The game, in which Clark scored 20 points in a losing effort, was also the most-watched WNBA game since NBC drew 2.4 million viewers for its Memorial Day 2001 telecast, according to SportsMedia Watch. 

The game was the third most watched live sports event Tuesday night behind TNT’s two NBA playoffs telecasts, including Game 5 of the Indiana Pacers-New York Knicks Eastern Conference semifinal (4.8 million viewers) and Game 5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets Western Conference semifinal (4.5 million), according to SportsMedia Watch. 

Clark has been a major ratings draw for women’s basketball so far this year. ABC and ESPN set a women’s college basketball ratings record by drawing 18.9 million viewers for their simulcast of the April 7 NCAA championship game, in which Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

ESPN’s April 15 WNBA draft telecast featuring Clark, selected by the Fever with the first overall draft pick, averaged a record 2.4 million viewers.

Prime Video will stream Clark’s home opener on Thursday (May 16), as Indiana faces the New York Liberty. 

NFL football games led the ratings onslaught, generating the three most-watched games of the year led by CBS's Thanksgiving day Washington Commanders-Dallas Cowboys game, which drew 41.76 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings published by SportsMedia Watch. The telecast was the second most-watched NFL regular-season game on record behind only last Thanksgiving’s Giants-Cowboys game, which drew 42 million viewers.

Fox's November 23 Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game drew 33 million viewers, while NBC’s San Francisco 49’ers-Seattle Seahawks Thanksgiving evening game drew 24.78 million viewers.

CBS’s November 26 late Sunday afternoon NFL window – mostly featuring the Buffalo Bills-Philadelphia Eagles matchup -- drew 30.90 million viewers for fourth place on the chart. Also, the November 20 Philadelphia Eagles-Kansas City Chiefs Monday Night Football telecast averaged more than 29 million combined viewers across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Plus, and ESPN Deportes – the biggest Monday Night Football audience for the Walt Disney Company since 1996, according to ESPN. 

On the college football front, Fox’s November 25 Ohio State-Michigan game drew a season-high 19 million viewers and finished as the most-watched regular season college football game in 12 years. 

The biggest non-football audience was Fox’s Thanksgiving day college basketball game between Michigan State and Arizona, which drew 5.18 million viewers, the largest regular-season college football audience in 15 years, according to SportsMedia Watch. 

Top-ranked Georgia will host UAB on ESPN2, second-ranked Michigan battles Rutgers on Big Ten Network, third-ranked Texas travels to Baylor on ABC, fourth-ranked Florida State takes on Clemson on ABC, and fifth-ranked USC travels to Arizona State on Fox. 

Colorado coach Deion Sanders will lead his 19th-ranked Buffaloes into Oregon to take on the 10th-ranked Ducks on ABC. The rest of the schedule featuring top-ranked teams include No. 6 Ohio State-No. 9 Notre Dame (NBC), No. 7 Penn State-Iowa (CBS) and No. 8 Washington-California (ESPN).

On the basketball court, the second round of the WNBA playoffs begins Sunday with the Connecticut Sun-New York Liberty contest on ESPN and the Dallas Wings–Las Vegas Aces games on ESPN2.

Week three of the NFL season continues on Sunday afternoon with regional action on CBS and Fox. NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast features an AFC matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders. 

On the racetrack, USA Network on Saturday will air the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race, while on Sunday, ESPN will televise the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix race, and USA Network will air the NASCAR Cup AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 contest. 

In the boxing ring, ESPN Plus on Saturday will feature a WBO heavyweight interim title fight between champion Zhilei Zhang and Joe Joyce, while DAZN offers a main event bout between junior welterweights Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepaeda. 

On the soccer field, Peacock, USA and NBC will combine to offer 10 English Premier League games throughout the weekend, while Apple TV and FS1 televise two Sunday MLS contests.

On the baseball diamond, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will air from Los Angeles as the Dodgers play their National League rivals, the San Francisco Giants.

Germany defeated the U.S. team 113-111, winning its first game ever against the Americans in World Cup or Olympic competition. Germany will face Serbia in the finals on Sunday in its first gold medal round appearance.

Also Read: What's On This Weekend in TV Sports 

The US, which didn't medal in the 2019 games and hasn’t won the tournament since 2014 when it defeated Serbia, will play Canada in the bronze medal game Sunday morning. All 2023 FIBA World Cup games have aired on ESPN2 and/or ESPN Plus. 

The first official weekend of college football action features several top 10-ranked teams in the nation playing on Saturday, beginning with the top-seeded and defending champion Georgia Bulldogs facing UT Martin on the SEC Network and second-ranked Michigan facing East Carolina on Peacock. Third-rank Ohio State travels to Indiana to face the Hoosiers on CBS, while fourth-ranked Alabama hosts Middle Tennessee on the SEC Network. 

The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 USC-Nevada (Pac 12 Network) and No. 10 Washington-Boise State (ABC.) On Sunday, fifth-ranked LSU battles No. 8 Florida State on ABC, while on Monday, No. 9 Clemson faces Duke on ESPN.

ESPN2 on Saturday will offer coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament featuring third-round men’s singles action, while on Sunday, ESPN and ABC will offer live coverage of the fourth round of women’s singles play. 

On the racetrack Sunday, USA will air the NASCAR Cup: Cook Out Southern 500 race, NBC will televise the IndyCar BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland race, and ESPN will showcase the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix competition. 

On the baseball diamond, Peacock will stream the Philadelphia Phillies-Milwaukee Brewers game. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will pit the New York Yankees against the Houston Astros. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will stream a UFC Fight Night card headlined by the Ciryl Gane-Serghei Spivac heavyweight match. 

ESPN will begin its Home Run Derby coverage on Monday night (July 10) with its Baseball Tonight pregame show before airing the live competition from Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.  

ESPN2, will offer a stats-heavy alternative feed including analytics-focused commentary driven by on-screen graphics, data and information provided by MLB StatCast. Also, the home run coverage and ball flight will be displayed via 3D animation during the telecast, according to the network. 

Last year’s Home Run Derby, won by then-Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, drew 6.9 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, down 3% from the previous year, according to Nielsen. 

This year’s participants include Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners), Vladimir Guerrero (Toronto Blue Jays), Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers), Randy Arozarena (Tampa Bay Rays), Pete Alonso (New York Mets), Adley Rutschman (Baltimore Orioles), Luis Robert (Chicago White Sox) and Adolis Garcia (Texas Rangers). 

ESPN’s Home Run Derby coverage will be hosted by Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez, with analysts Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez providing interviews and commentary. Ravech, during a recent press call for the event, said the fast pace of the at-bats during the Home Run Derby makes announcing the event difficult but contributes to its appeal for viewers. 

“It resonates not only with the people in the stands and watching, but also with the competitors,” he said. “There is something about a home run and a home run champion that resonates with people.” 

Tuesday’s All-Star Game will air on Fox. 

After a week of play-in games to determine the final four playoff teams, the NBA’s first round, best-of-seven post-season series begin Saturday afternoon on ESPN with the Brooklyn Nets against the Philadelphia 76’ers, the Atlanta Hawks facing the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks meeting the Cleveland Cavaliers. ABC will round out Saturday’s action with the Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings telecast.

On Sunday, ABC will televise the L.A. Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies contest, while TNT offers up a tripleheader beginning with the L.A. Clippers-Phoenix Suns clash. Also slated for Sunday on TNT is the Milwaukee Bucks game against the winner of Friday’s Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat play-in contest, and the Denver Nuggets matchup against Friday’s Oklahoma City Thunder-Minnesota Timberwolves winner. 

Football fans will have two spring leagues to watch as the USFL kicks off its second season Saturday alongside week nine of the XFL's inaugural season. Fox on Saturday will televise USFL matches featuring the Philadelphia Stars and Memphis Showboats and the New Jersey Generals against the Birmingham Stallions, while NBC on Sunday will carry the Houston Gamblers-Michigan Panthers contest and FS1 will air the Pittsburgh Maulers-New Orleans Breakers game. 

On the XFL front, ABC on Saturday will televise the Vegas Vipers-Houston Roughnecks matchup while ESPN2 tackles the Orlando Guardians-San Antonio Brahmas game. On Sunday, ESPN will air the Arlington Renegades-D.C. Defenders game and the Seattle Sea Dragons-St. Louis Battlehawks contest.  

On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will televise weekend final round coverage of the PGA RBC Heritage golf tournament, while on the bowling lanes Fox and FS1 will offer weekend coverage of  the PBA World Series of Bowling tournament.

USA, Peacock and NBC will continue its weekend Premier League coverage with a total of nine live games across Saturday and Sunday. Fox on Sunday will air an MLS contest between LAFC and LA Galaxy 

On the racetrack NBC on Sunday will televise the Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar race, while FS1 televises the NASCAR Cup NOCO 400 race. On the baseball diamond, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball contest will feature the Texas Rangers against the Houston Astros. 

CBS will offer late round coverage of the Masters tournament from Augusta National Golf Club throughout the weekend. Friday’s second round of the tournament was suspended due to rain with Viktor Hovland, John Rahm, Sam Bennett and Brooks Koepka all vying for the top spot on the leaderboard. 

ESPN's Thursday coverage of the tournament's first round was viewed by an average of 2.5 million viewers, according to the network. 

In the boxing ring, ESPN on Saturday will feature a lightweight boxing matchup between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino, while Showtime will feature a junior middleweight bout between champion Sebastian Fundora and Brian Mendoza. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 287 pay-per-view match between middleweight champion Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.  

On the ice, ABC will offer an afternoon NHL tripleheader including the Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights-Dallas Stars afternoon games, followed by the New Jersey Devils-Boston Bruins primetime matchup.

Fox on Saturday will televise the Wood Memorial horse racing event, while on Sunday the network will televise the NASCAR Cup Food City Dirt Race event.  

ESPN will air a XFL doubleheader featuring the Vegas-St. Louis and Arlington-Orlando games. On Sunday ABC will air the Houston-San Antonio game, while ESPN2 will carry the D.C.-Seattle contest.

USA, NBC and Peacock will televise a combined 10 Premier League soccer games over the weekend, while TNT on Saturday will televise the women’s soccer game between the US team and Ireland.

The NBA regular-season concludes Sunday with two national game telecasts on ESPN (Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz-L.A. Lakers). Also Sunday, ESPN will televise the San Diego Padres-Atlanta Braves Sunday Night Baseball contest.

Team USA will take the field for the international baseball tournament on Saturday against Great Britain on Fox and on Sunday against Mexico on FS1. Overall Fox, FS1 and FS2 will air 15 World Baseball Classic games over the weekend. 

Also: Fox Sports Steps to the Plate with World Baseball Classic Coverage

On the NBA court, ABC on Saturday will air a primetime game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors, and ESPN on Sunday will televise the N.Y. Knicks-L.A. Lakers contest. 

On the racetrack, Fox on Sunday will air the NASCAR Cup United Rentals Work United 500 race. On the ice, ABC on Saturday will televise the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins game, while on Sunday TNT will air the N.Y. Rangers-Pittsburgh Penguins matchup.

March Madness will officially kick off Sunday with CBS’ live airing of the NCAA Men’s college basketball tournament selection show, and ESPN’s live telecast of the Women’s college basketball tournament selection show. 

The XFL tees up week four of its inaugural pro football season Saturday with an FX doubleheader featuring the Houston Roughnecks-Orlando Guardians and San Antonio Brahmas-Seattle Sea Dragons games. On Sunday, ESPN2 will air the Arlington Renegades-St. Louis Battlehawks and the Vegas Vipers-D.C. Defenders contests.

On the soccer field, Peacock and USA will air nine Premier League soccer games over the weekend. In the ring, Showtime will air the Tim Tszu-Tony Harrison junior middleweight title fight.■ 

Fox will telecast the New York City FC-Nashville SC MLS match on Saturday, while FS1 will air the Seattle Sounders FC-Colorado Rapids game. The games officially launch Fox Sports’s four-year linear TV deal with MLS.

On the NBA court, ABC will air a Saturday primetime matchup between Eastern Conference rivals the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. On Sunday ABC will air an afternoon NBA doubleheader featuring the Phoenix Suns-Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks contests, while ESPN’s primetime doubleheader includes the Minnesota Timberwolves-Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers-Denver Nuggets games. 

Week two of pro-football league the XFL will launch Saturday with the D.C-Vegas game on FX, while ESPN on Sunday will air the San Antonio-Orlando game and ESPN2 will offer the Arlington-Houston contest.

