Network Highlights for April 2009

Transcription

1 Network Highlights for April 2009 The wait is over as Major League Baseball returns for a new season on ESPN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (MLB) The world s best baseball is back with LIVE season coverage of MLB on ESPN April opens a new season of Major League Baseball (MLB) on ESPN with coverage airing LIVE and on short-turnaround of all the regular season and playoff action and closing with the main event, the World Series. Last season saw the Philadelphia Phillies claim their first World Series title in 28 years over the year s Cinderella team, the Tampa Bay Rays, a young team who went from worst to first, winning the American League (AL) pennant over the favored Boston Red Sox before falling to the Phillies 4-1 in the World Series. The new season promises all the usual drama on the field, as well as the debut of two new stadiums in New York for the Yankees and Mets, a farewell to the Metrodome for the Minnesota Twins, the first All-Star Game for St. Louis in 44 years and much more. The AL rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees lives on, but last season saw the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and surprising Rays challenge their dominance. The National League (NL) was equally compelling as the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, who played strongly but couldn t break their championship drought, challenged the Phillies all the way down the line. ESPN s MLB package (airing Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays AUS) airs LIVE or on short-turnaround all season. Many games re-air same day in prime. Host team shown first Apr 2 10:00am ESPN s Wednesday Night Baseball Apr 6 10:00am Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves Apr 7 03:00am Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets Apr 7 06:00am Baltimore Orioles vs. New York Yankees Apr 8 09:00am ESPN s Tuesday Night Baseball Apr 9 09:00am ESPN s Wednesday Night Baseball Apr 11 09:00am ESPN s Friday Night Baseball Apr 13 10:00am Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs Apr 14 09:00am New York Mets vs. San Diego Padres

2 Apr 15 09:00am ESPN s Tuesday Night Baseball Apr 16 12:30pm ESPN s Wednesday Night Baseball Apr 18 09:00am ESPN s Friday Night Baseball Apr 20 10:00am Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals Apr 21 09:00am New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics Apr 22 09:00am ESPN s Tuesday Night Baseball Apr 23 10:00am ESPN s Wednesday Night Baseball Apr 25 09:00am ESPN s Friday Night Baseball Apr 27 10:00am Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees Apr 28 09:00am Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals Apr 29 09:00am ESPN s Tuesday Night Baseball Apr 30 09:00am ESPN s Wednesday Night Baseball Games air Live or on Short-turnaround UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE In April on ESPN: the Quarterfinals and first leg of the Semifinals airing LIVE and on short-turnaround The UEFA Champions League moves one step closer to crowning a new champion with this month s coverage on ESPN of both legs of the Quarterfinals and the first leg of the Semifinals. The First Knockout Round in February and March delivered some intriguing match ups, insuring that a few early favorites for the title won t be around to take the field come April. Among the top games were three England vs. Italy battles as Chelsea faced Juventus, Arsenal took on Roma, and defending champion Manchester United went up against Inter Milan. Spain was also strongly represented, as tournament favorite Barcelona faced French champion Lyon, two lesser-known clubs joined the fray as Atlético de Madrid went up against neighboring Portuguese club Porto and Villarreal took on Greek side Panathinaikos, while the toughest draw saw a face off of two sides who between them own 14 titles as Real Madrid took on England s Liverpool. The final pairing saw Germany s Bayern Munich in action against Portugal s Sporting. ESPN s coverage of the UEFA Champions League airs LIVE, on short-turnaround and taped throughout the season. Games re-air in prime. Stay tuned to ESPN in May for the second leg of the Semifinals and the Final airing from Rome, Italy. Apr 8 04:30am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #1 (L) Apr 8 06:45am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #1 (S) Apr 9 04:30am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #1 (L) Apr 9 06:45am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #1 (S) Apr 15 04:30am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #2 (L) Apr 15 06:45am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #2 (S) Apr 16 04:30am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #2 (L) Apr 16 06:45am UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals, Leg #2 (S) Apr 29 04:30am UEFA Champions League Semifinal #1, Leg #1 (L) Apr 30 04:30am UEFA Champions League Semifinal #1, Leg #1 (L) (L) Live; (S) Short-turnaround 2010 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

