Turner Sports Thursday (July 30) will kick off its coverage of the NBA’s return the court with a TNT doubleheader telecast of the New Orleans Pelicans-Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers-Los Angeles Clippers games, part of the network’s 18-game TV schedule for the league's shortened regular season that will run through the first two weeks of August.

Turner Sports executive vice president and chief content officer Craig Barry answered my questions about the importance of the league’s return after a four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as some of the production adjustments the company has made to cover games from the NBA's bubble in Orlando. An edited version of the interview appears below.

How important is the return of the NBA from the perspective of a TV sports marketplace hit hard by the pandemic?

It’s very important, both for the marketplace and passionate fans of the game. We saw that enthusiasm from sports fans with (Turner Sports’ May 24 charity golf event) The Match a few months ago and there’s a ton of interest in the highly-anticipated return of the NBA. Premium live sports are must-see programming that drive large audiences, and the NBA fits perfectly into that formula.

How is TNT tailoring its coverage of the NBA from Disney's Orlando facilities?

It’s really a made-for-TV event. First and foremost, we’re going to focus on capturing everything happening on the court with an emphasis on access and storytelling. We’ll have a camera accompaniment and audio capabilities that are the equivalent of our NBA on TNT Conference Finals coverage for all game telecasts, including several new camera positions that will bring fans closer to the action than ever before. Combined with the NBA’s next gen enhancements, we’re looking forward to presenting the game in a new, creative way in Orlando.

How many Turner Sports production people will live in the bubble?

Above all else, we are prioritizing the health and safety of everyone involved so it will be a scaled down version including only those colleagues that are absolutely essential to the production itself.

What are the audience expectations for TNT and NBA TV games?

We never predict performance metrics, but there is clearly strong interest in the return of live sports and we have a very compelling schedule with prominent storylines. We’re hopeful that will be reflected in our audience figures.

Does the shift in schedule to having NBA games in the summer and early Fall hurt potential ratings, particularly with competition from other pro sports?

Traditionally that would be the case, but we’re in uncharted territory and there is no normal right now. We know there’s always a strong appetite for live sports, especially right now, and our focus is on the content itself and presenting the best product we can for our fans.

CBS Sports has secured rights to Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of a multi-year agreement between the two parties announced Monday.

The deal calls for CBS Sports Network to air 40 live WNBA games in primetime and on weekends, beginning May 25 with Minnesota Lynx-Chicago Sky telecast, according to network officials. 

ESPN, NBA TV and Twitter will continue to carry WNBA games alongside CBS Sports, according to the league. 

“We are truly excited to partner with the WNBA, bringing the country’s premier women’s sports league to CBS Sports Network,” CBS Sports chairman said in a statement. "This partnership is one of the biggest and most impactful women’s sports programming arrangements ever at CBS Sports, offering national exposure of 40 games per year.

"This agreement provides great live content throughout the summer in primetime and on weekends, and aligns two great brands in the WNBA and CBS Sports," he added. "We look forward to working with the WNBA for many years to come.”

The defending NBA World champion Golden State Warriors will get plenty of national television exposure this season as the team will appear more than 30 times in live regular season game telecasts on TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBATV.

TNT will tip off its 53-game, 2015-16 NBA regular season telecast schedule Oct. 27 with a doubleheader telecast featuring the Warriors against the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as a LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers matchup with the Chicago Bulls, said network officials.

The network will also showcase a primetime doubleheader on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ( Jan. 18) featuring a Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals rematch, along with a Los Angeles Clippers-Houston Rockets telecast. Overall, the Warriors will appear 10 times on TNT along with the Bulls and the Clippers, according to TNT officials.

The Warriors will also appear on ESPN and ABC 15 times, including in a Dec. 25 NBA Finals rematch with the Cavaliers -- one of five Christmas Day NBA live game telecasts between ESPN and sister broadcast network ABC, according to ESPN.  The cable sports network will kick off its regular season coverage Oct. 28 with a San Antonio Spurs-Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves-Los Angeles Lakers doubleheader telecast.

ABC will launch its new Saturday night package of games Jan. 23 with a Bulls-Cavaliers telecast.  Overall ABC and ESPN will televise 90 games during the 2015-16 NBA season.

NBA TV will televise a network record 31 doubleheaders and one tripleheader as part of its live NBA season coverage, including nine appearances by the Warriors and league MVP Stephen Curry, said network officials.