In the ring, YouTube star Jake Paul on Sunday will look to advance his boxing career when he faces Tommy Fury in the main event of an ESPN Plus pay-per-view boxing card on Sunday. On Saturday, Showtime will telecast a live fight card headlined by the junior welterweight championship fight between Subriel Matias and Jeremias Ponce.

The men’s college basketball lineup begins with top-ranked Houston traveling to face the Pirates of East Carolina on ESPN2, second-ranked Alabama taking on Arkansas on ESPN2, third-ranked Kansas taking on West Virginia on ESPN and fifth-ranked Purdue hosting No. 17 Indiana on Fox. On Sunday, fourth-ranked UCLA plays Colorado on CBS. 

Saturday’s women’s college basketball schedule of top-ranked teams includes fourth-ranked UConn playing DePaul on Fox. On Sunday, top-ranked South Carolina hosts Georgia on ESPN2, second-ranked Indiana battles No.6 Iowa on ESPN, and fifth-ranked LSU meets Mississippi State on the SEC Network. 

On the links, NBC and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the PGA Honda Classic golf tournament, while Fox will continue its NASCAR coverage with the Sunday telecast of the Pala Casino 400 race. 

On the ice, ABC on Saturday afternoon will telecast the N.Y. Rangers-Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins-St. Louis Blues NHL games. ■

On Saturday TNT will offer primetime coverage of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events, including the skills, three-point and slam dunk contests. On Sunday night TNT and TBS will provide live coverage of the annual NBA All-Star Game, featuring the league's recently crowned all-time leading scorer LeBron James.  

On the race track, Fox will feature Sunday afternoon coverage of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 auto racing event. On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the PGA Genesis Invitational golf tournament. 

The men’s college basketball lineup of top-ranked teams playing on Saturday includes top-ranked Alabama meeting Georgia on the SEC Network, fourth-ranked UCLA battling California on the Pac-12 Network and fifth-ranked Kansas taking on ninth-ranked Baylor on ESPN. On Sunday, second-ranked Houston plays Memphis on ESPN, while third-ranked Purdue meets Ohio State on CBS.

Several of the top women’s college basketball teams play on Sunday, including top-ranked South Carolina meeting Ole Miss on SEC Network, second-ranked Indiana battling Purdue on BTN, and fifth-ranked LSU traveling to Florida on SEC Network.  On Monday, third-ranked Stanford plays No. 16 UCLA on ESPN2.

On the ice, ABC will televise the NHL's Stadium Series outdoor game between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes from Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In the boxing ring, PPV.com on Saturday will distribute the BLK Prime-produced fight between former four-division champion Adrien Broner and Michael Williams Jr., while DAZN will distribute the WBA featherweight title bout between champion Leigh Wood and challenger Mauricio Lara.  

ESPN and ABC on Saturday will kickoff the inaugural season of the upstart XFL pro football league. ABC will offer the Vegas Vipers-Arlington Renegades game while ESPN and FX will simulcast the primetime matchup between the Orlando Guardians and the Houston Roughnecks. 

Also: Disney Looking to Expand XFL Sponsor Roster as Season Kicks Off

On Sunday, XFL game telecasts include the St. Louis Battlehawks-San Antonio Brahmas contest on ABC and the Seattle Sea Dragons-D.C. Defenders matchup on ESPN.■ 

Fox on Sunday will televise Super Bowl LVII featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles from State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Fox Sports NFL play-by-play announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Gregg Olsen will call their first Super Bowl on the network. 

Also: Fox's Kevin Burkhardt Is Ready to Call Super Bowl LVII

On the ice, ABC will air an NHL afternoon doubleheader featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning-Dallas Stars and the Washington Capitals-Boston Bruins contests. The network will also hit the basketball court Saturday with a primetime telecast between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, as well as a Sunday afternoon telecast featuring the Memphis Grizzlies-Boston Celtics game. 

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will air a February 11 junior lightweight title bout between Rey Vargas and O’Shaquie Foster. In the octagon, ESPN Plus Saturday will offer the UFC 284 pay-per-view fight card featuring a main event bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.

Weekend games featuring top 10-ranked men’s college basketball teams starts with third-ranked Alabama taking on Auburn on ESPN, fourth-ranked Arizona facing Staford on ESPN2 and  fifth-ranked Texas hosting West Virginia on ESPN2. Other games include No. 7 UCLA-Oregon (ESPN), No. 8 Virginia-Duke (ESPN), No. 9 Kansas-Oklahoma (CBS) and No. 10 Marquette-Georgetown (FS1).

On Sunday, top-ranked Purdue takes on Northwestern on the Big Ten Network. 

Elsewhere, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament.■  

On Saturday ABC will feature the NHL All-Star Game from South Florida featuring a total of 44 players from the NHL’s four divisions. On Sunday, the National Football League gathers its best players for the NFL Pro Bowl All-Star competition in Las Vegas on ABC. This year for the first time the league’s All-Stars will participate in a series of flag football games.

On the pro basketball court, ESPN2 on Saturday afternoon will air the Los Angeles Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans matchup as Lakers’ star LeBron James moves closer to breaking the all-time NBA scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  TNT will also televise Tuesday's Lakers-Oklahoma City Thunder game and Thursday's Lakers-Milwaukee Bucks games. 

ABC on Saturday night will air the Dallas Mavericks-Golden State Warriors game, while on Sunday ESPN will air the Philadelphia 76’ers-New York Knicks contest. 

Also on Sunday Fox will rev up the upcoming NASCAR season with a live telecast of the NASCAR Cup Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

USA, Peacock and NBC will offer nine Premier League games over the weekend.

Saturday’s schedule of Top ten-ranked men’s college basketball teams includes top-ranked Purdue meeting Indiana on ESPN, second-ranked Tennessee against No. 25 Auburn on ESPN, fourth–ranked Alabama facing LSU on ESPNU and fifth-ranked Arizona playing Oregon State on the Pac 12 Network. 

Other games include No. 6 Virginia-Virginia Tech (ESPN2), No. 7 Kansas State-No. 10 Texas (ESPN2), No. 8 Kansas-No. 13 Iowa State (ESPN) and No. 9 UCLA-Washington State (Pac-12 Network).■ 

The first of the bowl games kicks off on ESPN December 16 as Miami (Ohio) battles UAB in the Bahamas Bowl and Troy faces UTSA in the Cure Bowl. The bowl season concludes on January 9 with the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the winners of the New Year’s Eve Fiesta Bowl (Michigan-TCU) and Peach Bowl (Georgia-Ohio State), both of which will air on ESPN. 

Below is the list of the major 2022-23 college football bowl games*

December 16

• Bahamas Bowl: Miami (Ohio)-UAB (ESPN) 
• Cure Bowl: Troy-UTSA (ESPN)

December 17

• Fenway Bowl: Cincinnati-Louisville (ESPN)
• Celebration Bowl: Jackson State-N.C. Central (ABC)
• Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State-Florida (ESPN)
• LA Bowl: Washington State-Fresno State (ABC)
• LendingTree Bowl: Rice -Southern Mississippi (ESPN)
• New Mexico Bowl: Southern Methodist-Brigham Young (ABC)
• Frisco Bowl: Boise State-North Texas (ESPN)

December 19

• Myrtle Beach Bowl: Marshall-UConn (ESPN)

December 20

• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Eastern Michigan-San Jose State (ESPN)
• Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty-Toledo (ESPN)

December 21

• New Orleans Bowl: South Alabama-Western Kentucky (ESPN)

December 22

• Armed Forces Bowl: Baylor-Air Force (ESPN)

December 23

• Gasparilla Bowl: Wake Forest-Missouri (ESPN)
• Independence Bowl: Houston-Louisiana (ESPN)

December 24

• Hawai'i Bowl: Middle Tennessee State-San Diego State (ESPN)

December 26

• Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green–New Mexico State (ESPN)

December 27

• First Responder Bowl: Memphis-Utah State (ESPN)
• Birmingham Bowl: Coastal Carolina-East Carolina (ESPN)
• Camellia Bowl: Buffalo-Georgia Southern (ESPN)
• Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Oklahoma State-Wisconsin (ESPN)

December 28

• Military Bowl: Duke-UCF (ESPN)
• Liberty Bowl: Arkansas-Kansas (ESPN)
• Holiday Bowl: Oregon-North Carolina (Fox)
• Texas Bowl: Texas Tech-Ole Miss (ESPN)

December 29

• Pinstripe Bowl: Minnesota-Syracuse (ESPN)
• Cheez-It Bowl: Florida State-Oklahoma (ESPN)
• Alamo Bowl: Washington-Texas (ESPN)

December 30

• Orange Bowl: Tennessee-Clemson (ESPN)
• Duke's Mayo Bowl: NC State-Maryland (ESPN)
• Sun Bowl: UCLA-Pitt (CBS)
• Gator Bowl: South Carolina-Notre Dame (ESPN)
• Arizona Bowl: Ohio-Wyoming (Barstool)

December 31

• Fiesta Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal): Michigan-TCU (ESPN)
• Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal): Georgia-Ohio State (ESPN)
• Music City Bowl: Iowa-Kentucky (ABC)
• Sugar Bowl: Alabama-Kansas State (ESPN)

January 2

• ReliaQuest Bowl: Mississippi State-Illinois (ESPN2)
• Citrus Bowl: LSU-Purdue (ABC)
• Cotton Bowl Classic: USC-Tulane (ESPN)
• Rose Bowl Game: Utah-Penn State (ESPN)

January 9

• College Football Playoff National Championship Game (ESPN)

* NCAA.com

Fox will offer English-language coverage of the World Cup tournament from Qatar, beginning Sunday with the Qatar-Ecuador matchup airing at 11 am (ET). Telemundo and streaming service Peacock will offer live Spanish-language feeds of the game. 

Also: Fox Sports’s World Cup Coverage Playing on Broadcast and Cable Field

On the gridiron, college football is inching closer to securing its four playoff teams going into week 12 of the season. Top-ranked Georgia takes on Kentucky on CBS, second-ranked Ohio State faces Maryland on ABC and third-ranked Michigan battles Illinois on ABC. Fourth-ranked TCU travels to Texas to take on Baylor on Fox and fifth-ranked Tennessee plays South Carolina on ESPN. 

Other games include No. 6 LSU-UAB (ESPN2), No. 7 USC-UCLA (Fox), No. 8 Alabama-Austin Peay (ESPN Plus), No. 9 Clemson-Miami (Fla) (ESPN), and No. 10 Utah-No. 12 Oregon (ESPN).

In the squared ring, DAZN will stream the Jaime Munguia-Gonzalo Gaston Coria middleweight fight, while ESPN Plus will stream the Zach Parker-John Ryder interim super middleweight title fight. ESPN Plus will also offer on Saturday a UFC Fight Night card featuring the Derrick Lewis-Serghei Spivac heavyweight main event mixed martial arts bout. 

Week 11 of the NFL season features Sunday afternoon regional games on Fox and CBS, as well as NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast between the Kansas City Chiefs and division rival Los Angeles Chargers.■  

The sports network averaged 3.2 million viewers in primetime during the week of October 3 to October 9, topping all cable networks, according to Nielsen. ESPN was led by the nearly 3 million viewers on average that watched its coverage of baseball’s Wild Card playoff round. 

ESPN2 also benefited from telecasting several of baseball’s opening-round postseason games, finishing fourth for the week with an average of 815,000 viewers. 

Cable-news networks rounded out the top three most watched networks for the week, with Fox News Channel finishing second with 2.2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 1.2 million watchers. HGTV pulled into fifth place with 787,000.

Hallmark Channel was sixth with 777,000 viewers, followed by TLC (704,000 viewers), INSP (640,000), Discovery Channel (637,000) and CNN (631,000). 

Fox News was dominant on the total-day charts, averaging 1.4 million viewers to top all cable networks for the 40th straight week, followed by ESPN (1 million viewers), MSNBC (746,000 viewers), CNN (530,000) and Hallmark Channel (449,000), Nielsen reported. ■ 

On Saturday, ESPN will televise the second game of the best-of-three game series featuring  the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, after Seattle won the first game on Friday, as well as the second game of the San Diego Padres-New York Mets series.

Also Saturday, ESPN2 will air the second game of the Tampa Bay Rays-Cleveland Guardians series as the Rays look to even up the matchup, and the Philadelphia Phillies-St. Louis Cardinals series, in which the Phillies lead one game to none. 

On Sunday, ESPN, ABC and ESPN2 will combine to provide game three coverage from the four MLB Wild Card Series if necessary.    

On the racetrack, NBC on Saturday will air the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 race, and on Sunday will televise the NASCAR Cup Roval 400 race. Also on Sunday ESPN2 will televise the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix race. 

