TV Schedule, Sunday May 22

Arena Football: Dallas @ Chicago 3pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Auto Racing:

Formula 1: Spanish Grand Prix 5:30am on Speed Channel
Indy 500 Qualifhing: 11am on VERSUS
Nationwide Series: Iowa John Deere Dealer's 250 1pm on ABC
NHRA Drag Racing: Summer Nationals 6pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)

Bull Riding: PBR Tour 8pm on VERSUS

College Lacrosse:

NCAA Tournament: Maryland vs Syracuse 11am on ESPNU
NCAA Tournament: Duke vs Notre Dame 1:30pm on ESPNU

College Softball:

NCAA Tournament: Teams TBA 11am on Big 10 Network
NCAA Tournament: Teams TBA 12pm on ESPN
NCAA Tournament: Teams TBa 1:30pm on Big 10 Network
NCAA Tournament: Teams TBA 2:30pm on ESPN
NCAA Tournament: Teams TBA 4:30pm on ESPNU
NCAA Tournament: Teams TBA 7pm on ESPNU

Cycling: Tour of California, Stage 8 5:30pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

French Open Tennis: 4am on Tennis Channel & 12pm on ESPN2

Golf

European PGA Tour: 5am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: BMW Charity Pro-Am 12pm on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Crowne Point Invitational at Colonial (Final Round) 2pm on CBS
LPGA Tour: Sybase Match Play Championship (Final Day) 3:30pm on Golf Channel

MLB Baseball:

NY Mets @ NY Yankees 12pm on TBS
Colorado @ Milwaukee 1pm on FS Wisconsin
LA Dodgers @ Chicago White Sox 1pm on WGN
St.Louis @ Kansas Cit 1pm on FS Kansas City, FS Midwest & Mediacom Channel 22
Minnesota @ Arizona 3pm on FS North
Chicago Cubs @ Boston 7pm on ESPN

NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3: Chicago @ Miami 7:30pm on TNT

NHL Western Conference Finals, Game 4: Vancouver @ San Jose 2pm on NBC

Soccer:

English Premier League: Manchester United vs Blackpool 9:55am on ESPN2
English Premier League Tottenham vs Birmingham City 10am on Fox Soccer Channel
Italian Serie A: Udinese vs AC Millan 1:30pm on Fox Soccer Channel
WPS: Washington @ Western New York 6pm on Fox Soccer Channel

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

Sunday MLB on TBS heads to New York for the Subway Series

With the first weekend of inter-league play winding down in Major League Baseball, TBS Sports coverage of Sunday afternoon baseball heads to New York City for game 3 of the Subway Series.

According to a press release from Turner Sports, Brian Anderson will call the action with John Smoltz providing commentary.

For more information, as well as a schedule of upcoming Sunday afternoon MLB telecasts on TBS, please visit this Web Site.

The ratings surge for the NBA on TNT isn't letting up

The NBA on TNT continues to enjoy near record ratings. According to a press release from Turner Sports, Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals delivered 10 million viewers . To date, viewer ship of TNT's coverage of the NBA Playoffs is up 32% over last year.

For more information, including a ratings breakdown of the key male demographics, please visit this Web Site.

TV Schedule, Saturday May 21

AFL Premiership Football: Richmond vs Essendon 4:30am on ESPN2

Auto Racing:

Formula One Racing: Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying 7am on Speed Channel
Indy 500 Qualifying Session: 10am & 3:30pm on VERSUS
NHRA Drag Racing: Summer Nationals, Qualifying 4:30pm on ESPN2 (same day tape)
Sprint Cup: All-Star Race 6pm on Speed Channel

Boxing: Top Rank 10pm on FS Wisconsin

Bull Riding: PBR Tour 8pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

College Baseball:

Clemson @ Florida St. 12pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Notre Dame $ Louisville 12pm on CBS Sports Network
Northwestern @ Michigan St. 12pm on Big 10 Network
Missouri @ Nebraska 3pm on CBS College Sports & NET*
Penn St. @ Michigan 3pm on Big 10 Network
Vanderbilt @ Georgia 3pm on ESPNU
Texas A&M @ Texas 6pm on FS Midwest & FS Wisconsin

*NET: Nebraska Public TV (available across most of Western Iowa)

College Lacrosse:

Cornell vs Virginia 11am on ESPN2
Denver vs Johns Hopkins 1:30pm on ESPN2
Albany (NY) @ Northwestern (women's) 7pm on Big 10 Network

College Softball, NCAA Tournament

Teams TBA 1:30pm on ESPN
Teams TBA 4pm on ESPN
Teams TBA 5pm on ESPNU
Teams TBA 7:30pm on ESPNU
Teams TBA 10pm on ESPNU

