TV Schedule, Sunday April 10

Auto Racing:

Formula One: Malaysia Race 2:30am on & 1:30pm (same day tape) on Speed Channel
Indy Car Racing: Firestone Indy Lights 12pm on VERSUS
Indy Racing League: Honda Indy Grand Prix 2pm on VERSUS

Bowling: PBA Tour 12pm on ESPN

Bull Riding: PBR Tour 2pm on NBC (same day tape)

College Baseball: UC Irvine @ Cal St. Fullerton 4pm on ESPNU

College Lacrosse:

Georgetown @ Notre Dame 11am on ESPNU
Notre Dame @ Syracuse (women's) 12pm on CBS Sports Network
Penn @ Northwestern (women's) 12pm on Big 10 Network

College Softball:

Alabama @ LSU 1pm on ESPNU
Illinois @ Ohio St. 2pm on Big 10 Network

College Volleyball: Ohio St. @ Penn St. (Men's) 4pm on Big 10 Network

Cycling: Paris-Roubaix 6pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

Golf: 2011 Masters (Final Round) 1pm on CBS

MLB Baseball:

Kansas City @ Detroit 12pm on FS Kansas City & Mediacom Channel 22
Philadelphia @ Atlanta 12:30pm on TBS
Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee 1pm on FS Wisconsin & WGN
Oakland @ Minnesota 1pm on FS North
Tampa Bay @ Chicago White Sox 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
St. Louis @ San Francisco 3pm on FS Midwest
New York Yankees @ Boston 7pm on ESPN

NBA Basketball:

Chicago @ Orlando 12pm on ABC
Boston @ Miami 2:30pm on ABC
New York @ Indiana 6pm on NBATV
Oklahoma City @ LA Lakers 8:30pm on NBATV

NHL Hockey:

Detroit @ Chicago 11:30am on NBC
Dallas @ Minnesota 5pm on FS North, Mediacom Channel 22, & NHL Network (subject to blackout across Iowa on NHL Network)

Soccer:

English Premier League: Blackpool @ Arsenal 7:30am on Fox Soccer Channel
English Premier League: Aston Villa vs Newcastle United 10am on Fox Soccer Channel
Italian Serie A: Fiorcentina vs AC Milan 1:30pm on Fox Soccer Channel
WPS Soccer: Philadelphia @ Sky Blue FC 5pm on Fox Soccer Channel

Tennis:

WTA Tour: Family Circle Cup 12pm on ESPN2
ATP Tour: US Clay Courts Championships 2pm on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB & NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

TV Schedule, Saturday April 9

AFL Premiership Football: Geelong vs Port Adeliade 11pm on ESPN2

Auto Racing:

NHRA Drag Racing: Lucas Oil Series 2pm on ESPN2
NHRA Drag Racing: Get Screened America Pro Modified Series 3pm on ESPN2
Indy Racing League: Honda Indy Grand Prx Qualifying 5pm on VERSUS
Sprint Cup Series: Samsung Mobile 500 6pm on Fox

Basketball: Nike Hoop Summit 9:30pm on FS North

Bull Riding: PBR Tour 7pm on VERSUS

College Baseball:

Michigan @ Purdue 11am on Big 10 Network
South Carolina @ Tennessee 11am on Fox College Sports Central
Texas A&M @ Texas Tech 5pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Iowa @ Illinois 6pm on Big 10 Network
LSU @ Arkansas 7pm on ESPNU

College Football:

LSU Spring Game 3pm on ESPN
Purdue Spring Game 9pm on Big 10 Network (same day tape)

College Hockey Championship Game: Michigan vs Minnesota-Duluth 6pm on ESPN

College Lacrosse:

Colgate @ Navy (women's) 11am on CBS Sports Network
North Carolina @ Rutgers 11am on ESPN
Cornell @ Harvard 1:15pm on CBS Sports Network
Syracuse @ Princeton 3pm on ESPNU

College Softball:

Kentucky @ Georgia 1pm on ESPNU
Purdue @ Michigan 2pm on Big 10 Network

Golf: 2011 Masters Tournament (Third Round) 2:30pm on CBS

MLB Baseball:

New York Yankees @ Boston 12pm on Fox
Tampa Bay @ Chicago White Sox 3pm on WGN
Kansas City @ Detroit 3pm on FS Kansas City & FS Midwest across Iowa on Mediacom
Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & FS Wisconsin
Florida @ Houston 6pm on MLB Network
Oakland @ Minnesota 6pm on FS North
St. Louis @ San Francisco 10pm on FS Midwest

NBA Basketball: Utah @ San Antonio 7:30pm on NBATV

NBA D-League Playoffs:

Tulsa @ Texas 12pm on NBATV
Iowa @ Utah 2pm on NBATV

NHL Hockey:

Tampa Bay @ Carolina 6pm on NHL Network
Nashville @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest & Mediacom Channel 22

NLL Lacrosse: Washington @ Buffalo 1pm on VERSUS

Soccer:

English Premier League: Wolverhampton vs Eveton 6:30am on ESPN2
English Premier League: Manchester United vs Fulham 9am on Fox Soccer Channel
Italian Serie A: Inter Milan vs Chievo 11am on Fox Soccer Channel
UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid vs Tottenham 1pm on FS Midwest & FS North
Italian Serie A: Udinese vs Roma 1:30pm on Fox Soccer Channel
MLS League: Chicago @ Seattle 3pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
MLS League: New York @ Philadelphia 6pm on ESPN2

Tennis:

WTA: Family Circle Cup Semi-final 12pm on ESPN2
ATP: U.S. Clay Court Championships 1pm, 3:30pm & 6pm on Tennis Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB & NHL telecasts outside Iowa.