College Football enters its sixth week of the regular season with top-ranked Alabama matching up against Texas A&M on CBS, second-ranked Georgia hosting Auburn on CBS, third-ranked Ohio State battling Big Ten rival Michigan State on ABC, fourth-ranked Michigan traveling to play Indiana on Fox and fifth-ranked Clemson facing  Boston College on ABC. Other games featuring top 10-ranked teams include No. 6 USC-Washington State (Fox), No.7 Oklahoma State-Texas Tech (FS1), No. 8 Tennessee-LSU (ESPN) and No. 9 Ole Miss-Vanderbilt (SEC Network).

In the boxing ring, Showtime will televise a super welterweight title fight between champion Sebastian Fundora and challenger Carlos Ocampo and a junior bantamweight championship bout between titleholder Fernando Martinez and Jerwin Ancajas.

USA, NBC, CNBC and Peacock will continue its weekend coverage of Premier League soccer matches with nine live game telecasts combined.

Sunday’s pro football coverage features a NFL Network Sunday morning telecast from London featuring the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, afternoon regional game coverage on Fox and CBS, and an NBC Sunday Night Football game telecast between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens. ■  

The new format, which added new Wild Card teams in both the American and National Leagues, debuts October 7 with first games of four three-game series: Cleveland Guardians-Tampa Bay Rays on ESPN; St. Louis Cardinals-Philadelphia Phillies on ABC; Toronto Blue Jays-Seattle Mariners on ESPN; and New York Mets-San Diego Padres on ESPN, according to network officials. 

Saturday's games include Tampa Bay-Cleveland (ESPN2), Seattle-Toronto (ESPN), San Diego-Mets (ESPN) and Philadelphia-St. Louis (ESPN2). 

If necessary, Sunday’s games start with Seattle-Toronto (ABC), Tampa Bay-Cleveland (ESPN), San Diego-Mets (ESPN) and Philadelphia-St. Louis (ESPN2).

The winners of the two American League Wild Card Series will play the two highest-seed division champions, the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, while the National League Wild Card series winners will face the top-seeded division champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. ■ 

The sports network averaged 2.3 million viewers in primetime during the week of September 12 to September 18, besting Fox News, which averaged 2.2 million watchters, according to Nielsen. ESPN’s ratings were bolstered by the Sept. 12 Seattle Seahawks-Denver Broncos NFL telecast, which averaged 17.3 million viewers combined across ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Plus and ESPN2. 

MSNBC finished third with 1.2 million viewers, followed by HGTV with 893,000 viewers and USA Network with 823,000 watchers.

The rest of the top 10 most watched networks for the week include TLC (762,000 viewers), Hallmark Channel (722,000), CNN (705,000), INSP (660,000) and Food Network (652,000), according to Nielsen.

ESPN could not unseat Fox News on the total day charts, as the news network averaged 1.4 million viewers to take its 37th consecutive crown in the category. ESPN finished second with 841,000 viewers, followed by MSNBC (791,000), CNN (597,000) and HGTV (475,000), said Nielsen. ■  

ESPN averaged 2.6 million viewers for the week of September 5 to September 11 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen. Fox News finished second for the week with 2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1 million viewers and HGTV with 877,000 viewers.

Hallmark Channel was the fifth most-watched network for the week with 800,000 viewers, followed by ESPN2 (773,000 viewers), INSP (753,000), TLC (747,000), CNN (696,000) and USA Network (668,000).

Fox News extended its total day winning streak to 36 weeks, averaging 1.3 million viewers for the period. ESPN (1 million viewers), MSNBC (721,000), CNN (605,000) and HGTV (491,000), finished among the top five most watched cable networks in the period, according to Nielsen. ■ 

Several of college football’s Top 10 teams will be in action Saturday, beginning with No. 1 Alabama, who will open the season against Utah State on the SEC Network. Second-ranked Ohio State travels to No. 5 Notre Dame in a primetime ABC-televised game, while No. 3 Georgia battles 11th-ranked Oregon, also on ABC. 

Other games on Saturday include No. 6 Texas A&M-Sam Houston (SEC Network), No. 7 Utah-Florida (ESPN), No. 8 Michigan-Colorado State (ABC), No. 9 Oklahoma-UTEP (Fox) and No. 10 Baylor-Albany (ESPN Plus).

Also: Heavyweights Take Over Fall PPV Boxing Schedule 

On Monday, fourth-ranked Clemson meets Georgia Tech on ESPN. 

On the tennis court, ESPN and ESPN2 will offer continuing coverage of the U.S. Open Grand Slam tennis tournament from New York. The biggest story of the early rounds has been the success of tennis legend Serena Williams, who announced last month  that the US Open will serve as her last major tennis tournament competition. If Williams wins her third U.S. Open match on Friday night against Ajla Tomljanovic, she would compete Sunday in the fourth round of the women’s singles division. 

The WNBA playoffs continue with game three coverage of the semifinal series between Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun (ESPN2) as well as the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm (ABC). 

Major League Baseball moves into the final full month of its regular season with Sunday coverage on Peacock featuring the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Sunday Night Baseball coverage on ESPN showcasing the San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers game. 

NBC on Sunday will offer IndyCar coverage from the Grand Prix of Portland, while USA Network will air live the NASCAR Cup Cook Out Southern 500 race and ESPN televises the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix event. 

In the ring, Fox Sports on Sunday will distribute a pay-per-view boxing card featuring a main event fight between heavyweights Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz. ■

ESPN on Monday (May 2) will drop the puck on coverage of its first Stanley Cup Playoffs under parent The Walt Disney Co.’s new seven-year deal with the National Hockey League, featuring 12 playoff games airing on ESPN and ESPN2 over the next three nights. 

All of Disney’s playoff telecasts will air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, with Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT and TBS also airing games. On the digital front, ESPN Plus will feature replay coverage of every playoff game and will simulcast all Disney-distributed NHL conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals games live.

Disney will look to build on its regular-season ratings momentum. ESPN and ABC averaged 616,000 viewers across a slate of 26 game telecasts. That’s up from the 391,000 viewers previous rightsholders NBC and NBCSN averaged during the 2021-22 season, according to Sports Business Journal. 

ESPN senior VP of programming and acquisitions Ilan Ben-Hanan spoke to Multichannel News about the network’s multiplatform Stanley Cup Playoffs strategy. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.

MCN: Do you feel you're sufficiently serving the hockey fan with your multiplatform approach? 

Ilan Ben-Hanan: I think that we have both qualitative and quantitative data to kind of back that up. Beyond the [linear] ratings, we saw increases in our female demos for our hockey coverage year-over-year from our previous partners, and we saw insane growth in our hockey content consumed on ESPN.com. To be completely transparent, some of that comes with being the rightsholder and having expansive rights in that space. But getting those rights is one thing, using them is another and making sure fans know to come and engage with it is quite another. Going into the playoffs, we’re going to make [ESPN2 weekly NHL studio show] The Point a daily series. We recently launched other shows like The Drop on social platforms YouTube and Twitter, and we launched an NHL TikTok page, which is another prong in our strategy of serving hockey fans where they are. 

MCN: How will your playoff coverage differ from what viewers saw during the regular season? 

IBH: Starting Monday with the NHL Playoffs and the NBA playoffs happening simultaneously — and with ESPN and the Turner Sports networks holding rights to both — it’s almost going to be a square dance for us. Every night if we’re going big with hockey, Turner’s going big with the NBA, and vice versa. If you're a sports fan, you'll be able to find meaningful, do-or-die playoff games on networks that you know in ESPN and ESPN2, TNT and TBS. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we're gonna have 12 playoff games — four games a night with doubleheaders each on ESPN and ESPN2. Turner Sports will have [NHL] games Thursday and Friday, and we’ll each have games on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Every time one of us has hockey, the other will have NBA games. It feels like March Madness, but bigger because it lasts longer and it’s multiple sports categories. 

MCN: What role does the streaming platform play in the postseason with all the NHL postseason games moving to linear?

IBH: All of the live games will be on a linear network somewhere, either on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT or TBS, but the digital component does not go away. There are a lot of things we're doing on the digital side. Every single playoff game is available through archive re-airs on ESPN Plus. In addition, we're gonna be simulcasting the Conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals on ESPN Plus. In addition, we’re going to have on ESPN Plus Quest for the Stanley Cup, which we produce in partnership with the NHL, that goes behind the scenes and inside the locker room with teams. So yes, the television live games will be on linear television, but the overarching multiplatform approach continues and even enhances when it comes to the playoffs.

MCN: By what metrics will you use to determine whether ESPN’s first year of NHL coverage under its new TV deal is a success? 

IBH: While the ratings are important, that’s not the only metric by which we judge success. Getting to see the usage on ESPN Plus and being innovative in bringing live sports to Hulu, as well as being able to launch these storytelling franchises and studio shows like The Drop and launching on TikTok are all how we measure our success. If it was just a ratings play, we’d be happy with that, too, but that’s not the only metric. I've been beating that drum internally a lot, because I think there are a lot of people who have for years and years thought whether the ratings were up or down was all that matters, but it's not. It’s a much, much broader and more well-rounded story than that. ▪️ 

The men’s tournament will begin its second round with 16 games over two days airing on CBS, TNT and TBS to determine which teams go into the tournament’s Sweet 16 round next week. Already the tournament has featured several upsets, including St. Peter’s overtime win over second-ranked Kentucky in the Eastern regionals Thursday night. 

The women’s college basketball tournament kicks off Saturday with 64 teams competing for the top prize. ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews will feature live coverage of the tournament’s first round action. 

In other sports, NBC and The Golf Channel will offer weekend final round coverage of the PGA Valspar Championship golf tournament. NBC will also feature Six Nations rugby coverage Saturday featuring the Ireland-Scotland game, while USA Network will televise live Premier League soccer games on Saturday and Sunday. 

On Sunday, TNT will televise the New York Islanders-Philadelphia Flyers National Hockey League contest. On the racetrack, Fox will televise the Sunday afternoon NASCAR Cup Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 race, NBC will air the IndyCar XPEL 375 race and ESPN will offer coverage of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix race. ■ 

ABC’s weekly Saturday primetime NBA game telecast will feature the Brooklyn Nets against the defending league champion Milwaukee Bucks. On Sunday, ABC airs an NBA doubleheader featuring the Philadelphia 76’ers-New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz-Phoenix Suns games. Sunday night, ESPN telecasts its own NBA doubleheader block, offering the Dallas Mavericks-Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans-Los Angeles Lakers contests.  

On the college basketball front, ESPN on Saturday will air games including top-ranked Gonzaga versus No. 23 Saint Mary’s, third-ranked Auburn battling No. 17 Tennessee, fourth-ranked Purdue facing off against Michigan State, fifth-ranked Kansas against No. 10 Baylor and ninth-ranked Duke taking on Syracuse. Other top 10 ranked teams in action Saturday include second-ranked Arizona-Colorado (ESPN2), No.6 Kentucky-No. 18 Arkansas (CBS) and No. 9 Texas Tech-TCU (ESPN2).

On the ice, ABC will televise a live Saturday afternoon NHL game between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, while TNT will air a primetime NHL matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators. On Sunday NHL Network will televise the Edmonton Oilers-Carolina Panthers and New York Islanders-Anaheim Ducks games. 

Showtime will offer a late Saturday night boxing card headlined by the Chris Colbert-Hector Luis Garcia junior lightweight bout. ESPN Plus will air a UFC Fight Night mixed martial arts bout between Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green.

Round three of the Guinness Six Nations Rugby tournament continues Saturday on CNBC with Scotland facing France and England battling Wales. On the soccer field, USA Network will offer two live Premier League games Saturday and one Sunday telecast. Sunday will also feature live Major League Soccer action on FS1 and ESPN. 

On Sunday, NBC will air the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race, while Fox offers the NASCAR Cup Wise Power 400 event. Fox will also televise the Pro Bowlers Association’s Tournament of Champions event.

On the links, NBC and Golf Channel will televise final round coverage of the PGA Honda Classic tournament. ■

ESPN will televise three college football bowl games including the Fiesta Bowl (Oklahoma State-Notre Dame), Rose Bowl (Utah-Ohio State) and Sugar Bowl (Baylor-Mississippi). 

The penultimate week of the 2021 NFL season begins Sunday afternoon with regional game coverage on Fox and CBS, followed by NBC’s Sunday Night Football, featuring a battle between NFC Central rivals the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. 