Cycling: Tour of California, Stage 7 6pm on VERSUS (same day tape)

Golf:

European PGA Toiur 8am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: BMW Charity Pro-Am (Third Round) 12pm on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Third Round) 2pm on CBS
LPGA Tour: Sybase Match Play Championship (Day 3) 3pm on Golf Channel

Horse Racing:

Preakness Stakes Prep Races 1:30pm on VERSUS
Preakness Stakes 3:30pm on NBC

MLB Baseball:

LA Dodgers @ Chicago White Sox 1pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
St. Louis @ Kansas City 1pm on FS Kansas City, FS Midwest, & Mediacom Channel 22
Chicago Cubs @ Boston 6pm on Fox
Atlanta @ LA Angels 9pm on MLB Network
Minnesota @ Arizona 9pm on FS North

NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 3: Dallas @ Oklahoma City 8pm on ESPN

NHL Eastern Confernce Finals, Game 4: Boston @ Tampa Bay 12:30pm on NBC

Soccer:

Ligue 1 Soccer: Paris Saint-Germain vs LOSC Lille Métropole 2pm on Fox Soccer Channel
MLS: C.D. Chivas USA vs. Los Angeles 9pm on ESPN2

WTA Tennis: Brussels Ladies Open 8am on Tennis Channel

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

ESPN to provide extensive coverage of the NCAA Softball Tournament

Post season play in NCAA softball begins today and the ESPN family of networks is going to provide extensive coverage.

According to a press release from ESPN, nearly 70 games of the NCAA Softball Tournament will be shown across multiple ESPN platforms, with several games being streamed on ESPN3.com

Some of highlights of ESPN's coverage include:

*ESPNU HD will televise the complete best-of-seven Regional series from Tempe featuring top-seeded Arizona State, while ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will combine to cover the Regional series from Ann Arbor showcasing No. 10 seed Michigan;

*ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com will combine to televise every game from the eight best-of-three Super Regional series Thursday-Sunday, May 26-29.

*ESPN & ESPN2 will combine to televise every game of the Women's College World Series.

For more information as well as a complete schedule of televised games, please visit this web site.

TV Schedule, Friday May 20

Arena Football: Arizona @ New Orleans 7pm on NFL Network

Auto Racing:

Formula One Practice: Spanish Grand Prix 7am on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: NC Education Lottery 200 Practice 8:30am on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup: All-Star Practice 11am on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: NC Education Lottery 200 Qualifying 3pm on Speed Channel
Sprint Cup: All-Star Qualifying 4pm on Speed Channel
Camping World Series: NC Education Lottery 200 7pm on Speed Channel

Boxing: Friday Night Fights 8pm on ESPN2

College Baseball:

Kentucky @ Florida 6pm on Fox College Sports Atlantic
Minnesota vs Ohio St. 6pm on Big 10 Network
Notre Dame @ Louisville 6pm on CBS Sports Network
Texas A&M @ Texas 6pm on Fox College Sports Pacific

College Softball, NCAA Tournament:

Kentucky vs Notre Dame 4:30pm on ESPN2
Long Beach St. vs San Diego St. 4:30pm on ESPNU
Arizona St. vs North Dakota St. 7pm on ESPNU
Michigan vs Western Michigan 7pm on ESPN

Cycling: Tour of California 4pm on VERSUS

Golf:

European PGA Tour: 8am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: BMW Charity Pro-Am (Second Round) 12pm on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (Second Round) 2pm on Golf Channel
LPGA Tour: Sybase Match Play Championship (Day 2) 5:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

Horse Racing: Black-Eyed Susan Stakes 3pm on VERSUS

MLB Baseball:

Chicago Cubs @ Boston 6pm on WGN
LA Dodgers @ Chicago White Sox 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
NY Mets @ NY Yankees 6pm on MLB Network (DirecTV Channel 214)
Colorado @ Milwaukee 7pm on FS Wisconsin
St. Louis @ Kansas City 7pm on FS Kansas City, FS Midwest, & Mediacom Channel 22
Minnesota @ Arizona 8:30pm on FS North

NHL Western Conference Finals, Game 3: Vancouver @ San Jose 8pm on VERSUS

WTA Tennis: Brussels Ladies Open 7am & 9am on Tennis Channel

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

Big 10 Network announces it's 2011 prime time football schedule

Last week, ABC & ESPN announced their schedule of Big 10 prime time football telecasts and tonight, the Big 10 Network did the same.  Here's the schedule and all times are Central:

Friday, September 2nd:  Youngstown St. @ Michigan St. 6:30pm
Saturday, September 10th:  Virginia @ Indiana 5:30 or 6pm
Saturday, September 17th:  Arizona St. @ Illinois 6pm
Saturday, September 24th:  North Dakota St. @ Minnesota 6pm
Saturday, October 8th:  Michigan @ Northwestern 6pm
Saturday, October 15th: Northwestern @ Iowa 6pm
Saturday, October 22th:  Penn St. @ Northwestern

Between ABC/ESPN & Big 10 Network, there will be a combined total of 14 games that will be shown in prime time in 2011.