3 More European World Cup Qualifying on ESPN in April with Germany and the Netherlands in action April features more 2010 World Cup Qualifying from the European group on ESPN, with two favorites taking the field: Germany and the Netherlands. Germany turned in a sharp performance in Euro 2008, narrowly losing the title 1-0 to Spain, and with their third-place finish in the last World Cup they return as a clear favorite in The Netherlands always a highly-ranked side in world football fields a young, hungry squad that took fourth in Euro 2008 and is also expected to advance to the Final. Italy, the defending World Cup champions, remain favored to advance to the final tournament in South Africa, as do Group leaders Spain, England, Germany, and the Netherlands. Also in good shape to move on are Greece, Croatia, Serbia and Lithuania, as well as Denmark, Turkey and Hungary. Portugal, who finished fourth at the 2006 World Cup, are solidly in the hunt behind star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, winner of the Balon d Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In European qualifying, the nine group winners qualify directly, while the best eight second-place teams face-off in a playoff for the remaining four places World Cup qualifying continues through October 2009, with more than 200 teams from around the globe vying for one of the 31 spots in the Final tournament to be held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11, ESPN presents coverage throughout the year from the European qualifying group. Apr 3 12:30am World Cup Qualifying Wales vs. Germany Apr 3 05:00pm World Cup Qualifying Netherlands vs. Macedonia Games air Taped SPANISH PRIMERA LEAGUE Skilled Spanish football continues to light up ESPN all month the Spanish Primera League The Spanish Primera League, Spain s top level of football, continues on ESPN in April, and with May marking the end of the season, every match this month could be decisive. Barcelona started 2009 where it s been all season: in full command of the league. Behind their skilled strike trio of Argentina s Lionel Messi, France s Thierry Henry and Cameroon s Samuel Eto o they rolled to a 12-point lead over their closest challenger, a re-energized Real Madrid side showing signs of recapturing the form that won them the last two league titles. Among the group close on Real Madrid s heels in the chase behind Barcelona are Sevilla, Valencia, Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid, all serious challengers for the title. Valencia is looking to David Villa one of the league s top scorers along with Eto o, Messi and Atlético s Diego Forlán to deliver them another championship to go along with those won in 2002 & Barcelona, meanwhile, has been sharp and focused in their quest for a 19 th league title, the first since 2006.

4 ESPN s coverage of the Spanish Primera League airs LIVE or on short-turnaround all season. Some games feature same day re-airs. Kick-off times not confirmed and subject to change. Apr 1 10:00pm Spanish Primera League Football Apr 2 01:30am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 2 03:30am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 2 06:30am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 5 03:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 5 05:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 5 09:30pm Spanish Primera League Football Apr 6 02:30am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 12 03:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 12 05:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 13 01:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 13 03:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 13 05:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 19 03:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 19 05:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 20 01:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 20 03:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 26 03:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 26 05:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 27 02:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 27 04:55am Spanish Primera League Football Apr 27 06:55am Spanish Primera League Football Matches air Live or on Short-turnaround ITALIAN SERIE A FOOTBALL The best Italian football is on ESPN in April with more games from Italian Serie A Top-flight football from Italy continues all month on ESPN with continuing coverage from Italian Serie A, one of Europe s most skilled and respected football leagues. The new year started with a bang as league leaders Inter Milan fell to mid-table Atalanta, a loss that blew the title race wide open. While Inter remain the team to beat, thanks in large measure to the scoring prowess of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, their two fiercest rivals, Juventus and AC Milan, are increasingly breathing down their neck. Juventus was surging by mid-season, following talents like strike duo Amauri of Brazil and Italy s Alessandro Del Piero not to mention Czech veteran Pavel Nedved, a solid force in midfield to move just three points behind three-time defending champions Inter. AC Milan has also been in winning form, making the race a three-way battle between the traditional giants of Italian football. Napoli, Genoa and Fiorentina have also looked sharp, while Roma another powerhouse in Italy who have struggled with star Francesco Totti on the sidelines is making a steady climb up the standings. Coverage of Italian Serie A football featuring three matches per week, airing LIVE or on short-turnaround airs throughout the season on ESPN. Kick-off times not confirmed and subject to change.