Top-10 ranked men’s college basketball teams hitting the court this weekend include No. 1 Baylor’s matchup Saturday against eighth-ranked Iowa State on ESPNU, and 10th-ranked Michigan State’s game against Northwestern Sunday on Big Ten Network. 

On Saturday, Fox Sports will step into the boxing ring with a pay-per-view fight card featuring heavyweights Luis Ortiz and Charles Martin, while TNT will hit the ice with a primetime NHL Winter Classic outdoor game between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild. 

On Sunday, USA Network will feature two English Premier League soccer games, while ESPN airs the high school football All-Star game. ■ 

The Las Vegas Raiders-Cleveland Browns game scheduled for Saturday has been moved to Monday due to a significant amount of COVID-19 infections among Browns players, according to the NFL. An increase in COVID-19 infections among league players has also forced the move of Sunday's The Washington Football Team-Philadelphia Eagles game and the Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams contest to Tuesday, according to the league.

On Sunday night, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints in NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast. 

College football bowl season begins in earnest this weekend as the first of more than 40 bowl games launch on Saturday. ESPN will televise the Boca Raton Bowl (Western Kentucky-Appalachian St.),  New Mexico Bowl (UTEP-Fresno State), Lending Tree Bowl (E. Michigan-Liberty) and New Orleans Bowl (Louisiana-Marshall.) ABC will air the Independence Bowl (UAB-BYU) and LA Bowl (Utah State-Oregon St.)

Several NCAA top ten-rated college basketball teams will also be in action this week. On Saturday top-ranked Baylor travels to play Oregon on ESPN2, while third-ranked Purdue will face Butler on Fox. Fifth-ranked Gonzaga will take on 25th-ranked Texas Tech on CBS and sixth-ranked Alabama meets JSU on the SEC Network. 

In the ring, Showtime will distribute a pay-per-view boxing match between YouTube star Jake Paul and former MMA fighter Tyron Woodley. The fight is a rematch of their August 2021 PPV fight won by Paul via a split decision.  

ESPN will televise the lion’s share of games, beginning December 17 with the Bahamas Bowl featuring Middle Tennessee and Toledo. The network will also carry the December 31 College Football Playoffs semi-finals games between top-ranked Alabama and fourth-ranked Cincinnati, as well as second-ranked Michigan and third-ranked Georgia. The winners will play in the College Football National Championship game Jan. 10 on ESPN.

Below is a list of the major 2021-22 college football bowl games:* 

Bahamas Bowl (Middle Tennessee-Toledo) – ESPN

Cure Bowl (Northern Illinois-Coastal Carolina) – ESPN2

Boca Raton Bowl (Appalachian State-Western Kentucky) – ESPN

Celebration Bowl (Jackson State-South Carolina State) – ABC 

New Mexico Bowl (Fresno State-UTEP) – ESPN

Independence Bowl (BYU-UAB) – ABC 

LendingTree Bowl (Eastern Michigan-Liberty) – ESPN

LA Bowl (Oregon State-Utah State) – ABC

New Orleans Bowl (Louisiana-Marshall) – ESPN 

Myrtle Beach Bowl (Tulsa-Old Dominion) – ESPN

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Kent State-Wyoming) – ESPN

Frisco Bowl (San Diego State-UTSA) – ESPN

Armed Forces Bowl (Missouri-Army) – ESPN

Frisco Football Classic (Miami (Ohio)-North Texas) – ESPN

Hawaii Bowl (Memphis-Hawaii) – ESPN

Camellia Bowl (Ball State-Georgia State) – ESPN

Quick Lane Bowl (Western Michigan-Nevada) – ESPN

Birmingham Bowl (Houston-Auburn) – ESPN 

First Responder Bowl (Air Force-Louisville) – ESPN

Liberty Bowl (Texas Tech-Mississippi State) – ESPN

Holiday Bowl (NC State-UCLA) – Fox 

Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Minnesota-West Virginia) – ESPN

Fenway Bowl (Virginia-SMU) – ESPN

Pinstripe Bowl (Virginia Tech-Maryland) – ESPN

Cheez-It Bowl (Clemson-Iowa State) – ESPN

Alamo Bowl (Oregon-Oklahoma) – ESPN

Duke's Mayo Bowl (North Carolina-South Carolina) – ESPN

Music City Bowl (Tennessee-Purdue) – ESPN

Peach Bowl (Michigan State-Pittsburgh) – ESPN

Las Vegas Bowl (Wisconsin-Arizona State) – ESPN

Gator Bowl (Wake Forest-Texas A&M) - ESPN

Sun Bowl (Washington State-Miami (FL)) – CBS 

Arizona Bowl (Central Michigan-Boise State) – Barstool Sports 

Cotton Bowl Classic (Alabama-Cincinnati) – ESPN

Orange Bowl (Michigan-Georgia) – ESPN 

Outback Bowl (Arkansas-Penn State) – ESPN2

Citrus Bowl (Iowa-Kentucky) – ABC 

Fiesta Bowl (Notre Dame-Oklahoma State) – ESPN

Rose Bowl (Ohio State-Utah) – ESPN

Sugar Bowl (Baylor-Ole Miss) – ESPN

Texas Bowl (Kansas State-LSU) – ESPN

College Football Playoff National Championship Game

8 p.m. --  ESPN

*--NCAA.com

Other games featuring top 10-ranked teams include top-ranked Georgia against Georgia Tech on ABC, third-ranked Alabama against Auburn (CBS), sixth-ranked Notre Dame at Stanford (Fox), seventh-ranked Oklahoma State against 10th-ranked Oklahoma (ABC), and eighth-ranked Baylor and Texas Tech (FS1).

Week 12 of the NFL season features regional coverage on Fox and CBS, followed by an NBC Sunday Night Football contest between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Also on Sunday, ESPN2 and ESPNews will feature live coverage of Canadian Football League playoffs games.

In the ring Showtime will televise the super bantamweight fight between champion Brandon Figueroa and Stephen Fulton Jr. 

NBCSN, USA Network and NBC will offer live Premier League soccer games on Saturday, while ABC and ESPN will offer Major League Soccer coverage on Sunday over the weekend. ■ 

ESPN and Fox News finished in a first place tie on the primetime charts for the second week in a row, with each network averaging 2.8 million viewers for the week of Nov. 1 to Nov. 7,  according to Nielsen. 

Paramount Network joined the ranks of the most watched cable networks in primetime last week with its Yellowstone season four series premiere. The series --which stars Kevin Costner -- drew more than 8 million viewers for its season four premiere on Sunday, helping the network average 1.5 million viewers for the week, said Nielsen. 

Read Also: Paramount Plus Releases Video Teaser for 'Yellowstone' Prequel Series '1883' 

Hallmark Channel ramped up its Countdown to Christmas lineup of holiday movies to finish fourth with 1.4 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.1 million watchers.

HGTV was sixth with 859,000 viewers, followed by TLC (841,000), ESPN2 (765,000), INSP (745,000), and History (735,000), said Nielsen. 

Fox News topped the total day charts for the 38th consecutive week, averaging 1.6 million viewers, followed by ESPN (922,000), Hallmark Channel (783,000), MSNBC (656,000) and Paramount Network (586,000), said Nielsen. 

ESPN Plus on Saturday will distribute the UFC 268 pay-per-view mixed martial arts fight card featuring the Kamaru Usman-Colby Covington main event welterweight championship bout.

On the football field, eight of the top 10-rated college football teams will play Saturday on national television, beginning with top-ranked Georgia facing Missouri on ESPN. Second-ranked Cincinnati meets Tulsa on ESPN2, while third-ranked Alabama battles LSU on ESPN. The rest of the schedule features No. 5 Michigan State-Purdue (ABC), No. 6 Ohio State-Nebraska (Fox), No. 7 Oregon-Washington (ABC), No. 8 Notre Dame-Navy (NBC), No. 9 Michigan-Indiana (Fox) and No. 10 Wake Forest-North Carolina (ABC). 

On Sunday night, NBC’s NFL Sunday Night Football telecast will feature the Tennessee Titans against the Los Angeles Rams.

The NASCAR season will conclude this weekend with Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship on NBCSN and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship on NBC. The broadcast network will also feature on Sunday coverage of motorcycle racing’s FIM MotoGP race.

ESPN2 Sunday morning will offer live coverage of the New York City Marathon. On the soccer field, NBCSN on Saturday will offer Premier League doubleheader coverage on Saturday and Sunday, while on Sunday ESPN and FS1 offer live Major League Soccer game coverage.

Read Also: Live Sports Content Helps Networks Score on October Ratings Charts 

The NBA kicks off the first weekend of its 2021-22 season with NBATV offering doubleheader coverage on Saturday night and coverage of the Boston Celtics-Houston Rockets game on Sunday night. 

The NFL kicks off its seventh weekend of action with regional game coverage on Fox and CBS, as well as an NBC Sunday Night Football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers.

On the auto racing front, NBC on Saturday will televise the NASCAR Xfinity Kansas Lottery 300 race, while NBCSN on Sunday offers coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 race. Also on Sunday, ESPN will televise the Formula One United States Grand Prix auto race. 

College football will kick off its eighth week of action with eight of the top 10-ranked schools appearing on national television. No. 2-ranked Cincinnati will travel to play Navy on ESPN2, while No. 3 Oklahoma heads to Kansas to face the Jayhawks on ESPN. No. 4 Alabama will take on Tennessee on ESPN while No. 5 Ohio State meets Indiana on ABC. The rest of the schedule includes No. 6 Michigan-Northwestern (Fox), No. 7 Penn State-Illinois (ABC), No. 8 Oklahoma State-Iowa State (Fox), and No. 10 Oregon-UCLA (ABC).

Fox News averaged 2.6 million viewers during the week of Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, more than doubling second place MSNBC’s 1.2 million viewers for its ninth consecutive win in the category, according to Nielsen. ESPN rode its college football game coverage into a third place finish with 1.1 million viewers, followed by HGTV’s 1 million viewers, and TLC’s 935,000 watchers.

Also Read: TV By The Numbers: College Football Scores Watch-Time, Impressions Wins for Week One 

INSP finished sixth with 908,000 viewers, followed by CNN (876,000), Hallmark Channel (855,000), USA Network (787,000) and ESPN2 (692,000). 

On a 24-hour basis, Fox News’s 1.5 million average viewers topped the chart for its 29th consecutive week,  trumping MSNBC (744,000), CNN (653,000), ESPN (620,000) and HGTV (598,000).

Early Sunday morning events include the finals of women’s volleyball (USA Network) and men's water polo (USA Network). NBC will also air live coverage of the closing ceremonies Sunday morning and repeat the telecast Sunday evening in primetime. A complete listing of weekend Olympics events can be found here.

Read Also: NBC Claims Tokyo Olympics Have Generated 100 Billion Minutes of Viewing

In other sports, ESPN Plus on Saturday will offer via pay-per-view the UFC 256 mixed martial arts fight card featuring the main event heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. In the boxing ring, Fox will air a Saturday primetime boxing match featuring welterweights Cody Crowley and Gabriel Maestre, and DAZN will feature a featherweight title fight between Kid Galahad and Jazza Dickens.

ESPN Saturday night will provide live coverage of the NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement, while ESPN2 airs the Canadian Football League matchup between Ottawa and Edmonton. 

CBS will air final round weekend coverage of the World Golf Championship's FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf tournament, while Golf Channel offers Saturday and Sunday coverage of the PGA’s Barracuda Championship tournament. 

On Sunday, ESPN ramps up its coverage of the NBA Summer League with doubleheader coverage airing on ESPN2.

Read Also: ESPN to Cover Summer League Games 

Also on Sunday, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast moves to ABC as the broadcast network airs live the Chicago White Sox-Chicago Cubs game. 

Read Also: ABC to Televise ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball' Game In August 

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPNU will air a combined 38 Summer League games, with the rest of the games -- as well as all televised games -- streaming on the ESPN app, said the company.

The action begins with eight games on Aug. 8, including an ESPN2 telecast featuring the Detroit Pistons -- and top pick in this year’s Draft, Cade Cunningham -- against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the number six NBA Draft pick Josh Giddey. 

Also Read: ESPN Enlists Pro Athletes For Heavyweight USAA Social Media Campaign

The 10-day NBA Summer League concludes on Aug. 17 with the championship game on ESPN. 

The first round of the draft  will air on both ESPN and ABC, with ESPN providing live second round coverage, said the network. Rece Davis will host ESPN’s coverage of the draft while Kevin Negandhi handles hosting duties for ABC alongside NBA analysts Jalen Rose and Chiney Ogwumike, said ESPN. 

