What’s On This Weekend in TV Sports (Jan. 15-17)

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

NFL begins post-season play

Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs (Image credit: NFL.com)

The Martin Luther King holiday weekend’s list of top live TV sports offerings starts on the gridiron with NFL playoff games.

On Sunday NFC Wildcard playoff games launch with telecasts on Fox (Philadelphia Eagles-Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and CBS/Nickelodeon (San Francisco 49ers-Dallas Cowboys). NBC will also offer a Sunday Night Football AFC playoffs matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.

On Monday night, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will simulcast the NFC Wild Card Playoff contest between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams. 

Also on Monday, the NBA will offer its annual Martin Luther King Day lineup of nationally-televised games, including NBA TV’s Charlotte Hornets-New York Knicks and Utah Jazz-Los Angeles Lakers games and TNT’s Chicago Bulls-Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks contests.

CBS and CBSSN on Sunday will offer the Professional Bull Riders' Tractor Supply invitational event. 

ESPN will continue its live coverage of the Australian Open tennis tournament on Sunday and Monday.■ 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.