NBC Sports Chicago Sets Alternative ‘Hawkcast’ Blackhawks Telecasts

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Camera will focus on select players on NBC Sports Chicago Plus during 10 home games

Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Blackhawk star Connor Bedard (Image credit: Alamy)

NBC Sports Chicago said it will produce alternative telecasts for 10 Chicago Blackhawks home NHL games this season that will include a camera dedicated to select players, including rookie sensation Connor Bedard.

The first Hawkcast will appear December 5 when the Blackhawks host the Nashville Predators.

While a traditional telecast appears on NBC Sports Chicago, the Hawkcast on NBC Sports Chicago Plus will feature a separate team of analysts announcing the “iso cam” action.

Hawkcast on NBC Sports Chicago

(Image credit: NBC Sports Chicago)

Sportscasters and hockey analysts will include pregame host Pat Boyle and Caley Chelios, Tony Granato, John Scott, Charlie Roumeliotis, Chris Vosters and Darren Pang.

Networks have been looking to appeal to viewers with specialized and alternative telecasts of games, a move popularized by ESPN’s “Manningcast” during Monday Night Football, featuring former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning

“We’re looking forward to presenting our special HawkCast presentations showcasing Connor and other select Blackhawks players during their full shift on the ice, said John Schippman, VP of Sports Content, NBCUniversal Local Chicago. “These exclusive telecasts on NBC Sports Chicago Plus will enable Blackhawks fans to experience the player’s movements and entire on-ice mindset in a brand-new way.”

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.