TV Schedule, Friday April 8

Arena Football: Dallas @ Georgia 7pm on NFL Network

Boxing: Friday Night Fights 10pm on ESPN2

College Lacrosse:

Maryland @ Navy 6pm on CBS Sports Network
Albany, NY @ Johns Hopkins 6:30pm on ESPNU

Golf: 2011 Masters Tournament (Second Round) 2pm on ESPN

MLB Baseball:

New York Yankees @ Boston 1pm on MLB Network
Oakland @ Minnesota 3pm on FS North
St. Louis @ San Francisco 3:30pm on FS Midwest
Philadelphia @ Atlanta 6:30pm on MLB Network
Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago+, FS Milwaukee, & Mediacom Channel 22

MLS Soccer: Colorado Rapids @ FC Dallas 8pm on Fox Soccer Channel

NBA Basketball: Phoenix @ New Orleans 7pm on NBATV

NBA D-League: Rio Grande Valley @ Bakersfield 10:30pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

NHL Hockey: Chicago @ Detroit 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & VERSUS (subject to blackout across Iowa on VERSUS)

NASCAR:

Sprint Cup Series: Samsung Mobile 500 Qualifying 5:30pm on Speed Channel
Nationwide Series: O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 Qualifying 4pm on ESPN2
Nationwide Series: O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 7:30pm on ESPN

WTA Tennis: Family Circle Cup 12pm on ESPN2

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB & NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

CBS Sports to air The Masters for the 56th time

With ESPN beginning it’s coverage of The Masters this afternoon, CBS Sports has announced their broadcast plans for The Masters.

According to a press release from CBS Sports, this will be the 56th straight year that CBS has televised The Masters, which is the longest running sports event to be televised by one network.

Not much as changed as far as coverage of The Masters goes for CBS Sports. Tonight and Friday night will feature a nightly highlight show at 10:35pm (CT). Coverage Saturday begins at 2:30pm (CT) and at 1pm (CT) on Sunday.

For more information, as well as a listing of those calling the action this weekend for CBS Sports, please click here: http://sportsmedianews.com/04/cbs-broadcasts-masters-for-56th-consecutive-year/#

Update on the Minnesota Twins partial blackout

Dish Network & FS North have reached an agreement for the 30 some additional Minnesota Twins baseball games that will be televised by FS North. Dish Network subscribers across "Twins Territory" should be able to watch this afternoon Twins game.

FS North has yet to reach an agreement with Mediacom & Cable One for the additional 30 game package which means Mediacom & Cable One subscribers will not be able to see the following televised Twins games this month:

Apr. 7 Thursday at N.Y. Yankees 12:00 PM
Apr. 9 Saturday vs. Oakland 6:00 PM
Apr. 14 Thursday at Tampa Bay 5:30 PM
Apr. 15 Friday at Tampa Bay 6:00 PM
Apr. 22 Friday vs. Cleveland 7:00 PM
Apr. 26 Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay 7:00 PM

TV Schedule, Thursday April 7

College Baseball: South Carolina @ Tennessee 6:30pm on ESPNU

College Hockey, Frozen Four:

Minnesota-Duluth vs Notre Dame 4pm on ESPN2
Michigan vs North Dakota 7:30pm on ESPN2

Golf: 2011 Masters Tournament (First Round) 2pm on ESPN

MLB Baseball:

Boston @ Cleveland or Houston @ Cincinnati 11am on MLB Network
Minnesota @ New York Yankees 12pm on FS North
Tampa Bay @ Chicago White Sox 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Detroit @ Baltimore or Washington @ Florida 6pm on MLB Network

NASCAR:

Spring Cup Series: Samsung Mobile 500 Practice 4pm on Speed Channel

NBA Basketball:

Boston @ Chicago 7pm on TNT
Portland @ Utah 9:30pm on TNT

NHL Hockey:

Atlanta @ New York Rangers 6pm on VERSUS
Minnesota @ Vancouver 9pm on FS North & Mediacom Channel 22

WTA Tennis: Family Circle Cup 12pm on ESPN2

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB telecasts outside of Iowa.

Partial Minnesota Twins blackout on Dish Network & Mediacom

Starting in 2011, FS North has become the exclusive TV home of Twins Baseball and with this, cable & satellite providers need to purchase an additional package of roughly 30 or so games.

Last night's Twins game on FS North was the first game of the new package and it turns out that Dish Network, Cable One (which serves the Sioux City area), and Mediacom did not purchase this package of additional games. Dish Network subscribers were blacked out all together and alternate FS programming was shown on Mediacom.