Dick Ebersol has resgined from NBC Sports

Some big news in the world of the sports media this morning as the New York Times is reporting that Dick Ebersol, who has been in charged of NBC Sports since the late 1980's, has resigned.

This is a big development since Ebersol has been instrumental with keeping the United States coverage of both the Winter and Summer Olympics on NBC.  The United States TV rights for the Olympics will be up for bid next month for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, this certainly throws a wrench into the bidding process as ABC/ESPN and Fox along with NBC/Comcast all want to win the TV rights.  Without Ebersol leading the way, who knows what will happen as NBC/Comcast was probably the favorite to retain the United States Olympic TV rights.  If NBC/Comcast were to lose out on the upcoming Olympic bidding process, in my opinion there's no question that such a huge loss would damage the NBC Sports "brand".  I say that because without the Olympics, what does NBC Sports have to hang their hat on, Sunday Night Football?  The NHL?  Horse racing's Triple Crown?

Earlier this month, news broke that Ebersol wanted to rebrand the Comcast owned regional sports networks ("RSN's") and have the RSN's assume the NBC Sports brand.  With Ebersol no longer in the mix, it remains to be seen if NBC Sports will push ahead with these plans.

A look at the TV deals of each BCS Conference

Rivals.com had a good breakdown earlier this week that looks at the basics of the  TV contract's of each the BCS conference's.  The recently announced Pac-12 contract with ABC, ESPN, & Fox puts the newly expanded conference at the top of the college football arms race.

While on the subject of the TV arms race in college sports, The Sports Business Journal reported last week that ESPN and Fox worked together to keep Comcast/NBC from winning the rights to televise Pac 12 football, basketball, and Olympic sports.

TV Schedule, Thursday May 19

College Baseball:

Rice @ Southern Miss 6pm on CBS Sports Network
Vanderbilt @ Georgia 6:30pm on ESPNU

College Football:  Big 10 Tonight (release of Big 10 Network primetime football schedule) 7pm on Big 10 Network

Cycling: Tour of California Stage 5 4pm on VERSUS

Golf:

European PGA Tour 8am on Golf Channel
Nationwide Tour: BMW Charity Pro-Am (First Round) 12pm on Golf Channel
PGA Tour: Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial (First Round) 2pm on Golf Channel
LPGA Tour: Sybase Match Play Championship (Day 1) 5:30pm on Golf Channel (same day tape)

MLB Baseball:

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati 11:30am on MLB Network
Houston @ St. Louis 12:30pm on FS Midwest
Cleveland @ Chicago 2pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Chicago Cubs @ Florida 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Minnesota @ Oakland 2:30pm on FS North
Detroit @ Boston 6pm on MLB Network
Texas @ Kansas City 7pm on FS Kansas City & on FS Midwest for Mediacom subscribers
Milwaukee @ San Diego 9pm on FS Wisconsin

NASCAR: Sprint Cup Crew Challenge 7pm on Speed Channel (same day tape)

NBA Western Western Conference Finals, Game 2:  Oklahoma City @ Dallas 8pm on ESPN

NHL Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3: Boston @ Tampa Bay 7pm on VERSUS

WTA Tennis: 7am on Tennis Channel and coverage continues all day

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

Big 10 Network will announce it's 2011 prime time football schedule Thursday Night

Last week, ESPN rolled out it's schedule of Big 10 football games that will be televised this coming fall and tomorrow night, the Big 10 Network will do the same.

According to a tweet from the Big 10 Network, the schedule of televised prime time football games on the Big 10 Network will be revealed in what else, prime time during a Big 10 Network special at 7pm (CT).

SiriusXM goes local

SiriusXM yesterday announced it was going local by adding sports talk shows from New York & Chicago to it's programming lineup.

According to a press release, SiriusXM will air the Mike Lupica & Michael Kay show's from the ESPN radio affiliate in New York City and the Waddle and Silvy show from ESPN radio in Chicago.

For more information, including time & channel information, please visit this web site.