ESPN and the league are hoping to improve on the 2.6 million viewers the network drew for the 2020 NBA Draft, which was held this past November weeks after the league ended its truncated, pandemic-delayed season. 

ESPN2 tonight (July28) will air a NBA Draft Preview show that will discuss the biggest NBA Draft storylines, top picks and possible trades, said the network. 

Read Also: ABC Summer Series 'Superstar' Premieres with Whitney Houston 

CSBI marks the return of college sports since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. 

The first two games will air Thursday night at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. CST. Game one will feature CSBI Unity team versus CSBI Liberty. Game two will face off CSBI Freedom and CSBI Independence. Athletes from more than 70 D1 schools including Auburn, Texas Tech, South Carolina, Alabama, Oregon State, TCU and North Carolina state will be represented. 

Commentary will be provided by ESPN analyst and former MLB pitcher Kyle Peterson and White Sox play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti. Viewers can watch the matches via pay-per-view subscription for $39.95 on any smart device. Five percent of each subscription fee will be donated to No Kid Hungry.

"Baseball has united us throughout the history of this country and we're truly blessed to be able to come back to share some much-needed relief during these difficult times," said Uri Geva, the visionary behind CSBI. "We're continuing to work closely with local health officials to ensure the safety of all involved during this event."

ESPN’s MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2017 telecasts posted big ratings gains from the year prior, according to Nielsen.

ESPN averaged 783,000 viewers for its five-game telecasts, up 112% from the same period last year,  according to Nielsen. In addition, the network drew a record 1.1 million viewers for its July 8 Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics game featuring Lorenzo Ball and Jayson Tatum, the players chosen 2nd and 3rd in this year’s NBA draft, respectively.

Overall,ESPNand ESPN2averaged 437,000 viewers for its 25 combined NBA Summer League games, up 51% from 290,000 viewers across 23 games in 2016, according to Nielsen.

Today (Feb. 6), ESPN sports journalists Michael Smith and Jemele Hill will debut as hosts of SportsCenter’s 6 p.m. show, the first African-American tandem to host a regularly scheduled daily block of the iconic sports-news program. Smith and Hill, formerly hosts of ESPN2’s daily sports talk show His & Hers, spoke with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about their new SC6 show. Here’s an edited transcript.

MCN:Will theSC6show differ much from what viewers are used to seeing from you onHis & Hers?

Michael Smith: Well, it’s not going to be as different as the switch makes it seem. I would say SportsCenter is going to be more different. We’re doing the same [His & Hers] show — it’s just going to look different. And by that I mean it will look better: better facilities, better design, better presentation and better execution. We would never for a second think that there wasn’t room for improvement on His & Hers, but the powers that be were clear that they do not want us to come and just update the news, deliver the highlights and set the table for the Duke-North Carolina game coming up after us on ESPN. They wanted us to continue doing exactly what we’d done on His & Hers practically verbatim. It’s going to be an adjustment for some hardcore viewers of SportsCenter who strictly just want the news and what happened during the day while they were at work and away from the Internet, but we’re going to be here to entertain. We think we’ll win over those who may be skeptical rather quickly.

Jemele Hill: This will be more relaxed and informal. And I think one of the things that has been a hallmark of our partnership is that we can talk about serious issues, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I think that will be the underlying sprit of this new SportsCenter.

MCN:Having said that, if there is breaking news during that time period, will the show take a more traditionalSportsCenterlook and feel?

JH: Absolutely. For those not familiar with [His & Hers], we had breaking news happening on our show all the time — our show was surely up to the minute. And we did just as good as anyone in terms of not only breaking that news, but then immediately rotating it to discussion mode. I think what will also make this SportsCenter unique is that I think we’ve seen previous SportsCenters where if some breaking news happens, then the next pivot is to an expert or to someone closely associated with that story. That’s not to say there won’t be room for us to do that, either, but we can immediately pivot into the mode of being analysts. So it’s like you’re reducing a layer that used to be there on SportsCenter. We’re not going to deviate from giving you news — His & Hers was a news-of-the-day sports show. SportsCenter will be a news-of-the-day show.

MCN:What does the transition from sports talk show hosts to hosts ofSportsCentermean to you?

MS: For us, the SportsCenter brand and what it represents to the company and to sports in general is self-explanatory, but what it means to me and Jemele is really a confirmation and a culmination of a lot of dedication. It’s also a destination that we never would have anticipated reaching in only four years when we did our first podcast. We started that podcast because nobody was falling over themselves to pair us together on television. We did it because we wanted to put our voices together and create something unique, and to think that four years later we would not only have a show but have, with all due respect, the show, which is SportsCenter — I can’t even call it a dream come true because we never dreamt it.

MCN:His & Herstackled some very hot topics on race and sports. How important is it to you to continue to do that onSportsCenter?

JH: We never shy away from those topics and issues. We do them not because we feel obligated, but because they are important to us. So that will definitely continue on [SC6]. I realize that for some of the traditional SportsCenter viewers that will be a bit of a departure to see the hosts of the actual show have opinions on those issues, but this idea that sports needs to remain completely separate from politics is a lie and has always been a lie. And I think you know by discussing some of the issues all we’re doing is bringing to light and getting a perspective on things that are relevant.

The immigration ban is as much of sports story as it is a news story because of the ties to certain Olympic athletes and the fact that most sports leagues have some kind of international base. So not surprisingly, those leagues are concerned about what it means for their athletes. We have had some of the most thoughtful conversation about race and gender, and there’s no reason that that won’t continue in that time slot.

MCN:What are the biggest challenges facing the sports news and talk genre right now?

MS: I would say fear to embrace something new and something different and fear to stay the course. In the beginning for us, how many people thought that we were hurting our viewership or we weren’t going last very long by keeping it 100, as they say. And not only did we last, but we’ve been promoted. I say all of this to say that the decision-makers have to give people an opportunity to know the talent, learn to like the talent and learn to embrace the talent, but also to encourage the on air personalities to get better at being themselves. So I guess I would just like to see more people stop trying to do what you think the viewer wants and just have the conviction to stay the course and put your on air talent in the best position to succeed.

ESPN will add sports talk/debate show First Take to its daytime lineup of sports news and information beginning Jan. 3. The hard-nosed and sometimes controversial sports debate show currently airing on ESPN2 is co-hosted by Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman – who joined the show in September after the departure of the show's longtime co-host Skip Bayless to Fox Sports.

First Take producer Dave Roberts recently spoke to Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about the show’s impending move to ESPN. Roberts, who also serves as vice president of ESPN Audio network content, also discussed the show’s future on-air plans and addressed competition within the sports talk arena during the interview, an edited version of which appears below.

Multichannel News: How has the show evolved since the departure of Skip Bayless and the introduction of Max Kellerman, and will the roles of the current on-air hosts change at all going forward?

Dave Roberts: You know Stephen A. Smith and Max will debate and discuss the primary topics of the day, and Molly Qerim will continue to develop in her role as a strong moderator of the program. When you have talent the caliber of Steven A. and you put him along with Max Kellerman – who by the way moved from another successful franchise called Sports Nation -- you have the making of a pretty strong team. We know that the chemistry development that was once in place with Stephen A Smith and Skip will not be replicated, but [Smith and Kellerman] have a great deal of respect for each other that makes it easy to help create that sense of team that the audience will continue to enjoy. So with the three of them we will be relentless in making sure that we have topics that everyone is interested in, and we will not be afraid to deal with the most controversial of topics. That has been the hallmark of this program and will continue to be so.

MCN: How big is the move from ESPN2 to ESPN for the show?

DR: The timing of it is perfect because we're getting ready to go into this season where we're talking about the college football playoffs, and we're going to be onsite for that. We're going to be onsite for Super Bowl week in Houston, the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans and as well as onsite for the NFL draft in Philadelphia. Those kinds of major events present a huge opportunity to expose First Take to an even larger audience watching on ESPN. It's an opportunity that fortunately we're in a position to take advantage of.

MCN: Will there be any tweaks on the set or within the program that viewers should look forward to?

DR: There will be a few tweaks. Final Take is one of the things that we've already done by adding a segment at the end of the show where the talent will offer up a final take or commentary on a topic of their choice. Stephen A. Smith has kicked it off, and eventually you'll hear from Max and you'll hear even from Molly. But the most important focus for me will be the actual content, and by that I mean how we decide the topics that we're going to discuss and to make sure that everyone has a voice in what those topics will be each and every day.

MCN: Are you concerned about increased competition from Fox Sports as they delve more into the sports talk arena?

DR: We'll always be respectful of our competition no matter who they are. But the key is we will not overreact to anything that our competition does because that's a recipe for failure as far as I'm concerned. Our position is that we're operating from a position of strength. We will not be complacent; we will maintain a position of leadership internally so that we can lead going forward.

The match kicks off at 2:30 ET from Auckland, New Zealaand.

This will be the third match of the Bledisloe Cup, the annual competition between the Australian and New Zealand teams. The first two matches, held in August, were won by New Zealand by scores of 42-8 and 29-9.

WorldRugby.org ranks New Zealand No. 1 in the world and Australia No. 3, with the U.S. at No. 17.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

As advertisers who wish to reach multicultural audiences increasingly embrace “total market” approaches, Spanish-language TV networks have largely abandoned the standalone upfronts held each May (except for Univision Communications, which has no bigger English-language sibling to tie into).

ESPN Deportes shifted to this approach, rolling its upfront into ESPN’s company-wide effort.

Now, the Worldwide Leader has extended that approach to programming, bringing one of ESPN Deportes’s most-popular studio shows to its network English-language ESPN2. On Monday, Sept. 26, ESPN2 bowed a weekly, hour-long version of Nacion ESPN at 5 p.m. ET,

The interactive talk show, which draws much of its content from viewer interactions via ESPN’s social media platforms to, is hosted by Jorge Sedano, co-host of the Mornings with Keyshawn and Jorge and LZ radio program on ESPN Radio’s KSPN-AM in Los Angeles; Bernardo Osuna, the network’s boxing reporter and host of ESPN Deportes’s A Los Golpes; and ESPNDeportes.com reporter and baseball expert Marly Rivera.

What’s notable is that the program affords the hosts the opportunity to provide viewers “information they want in the most authentic manner and in the language they prefer.”

That’s historic, as bilingual programming on a broadcast or cable network geared primarily for non-ethnic viewers hasn’t been seen often. In Quebec, it’s been banned by the government for nearly 40 years.

But this is the U.S., and marketers seeking to reach what market research firm Geoscape has coined the “new American mainstream” now have what ESPN Deportes vice president and general manager Freddy Rolón said is a vehicle designed to “speak to the audience in a way that resonates with their evolving multicultural lifestyles and interests. [This] strengthens our commitment to better serve a diverse sports fan base while also generating opportunities for advertisers with a total market approach.”

Toyota is the show’s presenting sponsor, extending its existing ties to ESPN’s SportsNation and the ESPN Deportes edition of Nación ESPN. As the lead sponsor, Toyota will be featured across all elements of the program, including graphics, segments, promotions, and media presence during telecasts and across the show’s digital and social media platforms.

“Toyota and ESPN have a decade-long partnership, working together on industry-leading programming, from SportsNation to Nación ESPN on ESPN Deportes,” Lisa Materazzo, GM of media strategy and engagement at Toyota Motor Sales, said. “Bringing Nación to the ESPN2 audience evolves how we reach a Hispanic audience in a smart, compelling way.”

Gillette, Allstate and Taco Bell are also on board as inaugural sponsors of Nación ESPN. Each sponsor will have unique integrations across the show’s features and segments.

ESPN is the most valuable network to cable operators, according to a new survey by Beta Research.

The survey information was also distributed by Walt Disney Co. and ESPN, which have been fighting a perception that ESPN’s distribution would be hurt if cable operators offer subscribers lower-cost skinny bundles of programming. (See: "Iger: Disney Subs Growing.")

Cable operators said ESPN was worth $1.03 and ESPN2 was worth 75 cents, according to the survey. Those networks actually cost operators and subscribers about $7 a month.

Following the ESPN networks, vable operators said the most valuable were NFL Network, Fox News Channel, Disney Channel, TNT, Fox Sports 1, USA Network, Discovery Channel, CNN and TBS.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

The UniMas-Univision Deportes Network simulcast of the March 6 MLS season opener won by the defending champion LA Galaxy over the Chicago Fire averaged 341,000 viewers in the 10 p.m. window last Friday night, a total that included 215,000 adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen data.

The coverage marked the first time a major U.S. sports league began its season on a Spanish-language service, which also included another first-- an English SAP option.