A list of video providers who have purchased this package of additional games can be found here: http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/04/05/11/Did-you-miss-tonights-Twins-game-on-FSN/landing.html?blockID=497454&feedID=3697

TV Schedule, Wednesday April 6

Golf: Masters Par 3 Contest 2pm on ESPN

MLB Baseball:

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis 12:30pm on FS Midwest
Seattle @ Texas 12:30pm on MLB Network (DirecTV Channel 214)
Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Fox Sports Kansas City, & Mediacom Channel 22
Arizona @ Chicago Cubs 1:20pm on WGN
Minnesota @ NY Yankees 6pm on ESPN & FS North (subject to blackout across Iowa on ESPN)
Atlanta @ Milwaukee 7pm on FS Wisconsin & Mediacom Channel 22

NBA Basketball:

Milwaukee @ Miami 7pm on ESPN
LA Lakers @ Golden St. 9:30pm on ESPN

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League: Chelsea vs Manchester United 1:30pm on Fox Soccer Channel
CONCACAF Champions League: Cruz vs Monterrey 7pm on Fox Soccer Channel

NHL Hockey: St. Louis @ Chicago 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago & VERSUS (subject to blackout across Iowa on VERSUS)

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB telecasts outside of Iowa.

Final ratings for the NCAA Tournament

The final ratings are in and this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is the most watched tournament since 2005 averaging over 10 million total viewers. The key male demographics all posted a double digit increase in viewers over last year's tournament.

Last night's championship game saw a small decrease in ratings over last year, but still averaged 20 million viewers.

For more information, click here: http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?instance_code=turner&article_id=5635

ESPN Monday Night Baseball "co-exist"

ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Baseball is not subject to blackout in local markets, which normally national coverage of a team is blacked out in their local TV market. Starting back in 2007, ESPN's coverage and the coverage on an RSN will be able to "co-exist" up to three times a season.

Case in point, last night's ESPN's coverage of the Twins/Yankees game was not blacked out in Central Iowa, it was available on both ESPN & FS North and in the event the Twins appear on ESPN's Monday Night Baseball, it may possibly be on both ESPN & FS North. I'm not sure if ESPN has to get permission from the local RSN to do a co-exist telecast or not.

This policy is for Monday night games only and the Wednesday night games on ESPN/ESPN2 will be blacked out in the competing team's home TV market.

CBS College Sports takes on a new name today

Today is the day that CBS Sports has rebranded CBS College Sports as the CBS Sports Network.

Initially, other than a new logo and name, don't expect changes. I think college sports will be the primary focus, but in the future CBS might use the channel as leverage for supplemental coverage when bidding on future sports programming packages.

TV Schedule, Tuesday April 5

College Baseball: Creighton @ Nebraska 6:30pm on CBS Sports Network & NET (Nebraska Public TV - available across most of Western Iowa)

College Basketball:

NCAA Women's Championship Game: Notre Dame vs Texas A&M 7:30pm on ESPN

MLB Baseball:

Arizona @ Chicago Cubs 1:20pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Boston @ Cleveland 6pm on MLB Network
Minnesota @ NY Yankees 6pm on FS North
Pittsburgh @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago+, FS Kansas City, & Mediacom Channel 22

NBA Basketball:

Charlotte @ Cleveland 6pm on NBATV
Utah @ LA Lakers 9:30pm on NBATV

NHL Hockey:

Chicago @ Montreal 6:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
New Jersey @ Pittsburgh 6:30pm on VERSUS

Soccer:

UEFA Champions League: Inter Milan vs Schalke 1:30pm on FS Midwest & FS North
UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid vs Tottenham 1:30pm on Fox Soccer Channel
CONCACAF Champions League: Saprissa vs Real Salt Lake 9pm on Fox Soccer Channel

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB & NHL telecasts outside of Iowa.

Final Four ratings highest since 2005

A battle of Cinderella's at the Final Four Saturday night did nothing to put a dent in the strong ratings performance that the NCAA tournament has generated.

According to a press release, the ratings for Saturday night's national semi-finals were the highest since 2005. The Butler/VCU game averaged 14.2 million viewers while the Kentucky/UCONN night cap averaged 16.7 million viewers.

For more information, click here: http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5633

TV Schedule, Monday April 4

College Basketball: Butler vs UCONN 8pm on CBS

Cycling: Tour of Flanders 3pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

MLB Baseball:

Atlanta @ Milwaukee 12pm on FS Wisconsin
Arizona @ Chicago Cubs 1:20pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Minnesota @ NY Yankees 6pm on FS North & ESPN (subject to blackout across Iowa on ESPN)
Pittsburgh @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest

NHL Hockey:

Boston @ NY Rangers 6:30pm on VERSUS
Los Angeles @ San Jose 9pm on VERSUS

English Premier League Soccer: Stoke City vs Chelsa 2pm on FS Midwest & FS North

Disclaimer: All times are Central and blackouts are likely for regional MLB telecasts outside of Iowa.