5 Apr 5 04:25am Italian Serie A Football Apr 6 12:30am Italian Serie A Football Apr 6 05:00am Italian Serie A Football Apr 12 04:25am Italian Serie A Football Apr 12 11:55pm Italian Serie A Football Apr 13 04:25am Italian Serie A Football Apr 19 04:25am Italian Serie A Football Apr 19 11:55pm Italian Serie A Football Apr 20 04:25am Italian Serie A Football Apr 26 04:25am Italian Serie A Football Apr 26 11:55pm Italian Serie A Football Apr 27 04:25am Italian Serie A Football All games air Live, on Short-turnaround or Taped SOCCER MAGAZINE PROGRAMS ESPNSoccernet Press Pass ESPN s popular 30-minute LIVE roundtable talk show, ESPNSoccernet Press Pass, continues twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Viewer helps set the agenda as host Derek Rae, expert analysts Tommy Smyth and Janusz Michallik, and regular guest Shaka Hislop debate the game s hottest issues. The Monday show reviews weekend matches and previews upcoming mid-week action from the UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores and other notable national/international matches. Friday s show recaps mid-week matches and previews upcoming weekend matches. Also featured each week are studio segments from the United Kingdom. Join Derek Rae and the rest of the entertaining Press Pass team as they analyze all the action from that week s Matchday on UEFA Champions League Highlights, a onehour program airing in the regular ESPNSoccernet Press Pass weekend slot during Champions League weeks. ESPNSoccernet Press Pass airs on Mondays at 10:00pm; the weekend show airs on Fridays at 3:00pm with a re-air at 10:00pm. Both programs have multiple re-airs. RUGBY THE HEINEKEN CUP European rugby union continues on ESPN in April the Quarterfinals from the Heineken Cup April sees more action from the Heineken Cup, the most prestigious European club competition in rugby union starring the top teams from the Six Nations England, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy. Round 5 in January saw defending champions Munster of Ireland, Wales club Cardiff Blues and England s Harlequins become the first teams through to the last eight. Following this month s Quarterfinals, May features the Semifinals and, later in the month, the Finals, airing from Edinburgh, Scotland. Top clubs poised to follow Munster, Cardiff and Harlequins into the Quarterfinals are

6 Ireland s Leinster, two-time champions London Wasps and Leicester Tigers of England, English club Bath Rugby (the 1998 champion), and Toulouse of France, a three-time Heineken Cup champion and losers to Munster in last year s final. Munster has now won two of the last three titles, with London Wasps winning in 2007 and Toulouse in ESPN s coverage airs LIVE, on short-turnaround or taped throughout the season, with April featuring matches from the Quarterfinals. Stay tuned to ESPN in May for coverage from the Semifinals and Finals. Apr 10 11:55pm Heineken Cup Rugby Quarterfinal Apr 12 02:25am Heineken Cup Rugby Quarterfinal Apr 12 09:25pm Heineken Cup Rugby Quarterfinal Apr 12 11:55pm Heineken Cup Rugby Quarterfinal Matches air Taped NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA) ESPN s LIVE season coverage of the NBA continues all month with final regular season games and the start of the NBA Playoffs April opens with key National Basketball Association (NBA) match ups as two Western powers face off Steve Nash, Shaq and the Phoenix Suns hosting Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets followed by the two hottest teams in the East on court as the Orlando Magic host the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers LeBron James and the Miami Heat s Dwyane Wade, along with the Lakers Kobe Bryant and the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki, burned up the court as the league s scoring leaders in the first half of the season and show no signs of slowing down. Joining Cleveland and Orlando on top in the East are the defending champion Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons, surprising Philadelphia 76ers, and the Milwaukee Bucks, home to standout Australian center Andrew Bogut. In the West, it s the Lakers out front, with the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets, Suns and Portland Trail Blazers all close on their trail. See Kobe and the Lakers in action this month against the Rockets and Trail Blazers, while Nowitzki and the Mavericks take on the Utah Jazz and Rockets. Coverage of the NBA airs LIVE all season on ESPN, with April featuring final regular season games (some with same day re-airs) followed by the start of the NBA Playoffs. ESPN has up to five first round NBA Playoff games airing this month, dates and times TBC. LIVE coverage Host team shown first Apr 2 01:00pm Phoenix Suns vs. Houston Rockets Apr 4 11:00am Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Apr 4 08:00pm Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets (T) Apr 9 11:30am Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz Apr 11 12:00pm Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (T) Apr 16 10:00am Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets All games air Live except (T) air Taped

