'Costas Now' Returns To HBO With Live Telecast

To start its eighth year on HBO, Costas Now will go live, tackling questions about the evolving sports media landscape.

Debuting April 29 from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (ET), Costas Now, in a special live edition, will examine how fans receive and consume information about sports.

“On April 29 we're going to take stock of the sports media landscape," said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg in a statement. “For example, the rise of Internet bloggers and sports talk radio are topics you cannot ignore. What is their impact on sports and how news gets reported?  We look forward to a comprehensive and opinionated evening of discussion.”

Greenburg will serve with Rick Bernstein as executive producer on the show.

Costas Now -- which launched as On The Record with Bob Costas in 2001 -- spotlights topical stories that continually emerge in today's sports arena. Employing a town hall setting, April's show will expand to 90 minutes for its exploration of contemporary sports media. Each segment will be devoted to a specific topic and will spotlight a different panel of high-profile sports personalities, broadcasters, journalists and executives, who will join Costas for in-depth discussion that also features audience participation.

Since joining HBO Sports in 2001, Costas, who also works for NBC Sports, has won the Sports Emmy for outstanding studio host five times. He had also served as the host of Inside The NFL since 2002. HBO canceled the pro football review/preview/highlights show after Super Bowl XLII.