TV Schedule, Wednesday May 18

Cycling: Tour of California 4pm on VERSUS

MLB Baseball:

Chicago Cubs @ Florida 6pm on WGN
Cleveland @ Chicago White Sox 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Colorado @ Philadelphia 6pm on ESPN
Houston @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Texas @ Kansas City 7pm on FS Kansas City & Mediacom Channel 22
Milwaukee @ San Diego 9pm on FS Wisconsin
Minnesota @ Oakland 9pm on FS North

Minor League Baseball: Louisville @ Durham 11am on MLB Network

NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2: Miami @ Chicago 7:30pm on TNT

NHL Western Conference Finals, Game 2: San Jose @ Vancouver 8pm on VERSUS

Women's Soccer: United States vs Japan 6pm on ESPN2

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

ESPN to go "NonStop" for it's coverage of the NASCAR Chase

The NASCAR Chase for The Championship might be month's away, but that's not stopping ESPN from announcing a new format for the Chase races that are televised by ESPN.

According to a press release from ESPN, during commercial breaks during Chase races, ESPN will go to a split screen format and will show the race and commercials at the same time.  There's a catch though, the first half of any race during The Chase will be presented in a normal commercial style format, and during the second of any given race during the Chase,

For more information as well as a screen shot of what ESPN's NonStop coverage will look like, please visit this web site.

ESPN to debut two new shows in September

ESPN today announced that ESPN2 will unveil a new weekday afternoon programming block on ESPN2.  According to a press release from ESPN, the new programming block will air from 2-5pm (CT).  In addition to the existing lineup, Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable and Numbers Don’t Lie will join the lineup on Monday, September 12.

Numbers Don’t Lie  will focus on fantasy sports while the Dan Le Batard show will be a general sports commentary program.

For more information on these new shows, please visit this web site

Tennis Channel to provide coverage of the French Open

With the French Open beginning this weekend, in addition to ESPN's 360 plus hours of coverage, the Tennis Channel will be providing TV coverage of the French Open as well.

According to a press release from The Tennis Channel, 75 hours worth of live coverage can be seen on The Tennis Channel with an additional 42 hours of coverage on a same day tape delayed basis. In addition, The Tennis Channel will have a nightly highlight show from The French Open called French Open Tonight.

For more information on The Tennis Channel's coverage of The French Open as well as a program schedule, please visit this web site.

Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals puts up huge ratings

It's been a record breaking season for TNT's coverage of the NBA and that didn't stop with TNT's coverage of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

According to a press release from Turner Sports, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was the most-viewed game in the history of cable television with over 11 million fans tuning in.

When compared to the 2010 NBA Playoffs, TNT's coverage of the 2011 NBA Playoffs to date is significantly higher in all of the key demographics.

For more information, please visit this web site.

NBA Western Conference Finals tips off tonight

The NBA Western Conference Finals tips off night with exclusive coverage on ESPN.

According to a press release from ESPN, Mike Breen will call the action with commentary provided by Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy along with Doris Burke providing reports from the sideline. ESPN Radio will broadcast the Western Conference Finals as well with Jim Durham and Dr. Jack Ramsay calling the action.

For a complete schedule of the NBA Western Conference Finals, please visit this web site.

TV Schedule, Tuesday May 17

Cycling: Tour of California, Stage 3 4pm on VERSUS

English Premiere League Soccer: Manchester City vs Stoke City 1:30pm on Fox Soccer Channel

MLB Baseball:

Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati 6pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Cleveland @ Kansas City 7pm on FS Kansas City & Mediacom Channel 22
Philadelphia @ St. Louis 7pm on FS Midwest
Texas @ Chicago White Sox 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago+
Milwaukee @ LA Dodgers 9pm on FS Wisconsin
Minnesota @ Seattle 9pm on FS North

NBA Western Conference Finals, Game 1: Oklahoma City @ Dallas 8pm on ESPN

NHL Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2: Tampa Bay @ Boston 7pm on VERSUS

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

ESPN gears up for the second Grand Slam event of the 2011 season

The French Open, the second grand slam event of the Tennis season, begins this Sunday, May 22 and ESPN2 is all over the coverage.

According to a press release from ESPN, nearly 350 hours worth of coverage will be televised on multiple ESPN platforms (TV, internet, and mobile).

For a a complete schedule of the 2011 French Open on ESPN2, please visit this website:  http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/05/16/espn-the-french-open-top-ranked-nadal-wozniacki-challenged-by-djokovic-sharapova/

TV Schedule, Monday May 16

Cycling: Tour of California, State 2 4pm on VERSUS

MLB Baseball:

Philadelphia @ St. Louis 6pm on ESPN & FS Midwest (subject to blackout across Iowa on ESPN)
Cleveland @ Kansas City 7pm on FS Kansas City & Mediacom Channel 22
Texas @ Chicago White Sox 7pm on Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Milwaukee @ LA Dodgers 9pm on FS Wisconsin
Minnesota @ Seattle 9pm on FS North

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