7 NBA Action, a fast-paced weekly magazine program, features league news, team and player updates, and highlights from the week s best action. NBA Action airs throughout the season on Fridays at 7:00pm with re-airs on Saturday at 7:30pm. NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL The NCAA Men s Basketball Tournament wraps in April with coverage on ESPN of the Final Four Another season of NCAA Men s College Basketball ends in April with the season s crowning event, the NCAA Men s Basketball Tournament Final Four. With March Madness, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight behind us, the 65 teams who started the tournament have now been whittled down to the four top squads who will face off in the semifinals, with the two teams left standing vying for the national championship in the Final. The hottest teams through the regular season include preseason No. 1 North Carolina and fellow ACC powers Duke and Wake Forest, the Big 12 s Oklahoma and Texas, the Big Ten s Michigan State, Pac-10 power UCLA, and a deep field of Big East challengers led by Pittsburgh, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown. Also notching a solid season in the West Coast Conference was St. Mary s, led by one of the rising stars in Australia, Patty Mills. Don t miss the crowning of a new NCAA basketball champion with ESPN s coverage this month of the Final Four airing from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Apr 5 08:00am 2009 NCAA Men s Basketball Tournament Semifinal (L) Apr 5 10:30am 2009 NCAA Men s Basketball Tournament Semifinal (T) Apr 7 11:00am 2009 NCAA Men s Basketball Tournament Final (T) Apr 7 09:30pm 2009 NCAA Men s Basketball Tournament Final (R) (L) Live; (T) Taped; (R) Re-air EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL On ESPN in April Euroleague Basketball wraps the Quarterfinal Playoffs Euroleague Basketball, considered the European Cup of basketball, winds up the Quarterfinal Playoffs in April, setting the stage for May s Final Four in Berlin. As the premiere showcase for the best clubs from Greece, Spain, Italy, Russia, Israel and beyond, Euroleague Basketball always delivers a season of top-flight basketball action from start to finish. The Top 16 featured some of the best talent around, led by Spain s Regal FC Barcelona, the most dominant team in the regular season. Barcelona and countrymen Real Madrid, Unicaja and Tau Ceramica, a Final Four regular, are all serious championship contenders, joined by Greece s Olympiacos and 2007 champs Panathinaikos, reigning champion CSKA Moscow, and past champion Maccabi Electra, back in form after coaching great Pini Gershon returned to the club mid-season. Not to be counted out are Italian teams Montepaschi Siena and Lottomatica

8 Roma, both shouldering high expectations to challenge for the title. Coverage of Euroleague Basketball airs all season on ESPN. Stay tuned in May for coverage of the Final Four from Berlin, Germany. Apr 4 02:00am Euroleague Basketball Quarterfinal Playoff Apr 12 12:30am Euroleague Basketball Quarterfinal Playoff Games air Taped SPORTSCENTER ESPN s marquee sports news and information program, SportsCenter, continues with one LIVE edition airing daily, Friday through Tuesday (AUS), starting at 7:00am local time, 6:00am as of April 5, with multiple re-airs. Innovative and entertaining, SportsCenter covers major sporting events and stories of special interest to sports fans in Australia and New Zealand, as well as a broad range of international sports that appeal to local viewers. As with ESPN s flagship studio show launched in 1979, this version of SportsCenter hosted by Travis Winks, Andrew Orsatti, Tiffany Cherry and Jason Bennett has indepth reporting and analysis, vast coverage, and a creative and sophisticated production style that is the mark of SportsCenter wherever it is seen around the globe. MOTOR SPORTS NHRA Drag Racing and Supercross Motorcycle Racing More top-flight drag racing airing on ESPN in April the NHRA NHRA Drag Racing continues all month on ESPN with hair-raising race action that never disappoints the crowds. ESPN s coverage airing this month from major tracks in Texas, Las Vegas and Atlanta, Georgia spotlights the two divisions that are the heart and soul of drag racing, Top Fuel and Funny Car. Tony Schumacher claimed a fifth consecutive Top Fuel crown last season, his sixth title overall, while driving his dragster to a category record 15 victories during the season. His unequaled performance dominated the 7,000-horsepower category from start to finish. Meanwhile, Cruz Pedregon won a second Funny Car series crown in 2008, his first since the 1992 season, by claiming the final three races of the season in the Countdown to 1 playoffs. Both are back to defend their titles in what promises to be another stellar season at the track. ESPN presents season coverage of NHRA Drag Racing including both qualifying and race day action; final eliminations are featured at each stop. Apr 1 07:00pm O Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals Houston, TX (T) Apr 6 06:30am NHRA Drag Racing Las Vegas, NV (S) Apr 20 09:00am NHRA Drag Racing Atlanta, GA (S) (S) Short-turnaround; (T) Taped