Those deliveries marked respective increases of 44% and 111% on UniMas from last season’s opener between the Fire and Chivas USA. The match also outdelivered NBCSN’s presentation of the March 9, 2014 contest by 3% and 2%, respectively.

As part of the new eight-year, $720 million rights deal, MLS also opened dedicated windows on Sundays. ESPN2 tallied 539,000 viewers for its pregame and match coverage of the first contest between league newcomers New York City FC and Orlando City SC, from 4:30 through 7 p.m. on March 8. That delivery outscored all of the network’s MLS telecasts last year and more than doubled its 2014 audience average of 225,000.

The rookie contest ended in a 1-1, with Brazilian international Kaka knotting matters in stoppage time on a deflected free kick.

Fox Sports 1 began its 2015 campaign with a doubleheader, garnering 268,000 viewers for the first match, a 1-1 draw between Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls, almost doubling the 142,000 viewers NBCSN averaged with its 2014 coverage of the domestic futbol circuit.

The nightcap did,notching 289,000 watchers as the home team Seattle Sounders defeated the defending Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution, 2-0.  

A new, five-year collective bargaining agreement with the players association in the books, Major League Soccer is ready to kick off its 20 anniversary season on Friday night in California with momentum on its side.

The domestic futbol circuit, borne from FIFA awarding the U.S. the rights to the 1994 World Cup, enters the milestone campaign with new national TV contracts and dedicated match windows that should generate higher ratings and enhance fan experiences with games unfolding across weekends.

The league and commissioner Don Garber, who is making the rounds to a trio of contests this weekend, are also welcoming a pair of new clubs this season with a second side in the New York area and an MLS return to the Sunshine State.  

Moreover, MLS hopes to cash in on futbol fever that sambaed its way to the U.S. from the 2014 Brazilian World Cup, and will reenergize again in Canada this June and July, as the women's team attempts to add a third Women's World Cup to its mantle.

Having inked a new CBA that will increase salaries and provide for the first form of free agency in the single-structure entity's history, MLS's 20th season gets underway at the Stubhub Center in Carson, Calif., where the defending champion and Landon Donovan-less Los Angeles Galaxy host the Chicago Fire at 7 p.m. (PT).

Univision Deportes president Juan Carlos Rodriguez noted the match will mark the first time Spanish-language services, aggregating their ratings, kick off a major U.S. sports league’s campaign,

As part of new eight-year deals worth $90 million annually – more than trebling the $27 million yearly payout under the last rights pact –the Univision-owned services will be the Friday night place for MLS action.

ESPN2 – the worldwide leader has been with the league since its inception – has the 5 p.m. window on Sundays, while Fox Sports 1 will serve up matches at 7 p.m., creating a de facto futbol doubleheader. In addition to authenticated TVE products, WatchESPN and Fox Sports Go, streaming the matches, ESPN Deportes and Fox Deportes are also televising those contests. 

In fact, all national games will be presented in Spanish, as MLS looks to build on its Latino base, whom already represent one-third of the league's fans..

The other matches will play on Saturdays, with local/regional sports outlets carrying the matches.  The new clubs – Orlando City FC and New York City FC, which have regional deals with FOX 35 / WRBW MY65 and YES Network, respectively – will make their MLS bow on ESPN2 on March 8. A 30-minute pregame show provides a lead-in.

“The ability to drive viewers to the respective time slots is going to be huge for the networks and the league. The new scheduling on Saturdays is also good for the clubs in being able to market and get fans to the games, and for the players in terms of practice and routines,” said senior vice president of programming Scott Guglielmino, noting over the years games were played at various times to accommodate network window wishes.

“As thrilled as we are with the increase in rights fees, the league and our fans are going to benefit more from the consistency of scheduling and promotion that will create appointment viewing,” MLS president and managing director of MLS Business Ventures Gary Stevenson, who said last season matches were held on seven different days and 28 starting times.

The MLS brand is also expanding abroad. Discovery Communications' Eurosport will cover four matches per weekend, while Sky Sports has inked a deal to cover two games weekly. “These will serve as platforms to other players who may be looking to MLS as an on-field option,” said Stevenson.

This season, major internationals such as Kaka, Steven Gerrard, David Villa and Frank Lampard, will join MLS rosters.

Stateside, there will be heightened levels of production. Each partner will originate telecasts from the stadium, with talent on-site at the various stadia.

Promotion will also ratchet up. David Nathanson, general manager and COO of Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, said that during the league's Feb. 23 broadcast meeting in Orlando, discussions not only centered about cross-promotion among the national partners, but how “the regionals and local stations carrying games on Saturdays will make viewers aware of the big matches on ESPN and Fox on MLS Soccer Sundays.” Fox is returning to the MLS pitch after presenting league matches from 2003-11.

Nathanson noted the domestic league will also benefit from promotion during Fox Sports’ coverage of FIFA’s distaff quadrennial north of the border. “It’s the perfect opportunity to expose new fans of Women’s World Cup to MLS,” he said.

FSI  opens with one of its three doubleheaders on March 8 -- Sporting Kansas City hosting the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. followed by the Seattle Sounders entertaining the eastern conference champion New England Revolution.  The network’s coverage will feature on-site, pre- and post-game and halftime segments,, with a field reporter and soccer insider flanking the talent in the booth.

Nathanson said the network will also serve up an expanded post-game show after its Sunday primetime match, opening the pitch to Garbage Time with Katie Nolan, at 9:30 p.m..,starting  March 15.

Gugliemo, said the worldwide leader will enhance MLS’s presence on ESPN FC show that airs weekdays on ESPNews at 6 p.m, and Sundays at midnight on ESPN2. “The social buzz for MLS is a virtuous part of the soccer conversation among fans,” he said.

The website features many league-specific elements, including an oral history of the circuit and 20 of its key moments.

“Twenty years is a big anniversary for MLS. It’s a busy sports landscape that’s only become more competitive over the years with other sports and other soccer leagues,” said Gugliemo. “MLS has grown in the marketplace and the in-stadium experience for fans is tremendous. It’s a big anniversary and ESPN is very proud to be part of it.”

Univision is upping its MLS game considerably via a relaunched website. It will also offer an English-language SAP option for all its telecasts, with former U.S. national team player Paul Caligiuri providing the commentary.

“Whether in Spanish or English, soccer fans are going to feel a great level of excitement for MLS,” said Rodriguez.

Univision’s Saturday coverage of Liga MX, the most-watched soccer circuit in North America, for the first time will include live look-ins of MLS action and goals.  Although Rodriguez recognizes it could result in some loss of viewership for Liga MX matches, “the goal is to grow the sport overall.”

He also noted that Univision’s game plan also calls for Somos MLS (We Are MLS), to air on UDN, beginning on March 8, at 10 p.m., and serve as a weekly recap, highlight show for the league.

MLS segments are on tap for Republica Deportiva, Futbol Club, Contacto Deportivo and Locura Deportiva, and the U.S. Spanish-language media leader also will leverage player appearances within some of its entertainment programming.

The new contract also calls for flex scheduling for the penultimate weekend, so the three national partners can televise the most important matches. That leads to “Decision Day” on Oct. 25, the final Sunday of the 2015 regular-season. Stevenson explained that five games in the Eastern Conference will unfold concurrently at 5 p.m., with one game airing on FSI and another on UniMás. Immediately following at 7 p.m.,, all five Western Conference match-ups will unfold, with one game airing on ESPN2 and  a second on UDN. All of the other contests will be showcased across network and league digital platforms, so fans can keep abreast for the final push toward playoff seedings.

The 2015 postseason will feature a dozen teams, with all of the games appearing nationally for the first time. FS1 and ESPN2 will cover the playoffs in their entirety, save for a pair of games on the Univision services. Alternating the events over the course of the contract, FS1 will air the All-Star Game this summer, while ESPN2 has MLS Cup.

Echoing sentiments expressed by the others, Nathanson is sanguine about the league’s Nielsens fortunes.

“With the commitment from the networks with the telecasts and the distinct, destinations for viewers where they know they can find the action, we’re giving MLS its best chance to [improve ratings] in its 20 years,” he said.

ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike will celebrate 15 years of sports conversation, debate and laughs on Firday morning.

The 15th anniversary of the morning show, which is simulcast on ESPN2, will  emanate from the Downtown Disney stage at Walt Disney World in Orlando on March 6, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET).  Hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic will look back at some of their favorite moments alongside friends and family. 

The landmark show will include performances by Cirque de Soleil, on-site guests, video and audio messages from celebrities and some of the biggest names in sports. The Downtown Disney stage seating area is open to the public, beginning at 5 a.m.

The anniversary episode will feature Greeny and Golic playing a special edition of “Next Question” with every query relating to the 15-year history of the show. Also, Mark Schlereth will interview Chris Golic and Stacy Steponate Greenberg, the hosts’ wives, who have made frequent appearances on the show over the past years. Several on-site guests will offer their memories Mike & Mike memories including: comedian Frank Caliendo, ESPN NFL analysts Cris Carter and Schlereth, First Take’sStephen A. Smith and ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark.  Capping the day, a special member of the Disney family will present the hosts with a gift in the program’s final hour to commemorate the milestone.

“Fifteen years of any show is an accomplishment,” said Amanda Gifford, senior director daytime programming. “The success of Mike & Mike is a testament to the hard-work Greeny and Golic put into the show on a daily basis. We’re planning a fun, creative broadcast that will hopefully tell the story of the show over the years. We have several surprises planned along the way – for Greeny and Golic and the fans.”

Mike & Mike is also offering a 24-hour Twitter sweepstakes that will give fans the opportunity to win a Golic- or Greeny-selected trip. Fans must retweet a designated photo from the @MikeandMike twitter handle with the hashtag #MM15Contest for a chance to win.  The winner will be randomly selected and revealed next week.

To show their appreciation to their fans, Greeny and Golic have been sending custom Mike & Mike 15th Anniversary gift baskets to 200 “superfans” who have been especially engaged with the show via Twitter.  Those selected have been asked to tweet a photo of themselves with their baskets using the hashtag #MM15. Listeners and viewers can share additional photos, comments and messages about the anniversary by tweeting @MikeandMike and using the hashtag #MM15. 

Comprehensive 15th anniversary content – including photo galleries, videos and audio – can be found at: http://espn.go.com/espnradio/show?showId=mikeandmike15th.

Major League Soccer, armed with new national TV contracts, dedicated match windows, a pair of new clubs and bookended by last summer’s World Cup from Brazil and the upcoming women’s tourney in Canada in June, has momentum on its side ahead of its 20th anniversary season.

But the milestone campaign is being threatened by labor issues as the players association seeks higher salaries and some form of free agency from MLS. The league has operated from its 1996 inaugural season as a  single-entity structure, limited liability company that collectively owns all of what are now 20 clubs.

The collective bargaining agreement expired on Jan. 31, but training camps have continued unabated. Reports indicated the sides met in New York on Feb. 24-25 with several team owners in the room for the first time. The players union and league management are expected to join federal mediators in Washington, beginning on Sunday, for three days of bargaining sessions aimed at bridging differences.

Should the league and players association come to terms, or continue to negotiate, UniMas and Univision Deportes Network will simulcast the March 6 opener with the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy hosting the Chicago Fire at 10 p.m. (ET),

Univision Deportes president Juan Carlos Rodriguez noted the match will mark the first time Spanish-language services, aggregating their ratings, kick off a major U.S. sports league’s campaign,

As part of new eight-year deals worth $90 million annually – up from $27 million under the last rights pact –the Univision-owned services will be the Friday night place for MLS action.

ESPN2 – the worldwide leader has been with the league since its inception – has the 5 p.m. window on Sundays, while Fox Sports 1 will serve up matches at 7 p.m., creating a de facto futbol doubleheader. In addition to authenticated TVE products, WatchESPN and Fox Sports Go, streaming the matches, ESPN Deportes and Fox Deportes are also televising those contests. 

In fact, all national games will be presented in Spanish, as MLS looks to build on its Latino base, whom already represent one-third of the league's fans..

The other matches will play on Saturdays, with local/regional sports outlets carrying the matches.  The new clubs – Orlando City FC and New York City FC – squaring off in their league bow on ESPN2 on March 8. A 30-minute pregame show provides a lead-in.

“The ability to drive viewers to the respective time slots is going to be huge for the networks and the league. The new scheduling on Saturdays is also good for the clubs in being able to market and get fans to the games, and for the players in terms of practice and routines,” said senior vice president of programming Scott Guglielmino, noting over the years games were played at various times to accommodate network window wishes.

