Hall of Fame Class will be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame. The 2012 season will mark the third consecutive year of “Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network and the first with NET10 as the presenting sponsor.
During the 23-game slate, which includes 20 regular season games, two playoff contests and ArenaBowl XXV held in New Orleans, Burmeister will share play-by-play duties with Fran Charles, and Ari Wolfe, while Davis, Brian Baldinger, Solomon Wilcots, AFL Hall of Fame Inductee Kurt Warner and Anthony Herron serve as analysts. Wolfe and Herron will serve as sideline reporters throughout the season as well.
NFL Network’s “NET10 Arena Football Friday” telecasts are set for 8:00 pm ET. The AFL’s national game of the week on NFL Network is coming off a record rating for ArenaBowl XXIV featuring the Jacksonville Sharks at Arizona Rattlers on August 12, 2011. Below is a schedule for “NET10 Arena
Football Friday” broadcasts on NFL Network:
DATE MATCHUP
March 9 Pittsburgh Power vs. Orlando Predators
March 18 Georgia Force vs. Tampa Bay Storm
March 22 Philadelphia Soul vs. Pittsburgh Power
March 30 San Jose SaberCats vs. Spokane Shock
April 6 Tampa Bay Storm vs. New Orleans VooDoo
April 13 New Orleans VooDoo vs. San Antonio Talons
April 20 Tampa Bay Storm vs. Philadelphia Soul
April 30 Kansas City Command vs. Tampa Bay Storm (Special Monday Night game after the NFL Draft Weekend)
May 4 New Orleans VooDoo vs. Jacksonville Sharks
May 11 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Milwaukee Mustangs
May 18 Orlando Predators vs. New Orleans VooDoo
May 25 Jacksonville Sharks vs. Orlando Predators
June 1 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Iowa Barnstormers
June 8 Pittsburgh Power vs. Cleveland Gladiators
June 15 Tampa Bay Storm vs. Orlando Predators
June 22 Arizona Rattlers vs. Milwaukee Mustangs
June 29 Milwaukee Mustangs vs. Cleveland Gladiators
July 6 Milwaukee Mustangs at Jacksonville Sharks
July 13 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Utah Blaze
July 20 Jacksonville Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Power
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“Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network set to return in 2012
TULSA – The Arena Football League will continue for its third consecutive season on NFL Network, AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz announced today.
“To be paired with the NFL and NFL Network for our third season speaks volumes,” AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said. “We saw a dramatic increase in our ratings over the course of last season. More people are learning about us, following us and becoming a part of the AFL family.”
In the last two postseason games of the 2011 season, “Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network notched record high ratings. In the American Conference Championship game featuring the Georgia Force and Jacksonville Sharks on Monday, August 8, 2011, the AFL turned in a rating that increased 220 percent from the Conference Championship game in 2010. During ArenaBowl XXIV on Friday, August 12, the Sharks defeated the Arizona Rattlers, 73-70, in front of 14,320 fans at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ. The broadcast marked a new record high rating, 164 percent more than ArenaBowl XXIII in 2010.
“Arena Football Friday has delivered the exciting, high scoring live action that we expected when we agreed to the partnership,” said NFL Network programming director Lawrence Randall. “We look forward to celebrating the AFL’s 25th season and third season of Friday night games on NFL Network.”
The Arena Football League is entering its 25th season in 2012. After enhancing the schedule to a 20-week season in 2011, the League saw a 37.1 percent total increase of attendance throughout the 2011 campaign.
“I’m pleased,” Kurz said. “We have always had a loyal following and the continued support from our fans is outstanding.”
About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the AFL has provided the fast-paced and exciting game of Arena Football to millions of fans in numerous markets across the country. NFL Network will once again broadcast an AFL National Game of the Week for the entire regular and post season on Friday nights at 8:00 pm ET, culminating with the ArenaBowl Championship Game in August 2012.
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NFL NETWORK NAMES ANNOUNCERS FOR 2011 DEBUT OF ARENA FOOTBALL FRIDAY GAMES
Paul Burmeister & Former NFL Safety Solomon Wilcots Kick Off 23-Game Slate with Philadelphia Soul vs. Pittsburgh Power March 11 at 8:00 PM ET
Analysts Michael Lombardi, Charles Davis, Trent Green, Brian Baldinger, Tom Waddle & Others Call Broadcasts
NFL Network personalities Paul Burmeister, a former University of Iowa quarterback, and Solomon Wilcots, a former NFL safety with the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers, and current game analyst for CBS Sports’ NFL coverage, will be in the booth for the start of the second season of NFL Network’s Arena Football League (AFL) “Arena Football Friday” broadcasts on Friday, March 11 at 8:00 PM ET when the Philadelphia Soul take on the Pittsburgh Power.