9 The world s premier Grand Prix motorcycle racing series continues all month on ESPN Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship High-flying off-road motorcycle racing continues on ESPN in April with coverage from the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. With the merging of the AMA Supercross Series and the FIM World Supercross GP into one united championship, the sport has never been healthier. April action features racing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada the series only international stop followed by races in Florida and Washington. As expected, the 2009 season has been a head-to-head duel between defending champion Chad Reed of Australia, an explosive rider who also claimed the Supercross title in 2004, and his leading rival, the 2008 AMA Motocross champion, James Stewart. Stewart claimed two of the season s first three races, with Reed taking second, setting the stage for a season-long battle that is certain to be fought right up to May s seasoncloser. The 16-race season runs January to April, closing with the season-ending Shootout in Las Vegas next month. ESPN presents season coverage, with races from the 125cc and 250cc divisions featured at all stops. Apr 3 8:00 & 9:00pm Supercross Racing 125cc & 250cc Toronto, Canada Apr 10 8:00 & 9:00pm Supercross Racing 125cc & 250cc Jacksonville, FL Apr 24 8:00 & 9:00pm Supercross Racing 125cc & 250cc Seattle, WA Coverage airs Taped POKER Every Tuesday on ESPN Poker Night Tuesday night is ESPN s Poker Night, a chance for fans of high-stakes poker to see some of the world s most skilled card sharps in action. From the prestigious World Series of Poker in Las Vegas to the U.S. Poker Championship, the World Series of Poker Europe and other major international events, ESPN s Poker Night has all the bigmoney betting, bluffing and folding that poker fans love. April poker on ESPN features re-airs of the Main Event from the thrilling 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the biggest and most lucrative poker tournament on the planet. In 2008, the final table of the Main Event was played in November a full four months after the other WSOP events and it was worth the wait. In the end, it was Denmark native Peter Eastgate who waltzed home with poker s most coveted bracelet and $9,152,416 in prize money. Eastgate bested eight of poker s heavyweights among them Russia s Ivan Demidov, the last to fall to become, at 22, the youngest player ever to win the title. Don t miss a hand Poker Night airs Tuesday nights, 7:00-9:00pm, on ESPN. BOXING

10 True boxing fans never miss Friday Night Fights, ESPN s hugely popular weekly program featuring live championship bouts. In addition to fight coverage spotlighting the sport s top-rated contenders, Friday Night Fights has news and information, chats with in-studio guests, and features clips of classic fight footage. Friday Night Fights airs Friday evenings. PTI AUSTRALIA* Pardon the Interruption Australia shines a spotlight on the latest, most talked-about happenings in the sports world. Fast-paced, innovative and always provocative, PTI Australia features Russell Barwick and Sam Kekovich facing-off in a lively format devoted exclusively to sports opinions and the latest news making headlines. Mixing insight, analysis and humor, PTI Australia gets inside the stories viewers care most about. Program airs Tuesdays, 5:30pm. PTI Australia re-airs each week on Tuesdays at 10:00pm, Wednesdays at 12:30am and 3:00pm and Thursdays at 7:30pm. *airs in Australia only. CRICKET ICC Cricket World ICC Cricket World, the official weekly program of the International Cricket Council, the game s governing body, provides in-depth, comprehensive coverage of the gentleman s game of cricket. Only ICC Cricket World has full access to the sport and its participants, covering cricket news and action around the globe including all Test Matches and One Day Internationals. With exclusive ICC footage, interviews, plus human interest stories and player features from both on and off the field, ICC Cricket World covers all aspects of this fascinating sport. Also featured are news, highlights, updates on international cricket and highprofile events, regular features on the development of the sport, previews of upcoming happenings and much more. ICC Cricket World airs Fridays at 7:30pm. *All times are correct at the time of printing and subject to change. All times AEDT