“As thrilled as we are with the increase in rights fees, the league and our fans are going to benefit more from the consistency of scheduling and promotion that will create appointment viewing,” MLS president and managing director of MLS Business Ventures Gary Stevenson, who said last season matches were held on seven different days and 28 starting times.

The MLS brand is also expanding abroad. Sky Sports inked a deal to cover two games weekly, and other international rights pacts are expected to be announced shortly. “These will serve as platforms to other players who may be looking to MLS as an on-field option,” said Stevenson. This season, major internationals such as Kaka, Steven Gerrard, David Villa and Frank Lampard, will join MLS rosters.

Stateside, there will be heightened levels of production. Each partner will originate telecasts from the stadium, with talent on-site at the various stadia.

Promotion will also ratchet up. David Nathanson, general manager and COO of Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, said that during the league's Feb. 23 broadcast meeting in Orlando, discussions not only centered about cross-promotion among the national partners, but how “the regionals and local stations carrying games on Saturdays will make viewers aware of the big matches on ESPN and Fox on MLS Soccer Sundays.” Fox is returning to the MLS pitch after presenting league matches from 2003-11.

Nathanson noted the domestic league will also benefit from promotion during Fox Sports’ coverage of FIFA’s distaff quadrennial north of the border. “It’s the perfect opportunity to expose new fans of Women’s World Cup to MLS,” he said.

FSI  opens with one of its three doubleheaders on March 8 -- Sporting Kansas City hosting the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. followed by the Seattle Sounders entertaining the eastern conference champion New England Revolution.  The network’s coverage will feature on-site, pre- and post-game and halftime segments,, with a field reporter and soccer insider flanking the talent in the booth.

Nathanson said the network will also serve up an expanded post-game show after its Sunday primetime match, opening the pitch to Garbage Time with Katie Nolan, at 9:30 p.m..,starting  March 15.

Gugliemo, said the worldwide leader will enhance MLS’s presence on ESPN FC show that airs weekdays on ESPNews at 6 p.m, and Sundays at midnight on ESPN2. “The social buzz for MLS is a virtuous part of the soccer conversation among fans,” he said.

The website features many league-specific elements, including an oral history of the circuit and 20 of its key moments.

“Twenty years is a big anniversary for MLS. It’s a busy sports landscape that’s only become more competitive over the years with other sports and other soccer leagues,” said Gugliemo. “MLS has grown in the marketplace and the in-stadium experience for fans is tremendous. It’s a big anniversary and ESPN is very proud to be part of it.”

Univision is upping its MLS game considerably via a relaunched website. It will also offer an English-language SAP option for all its telecasts, with former U.S. national team player Paul Caligiuri providing the commentary.

“Whether in Spanish or English, soccer fans are going to feel a great level of excitement for MLS,” said Rodriguez.

Univision’s Saturday coverage of Liga MX, the most-watched soccer circuit in North America, for the first time will include live look-ins of MLS action and goals.  Although Rodriguez recognizes it could result in some loss of viewership for Liga MX matches, “the goal is to grow the sport overall.”

He also noted that Univision’s game plan also calls for Somos MLS (We Are MLS), to air on UDN, beginning on March 8, at 10 p.m., and serve as a weekly recap, highlight show for the league.

MLS segments are on tap for Republica Deportiva, Futbol Club, Contacto Deportivo and Locura Deportiva, and the U.S. Spanish-language media leader also will leverage player appearances within some of its entertainment programming.

The new contract also calls for flex scheduling for the penultimate weekend, so the three national partners can televise the most important matches. That leads to “Decision Day” on Oct. 25, the final Sunday of the 2015 regular-season. Stevenson explained that five games in the Eastern Conference will unfold concurrently at 5 p.m., with one game airing on FSI and another on UniMás. Immediately following at 7 p.m.,, all five Western Conference match-ups will unfold, with one game airing on ESPN2 and  a second on UDN. All of the other contests will be showcased across network and league digital platforms, so fans can keep abreast for the final push toward playoff seedings.

The 2015 postseason will feature a dozen teams, with all of the games appearing nationally for the first time. FS1 and ESPN2 will cover the playoffs in their entirety, save for a pair of games on the Univision services. Alternating the events over the course of the contract, FS1 will air the All-Star Game this summer, while ESPN2 has MLS Cup.

Echoing sentiments expressed by the others, Nathanson is sanguine about the league’s Nielsens fortunes.

“With the commitment from the networks with the telecasts and the distinct, destinations for viewers where they know they can find the action, we’re giving MLS its best chance to [improve ratings] in its 20 years,” he said.

But first, the matches have to begin.

When Ana Ivanovic upset Serena Williams in the round of 16, 2014 began an uneven year for the world No. 1, who also suffered early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon, before she regained her form and captured the U.S. Open. In between, former Slam champions Maria Sharapova  (French) and Petra Kvitova (Wimbledon) added majors, while Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard burst onto the scene.

Ivanovic’s victory in Melbourne Park opened the door for Li Na to take home the title. With the Chinese player retiring from the sport, a new woman will be crowned Aussie queen.

Stan Wawrinka beat three-time defending champion Novak Djovokic in the quarterfinals, returning the favor for a marathon loss against the Serb Down Under in 2013. The long-time No. 2 Swiss player then surprised Rafael Nadal to win the championship.

Bookending the year of upsets, Martin Cilic, who will miss the Happy Slam with ani njury, beat the rising Japanese player Kei Nishikora  in the final of the U.S. Open. Wawrinka and Cilic thus joined 2009 U.S. Open king, Juan Martin Del Potro, who also had to withdraw on the eve of the tourney with his lingering left wrist problem, as the only men to interrupt the decade-long Grand Slam domination of the "Big 4": Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray.

This year, world No. 1 Djoker and No. 4 Wawrinka could meet in a semfinal rubber match, while a recovering-from-multiple injuries Nadal might see old foe Roger Federer in the bottom half.

How happy would executives at the worldwide leader be if that form held at the Happy Slam. Starting on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m., ESPN 2 and ESPN will combine to present more than 100 live hours on television, while ESPN3 will serve up to 800 more digitally, as fans will be able to choose from action on up to 13 courts.  ESPN’s 31st consecutive Australian Open will culminate with the women’s and men’s championships live on ESPN at 3 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, with an encore presentation Super Bowl morning at 9 a.m.

As part of its Grand Slam alliance with ESPN, Tennis Channel is in the game Down Under for an eighth consecutive year. Tennis Channel will have 11 consecutive days and 40 hours of live coverage. Adding encore replays, highlights, a special preview and the new daily preview show Live at the Australian Open, the network will devote close to 200 hours over the fortnight.

Under their alliance, ESPN produces the Australian Open for both networks, with each utilizing its own commentators and cross-promoting their combined television offerings. Conversely, Tennis handles production when the networks play as a doubles team at Roland Garros.

Unlike many Grand Slams, the 2015 Australian features several intriguing opening-round battles. Nishikora will battle former top 10 player Nicolas Almagro, while Nadal meets the veteran Mikhail Youzny.

Distaff interest will center on the former two-time champion Victoria Azarenka’s encounter with Sloane Stephens. The pair were engaged in a controversial and contentious 2013 semifinal that followed the American's elimination of her idol Williams, and Vika also eliminated her foe in the fourth round during the 2014 event.  By the by, Azarenka, Stephens, former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, Williams' 2014 French and Wimbledon conquerors Garbine Muguruz and Alize Cornet, plus Jelena Jankovic and Dominica Hantuchova are all in Serena’s part of the draw.

Williams, should she survive her perilous path, could meet friend Caroline Wozniacki -- seeded eighth but suffering from a wrist injury -- in the quarters. A Williams' title would be her 19th singles Slam, surpassing the 18 trophies also held by Chris Evert and Martina Navritilova. Fourth-seeded Kvitova is slated to meet No. 6 Aga Radwanska in the other quarter in the top half of the draw.

The bottom half features the possible confrontation between Halep and Ivanovic, this year’s third and fifth seeds. The last quarter could showcase the telegenic twosome of No. 2 Sharapova and  Bouchard, the comely Canadian, who succumbed to Na in last year’s semis.

On the men’s side, if the seeds hold up, Djokovic would meet No.8  Milos Raonic, the hard-serving Canadian, and Wawrinka would engage his U.S. Open vanquisher, No. 5 Nishikori.

In the bottom half, No. 3 Nadal’s path would take him into No. 7 Tomas Berdych, while the second-seeded Federer might match with No. 6 Murray, who lost to the Swiss in last year’s quarters and the 2010 final and to Djokovic in the 2011 and 2013 championship matches.

Shoule Nole or Fed win they would set the Open era record with five men's Down Under diadems.

ESPN2 tosses the first ball into TV play on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. (ET) and will present daily, marathon, overnight telecasts from Melbourne, primarily starting at 9 p.m. through the women’s semifinals. At the money end of the tourney, coverage switches to ESPN (see schedule below). WatchESPN, now available to some 75 million homes, will stream all of the action on the two networks to authenticated viewers.

The worldwide leader is bringing its veteran tennis team Down Under: Australians Cliff Drysdale and Darren Cahill; the McEnroe brothers, Patrick and John, and three named Chris: Fowler, Evert and McKendry. Additionally, former players and coaches Pam Shriver, Mary Jo Fernandez, Brad Gilbert and Jason Goodall are scheduled to appear, as will essayist Tom Rinaldi.

As it does with the other majors, Tennis Channel will introduce a review/preview show with this year’s Aussie tourney.

Hosted by Emmy Award winner Brett Haber, Hall of Famers Jim Courier and Navratilova, and Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim  Live at the Australian Open will air most nights from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. immediately preceding the start of the day’s play Down Under. 

The network’s on-air team also includes Bill Macatte, Justin Gimelstob and Lindsey Davenport.

Tennis' schedule calls for 11 consecutive days spanning 40 hours of live coverage at this year’s Australian Open (see schedule). With encore replays, highlights, a special preview and the new Live at the Australian Open, the network plans to present some 200 hours linear hours.

Hybrid digital service, Tennis Channel Plus, combining TVE accessibility and bonus match coverage, will home in on one court during the tournament's second week, streaming the action to its subscriber base.

ESPN AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2015 (all time ET)

Tennis Channel’s Live Australian Open Coverage (all times ET)

Date                                                    Time                           Event                                                 

Sunday, Jan. 18                                   6 p.m.-7 p.m.              Pre-Tournament Welcome

Monday, Jan. 19                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              FirstRound

Tuesday, Jan. 20                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              SecondRound

Wednesday, Jan. 21                            6p.m.-9 p.m.              Second Round

Thursday, Jan. 22                               6 p.m.-11 p.m.              ThirdRound

Friday, Jan. 23                                    6 p.m.-9 p.m.              ThirdRound

Saturday, Jan. 24                                6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Round of 16

Sunday, Jan. 25                                   6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Round of 16

Monday, Jan. 26                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Jan. 27                                 6 p.m.-9 p.m.              Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals

Wednesday, Jan. 28                            6p.m.-9:30 p.m.         TBA

Thursday, Jan. 29                               10 p.m.-3:30 a.m.       Mixed Doubles Semifinal, Women’s Doubles Final

Saturday, Jan. 31                                5:30 a.m.-8 a.m.         Men’sDoubles Final

Sunday, Feb. 1                                    12 a.m.-2 a.m.            Mixed Doubles Final

The ATP World Tour Finals title and year-end, No. 1 ranking are on the line in London this week, with Tennis Channel and ESPN 2 covering all the action from the 02 Arena from Nov. 9-16.

Current leader Novak Djokovic is looking for his third straight ATP World Tour Finals crown, while No. 2 Roger Federer is eyeing a record seventh title in this event that could propel him to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

It’s a long shot for the 33-year-old Federer, who not only has to win the event, but see Djokovic not make it out of the group stage in the eight-man round-robin tournament. Thereafter, Federer and fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka have to go to France and secure the Davis Cup later this month.

Whether things play out that way on the courts is why tennis fans watch, but the action at 02 culminates a transitional year in the men’s game that saw Wawrinka and Marin Cilic break The Big Four’s stranglehold on the Grand Slams by winning the Australian and U.S. Open, respectively. Djokovic won at Wimbledon, while Rafa Nadal, who is missing the ATP World Tour Finals as he recovers from an appendectomy, affirmed his stature as King of Clay with his ninth title at Roland Garros.

With Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro injured and David Ferrer slowing, the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals features newcomers in Cilic, the man he topped at the U.S. Open, Kei Nishikori, and hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic.

In London, the competitors are divided into a pair of fours. Group A features Djokovic (1), Wawrinka (4), Czech Tomas Berdych (7) and Cilic (9).