During the 23-game slate, which includes 20 regular season games, two playoff contests and ArenaBowl XXIV, Burmeister will share play-by-play duties with Fran Charles and Ari Wolfe, while Wilcots, Michael Lombardi, Charles Davis, Trent Green, Brian Baldinger, Tom Waddle and others rotate as analysts. Wolfe and Anthony Herron will serve as sideline reporters throughout the season. Additional play-by-play announcers and analysts will be announced later in the season.
NFL Network’s “Arena Football Friday” telecasts are slated for 8:00 PM ET, with Burmeister and Wilcots calling the 2011 season opener and 24th season of Arena Football when the Power, owned by NFL Hall of Fame WR Lynn Swann, play the first game of their inaugural season against the Soul, owned by former Philadelphia Eagles QB Ron Jaworski, at CONSOL Energy Center. Below is a schedule for the “Arena Football Friday” broadcasts on NFL Network:
Date Teams
March 11 Philadelphia Soul vs. Pittsburgh Power
March 18 Philadelphia Soul vs. Chicago Rush
March 25 Spokane Shock vs. Iowa Barnstormers
April 1 Jacksonville Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Storm
April 8 Dallas Vigilantes vs. Georgia Force
April 15 Tampa Bay Storm vs. Philadelphia Soul
April 22 Kansas City Command vs. Chicago Rush
May 1* Orlando Predators vs. Jacksonville Sharks
May 6 Tampa Bay Storm vs. Orlando Predators
May 13 Tulsa Talons vs. New Orleans Voodoo
May 20 Arizona Rattlers vs. New Orleans Voodoo
May 27 Utah Blaze vs. Iowa Barnstormers
June 3 Jacksonville Sharks vs. New Orleans Voodoo
June 10 Philadelphia Soul vs. Spokane Shock
June 17 Orlando Predators vs. Tampa Bay Storm
June 24 Kansas City Command vs. Utah Blaze
July 1 Pittsburgh Power vs. Orlando Predators
July 8 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Philadelphia Soul
July 15 Pittsburgh Power vs. Cleveland Gladiators
July 22 Spokane Shock vs. Jacksonville Sharks
*This game is tape delayed from Saturday to air on Sunday, May 1 at 3:00 PM ET due to the NFL Draft on NFL Network
All AFL games on NFL Network will be telecast in high definition and feature special in-game audio techniques that capture the high-scoring action and fast paced intensity that is the hallmark of the AFL.
NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork. NFL.com is the exclusive internet home of NFL Network.
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“ARENA FOOTBALL FRIDAY” RETURNS TO NFL NETWORK
TULSA, Okla. – After expanding to an 18-game schedule and adding four teams, the Arena Football League is on NFL Network for the second consecutive season. NFL Network will broadcast more than 20 Arena Football League games on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET starting March 11, 2011.
“The announcers and crew did a great job last season bringing the exciting arena atmosphere and game to fans all over the country,” Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said, “and we look forward to another successful season on NFL Network.”
The AFL’s “Arena Football Friday” schedule on NFL Network features 23 games including 20 regular season contests. NFL Network will also showcase two playoff games and ArenaBowl XXIV on August 12, 2011.
“Arena Football Friday games provide fans with high-scoring, fast-paced action on NFL Network,” said Lawrence Randall, director of programming, NFL Network. “We look forward to our second season of live games beginning with two new teams owned by former NFL stars and concluding with the playoffs and Arena Bowl.”
The 24th season of the AFL will kick off with in-state rivals and expansion teams, Ron Jaworski’s Philadelphia Soul at Lynn Swann’s Pittsburgh Power, on NFL Network on Friday, March 11, 2011.
Due to the primetime 2011 NFL Draft, the Orlando Predators at Jacksonville Sharks game will be played on Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
2011 “Arena Football Friday” Game of the Week at 8:00 PM ET
Arena Football League Regular Season Schedule on NFL Network
WEEK: DATE: VISITING TEAM: HOME TEAM:
1 March 11 Philadelphia Pittsburgh
2 March 18 Philadelphia Chicago
3 March 25 Spokane Iowa
4 April 01 Jacksonville Tampa Bay
5 April 08 Dallas Georgia
6 April 15 Tampa Bay Philadelphia
7 April 22 Kansas City Chicago
8* April 30* Orlando Jacksonville
9 May 06 Tampa Bay Orlando
10 May 13 Tulsa New Orleans
11 May 20 Arizona New Orleans
12 May 27 Utah Iowa
13 June 03 Jacksonville New Orleans
14 June 10 Philadelphia Spokane
15 June 17 Orlando Tampa Bay
16 June 24 Kansas City Utah
17 July 01 Pittsburgh Orlando
18 July 08 Cleveland Philadelphia
19 July 15 Pittsburgh Cleveland
20 July 22 Spokane Jacksonville
*This broadcast is Saturday night due to the primetime NFL Draft on NFL Network.
About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the AFL has afforded the fast-paced and exciting game of Arena Football to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. NFL Network broadcasts an AFL National Game of the Week for the entire regular and post season on Friday nights at 8:00 pm EST, culminating with the ArenaBowl Championship Game in August.
About NFL Network
NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork.
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