Federer (2) is joined in Group B by Nishikori (5), Raonic (8) and Andy Murray (6), the Scot and 2013 Wimbledon champion who calls London home.

There is also doubles doings, with the top-seeded Bryan brothers looking to punctuate their 2014 with their 103 title overall and fourth ATP World Tour Finals title, which would be their first since 2009. Mike and Bob will compete against Alexander Peya-Bruno Soares (3), Jean-Julien Rojer-Horia Tecau (5) and Lukasz Kubot-Roberto Lindstedt (9) in Group A.

The No. 2 team of Daniel Nestor, Nenad Zimonjic leads Group B, where they will battle Julien Benneteau-Edouard Roger-Vasselin (4), Marcel Granollers-Marc Lopez (6) and Ivan Dodig-Marcelo Melo (7).

Tennis begins its 120 hours of coverage, including 50 live hours with the Nov. 9 doubles match between Benneteau-Roger-Vasselin and Granollers-Lopez , followed by Nishikori and Murray. The night session from London showcases Nestor-Zimonjic versus Dodig-Melo and Raonic-Federer.  Brett Haber, Tracey Austin, Jimmy Arias and Justin Gimelstob will call the action for Tennis (see schedule below).

ESPN2 gets in the game on Nov. 13, picking up the ball from ESPN3 (see schedule below). The McEnroe Brothers, Patrick and John, will be aided by Darren Cahil from courtside.

Tennis Channel's 2014 ATP World Tour Finals Schedule: (All matches are live unless otherwise indicated.)

ESPN and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, London

* - Tape delayed from Saturday, live on ESPN3.

For those who prefer their tennis viewing hard and hot, Tennis Channel and ESPN2 are the networks of choice for the upcoming Emirates Airline U.S Open Series.

The networks will line up over 230 live or first-run match hours from the  five-week, eight-tournament run-up of men’s and women’s pro tennis events in the States and Canada held in the heat of the North American summer. The series serves as a lengthy lead-in to the U.S. Open, the hard court Grand Slam that starts this year on Aug. 25.

This year's Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series comprises: BB&T Atlanta Open (Atlanta - ATP); Citi Open (Washington, D.C. - ATP); Bank of the West Classic (Stanford, Calif. - WTA); Rogers Cup (Toronto - ATP and Montreal - WTA); Western and Southern Open (Cincinnati, Ohio - WTA/ATP); Winston-Salem Open (Winston-Salem, N.C. - ATP); and the Connecticut Open (New Haven, Conn. - WTA).

Beginning on Thursday, July 21, Tennis will begin presenting some 150 live or first-run hours from Emirate Airline U.S. Open Series, which will be flanked by a like number of encore hours.

For its part, ESPN2 is scheduled to present 84 hours, including seven of the eight finals. The championship coverage features ESPN2 stepping onto the court for the men’s title match at the Southern & Western event from Cincinnati that previously aired on CBS.

The broadcaster, which is gearing up for the last of its 47-yearl run at the U.S. Open – ESPN has secured full rights for the major and the U.S. Opens, beginning in 2015 via an 11-year, $825 million deal – will televise the Aug. 23 final of the men’s Winston-Salem Open.

2014 Emirates Airline US Open Series Tennis Channel First-run Telecast Schedule (all times ET)

July 24-26      BB&T Atlanta Open (ATP)
Thursday, July 24 - 4 p.m.-10 p.m. (round of 16)
Friday, July 25 - 9:15 p.m.-11 p.m. (quarterfinal)
Saturday, July 26 - 8 p.m.-10 p.m. (semifinal)

July 28-Aug 2      Citi Open (ATP)
Monday, July 28 - 4 p.m.-10 p.m. (early round)
Tuesday, July 29 - 4 p.m.-10 p.m. (early round)
Wednesday, July 30 - 4 p.m.-10 p.m. (early round)
Thursday, July 31 - 4 p.m.-10 p.m. (round of 16)
Friday, Aug 1 - 1 p.m.-3 p.m.; 9 p.m.-11 p.m. (quarterfinals)
Saturday, Aug 2 - 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (semifinal)

July 29-Aug 2      Bank of the West Classic (WTA)
Tuesday, July 29 - 4 p.m.-8 p.m.; 10 p.m.-midnight (early round)
Wednesday, July 30 - 4 p.m.-8 p.m.; 10 p.m.-midnight (early round)
Thursday, July 31 - 4 p.m.-8 p.m.; 10 p.m.-midnight (round of 16)
Saturday, Aug 2- 1 a.m.-3 a.m. (quarterfinal)*; 10 p.m.-midnight (semifinal)

Aug 4-7           Rogers Cup (ATP/WTA)
Monday, Aug. 4 - 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (early round)
Tuesday, Aug. 5 - 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (early round)
Wednesday, Aug. 6 - 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (early round)
Thursday, Aug. 7 - 6 p.m.-10 p.m. (round of 16)

Aug 11-13       Western & Southern Open (ATP/WTA)
Monday, Aug. 11 - 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. (early round)
Tuesday, Aug. 12 - 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. (early round)
Wednesday, Aug. 13 - 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. (early round)

Aug 20-22       Winston-Salem Open (ATP)
Wednesday, Aug. 20 - 3 p.m.-7 p.m.; 9 p.m.-11p.m.* (round of 16)
Thursday, Aug. 21 - 9 p.m.-11 p.m.* (quarterfinal)
Friday, Aug. 22 - 9 p.m.-11 p.m.* (semifinal)

Aug 20-21       Connecticut Open (WTA)
Wednesday, Aug. 20 - 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (round of 16)
Thursday, Aug 21 - 7 p.m.-9 p.m. (quarterfinal)

(*indicates same-day delayed broadcast).

ESPN & the US Open Series (all live except as noted)

Date    Time (ET)     Event    Network
Fri Jul 25    4 p.m.    ATP BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta – Quarterfinal    ESPN2
                   7 p.m.    ATP BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta – Quarterfinal     ESPN2
Sat Jul 26    3 p.m.    ATP BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta – Semifinal     ESPN2
Sun Jul 27    5 p.m.    ATP BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta – Championship     ESPN2

Fri Aug 1    4 p.m.    ATP Citi Open, Washington, DC – Quarterfinal    ESPN2
                   7 p.m.    ATP Citi Open, Washington, DC – Quarterfinal     ESPN2
                   11 p.m.    WTA Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, Calif. – Quarterfinal    ESPN2
Sat Aug 2    3 p.m.    ATP Citi Open, Washington, DC – Semifinal    ESPN2
                     5 p.m.    WTA Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, Calif. – Semifinal    ESPN2
Sun Aug 3    3 p.m.    ATP Citi Open, Washington, DC – Championship    ESPN2
                     5 p.m.    WTA Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, Calif. – Championship    ESPN2

Thur Aug 7    1 p.m.    ATP / WTA Rogers Cup, Toronto/Montreal – Round of 16    ESPN2
Fri Aug 8        1 p.m.    ATP / WTA Rogers Cup, Toronto/Montreal – Quarterfinals    ESPN2
                      7 p.m.    ATP / WTA Rogers Cup, Toronto/Montreal – Quarterfinals    ESPN2
Sat Aug 9        1 p.m.    WTA Rogers Cup, Montreal – Semifinal #1    ESPN2
                        3 p.m.    ATP Rogers Cup, Toronto – Semifinal #1    ESPN2
                         8 p.m.    ATP Rogers Cup, Toronto – Semifinal #2    ESPN2
Sun Aug 10    1 p.m.    WTA Rogers Cup, Montreal – Championship    ESPN2
                     3 p.m.    ATP Rogers Cup, Toronto – Championship     ESPN2

Thur Aug 14    1 p.m.    ATP / WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Round of 16    ESPN2
                       7 p.m.    ATP Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Round of 16    ESPN3
                       9 p.m.    WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Round of 16    ESPN2
                      11 p.m.    ATP Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Round of 16    ESPN2 - *
Fri Aug 15         11 a.m.    ATP / WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Quarterfinals    ESPN2
                        7 p.m.    ATP / WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Quarterfinals    ESPN2
Sat Aug 16        1 p.m.    ATP / WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Semifinals     ESPN2
                         7 p.m.    ATP / WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Semifinals    ESPN2
Sun Aug 17        2 p.m.    WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Championship    ESPN2
                          4 p.m.    ATP Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati – Championship    ESPN2

Thur Aug 21          1 p.m.    WTA Connecticut Open, New Haven, Conn. – Quarterfinal    ESPN2
                            3 p.m.    ATP Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, N.C. – Quarterfinal    ESPN2
Fri Aug 22              1 p.m.    WTA Connecticut Open, New Haven, Conn. – Semifinal #1    ESPN2
                             3 p.m.    ATP Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, N.C. – Semifinal #1    ESPN2
                             7 p.m.    WTA Connecticut Open, New Haven, Conn. – Semifinal #2    ESPNEWS
                             MID    WTA Connecticut Open, New Haven, Conn. – Semifinal #2    ESPN2 - **
Sat Aug 23              3 p.m.    WTA Connecticut Open, New Haven, Conn. – Championship    ESPN2

* - Aired on tape delay from 7 p.m., seen live on ESPN3
** - Aired on tape delay from 7 p.m., seen live on ESPNEWS

Now in its third year of exclusively covering The Championships, ESPN – and tennis fans – have to be rooting for a little more tradition.

The worldwide leader’s Wimbledon ratings took a hit last year with the early exits of many of the sport’s notables: Rafa Nadal lost in the first round, while 2012 defending champion Roger Federer departed in the second, his record 36 consecutive quarterfinals or better performances in a Grand Slam dispatched on the grass he loves.

Serena Williams’ defense of her 2012 crown ended in the fourth round to eventual finalist Sabine Lasicki, while Victoria Azarenka didn’t make it to the second, losing in her opener against the comely Italian, Camila Giorgi, 5-7 in the third.

Minus the star power, ESPN2/ESPN averaged 835,000 viewers in 2013, down 10% from 981,000 during the first year the worldwide became the sole U.S. rights-holder.  Despite Andy Murray becoming the first Brit to win the gentleman’s singles title since Fred Perry captured the title in 1936, the Scot’s triumph over Novak Djokovic netted a 1.7 rating, versus the 2.9 for Federer-Murray in 2012, the worldwide leader’s best ever tennis mark.

The women’s final – Marion Bartoli took the measure of Lasicki and then retired from the sport weeks later – drew a 0.9 rating, compared with the 1.7 for Williams’ three-set win over Agnieszka Radwanska as she captured her fifth title at The Big W.

This year, ESPN’s exclusive coverage of The Championships, Wimbledon – from the first serve to the presentations of the hardware – begins Monday, June 23, from the All England Lawn Tennis Club and includes an expanded schedule of 1,000 hours on ESPN3 and the return of complete television coverage including “Cross Court Coverage” on three days to start the second week. 

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup in full swing, ESPNEWS will join ESPN and ESPN2 in presenting 140 hours of TV coverage.  The fortnight culminates with the women’s and doubles championships on ESPN on Saturday, July 5, and the men’s final on Sunday, July 6.

The following are coverage highlights:

• The first four days of the tournament, ESPN will begin at 7 a.m. ET for daylong coverage that transitions to ESPNEWS at 11:30 a.m., with ESPN2 simulcasting from 2 – 3:30 p.m.  On Friday, June 27, ESPN will have all the action, and also on Saturday, June 28, beginning with Breakfast at Wimbledon from 7-8 a.m.
• “Cross Court Coverage” will return the first three days of the second week, with ESPN2 focused on Centre Court all day while fans will enjoy a “grounds pass” with matches from Court One and elsewhere on ESPN (transitioning to ESPNEWS at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, June 30, and Tuesday, July 1).
• Starting Thursday, July 3, all the action is on ESPN, beginning each day with Breakfast at Wimbledon hosted by Hannah Storm.
• On the “middle Sunday,” June 29, a scheduled day off as is Wimbledon tradition, ABC will broadcast a three-hour review of the first week at 3 p.m.  ABC will also present encore presentations of the finals on the day they take place, July 6 and 7 at 3 p.m.
• ESPN3 has increased its multi-screen offering to 1,000 hours – all available TV courts (up to nine) presented from first ball to last ball each day, with action available on demand afterwards.  Also, ESPN3 will add AELTC’s daily Live@Wimbledon. For the first time, Wimbledon.com will host the ESPN3 video offerings, greatly increasing its reach.
• WatchESPN will deliver all ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNEWS programming, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the award-winning WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV to more than 92 million households nationwide via an affiliated video or internet provider.