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Albert gets NFL play-by-play slot at CBS

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Marv Albert will call NFL games for CBS this fall, filling the slot vacated by Gus Johnson's exit. Albert joins son Kenny as a network voice of NFL telecasts. Kenny Albert does games for Fox. Currently the lead play-by-play voice for TNT's NBA coverage, Marv Albert has called NFL games in the past for NBC Sports and Westwood One's Monday night radio broadcasts. He was also the onetime radio voice of the New York Giants. As part of TNT's deal with CBS to share coverage of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament, Albert appeared on CBS this spring doing regional telecasts alongside TNT color man Steve Kerr. "Marv Albert is recognized throughout sports broadcasting as one of its true legends," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said in a statement. "Very few in the broadcasting industry can claim his combined accomplishments and remarkable longevity. We are extremely excited to add … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pro football, Television Tagged With: ,

DirecTV cuts price of full Sunday Ticket offerings

August 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

DirecTV finally has done something about its annual fall gouging of pro football fans. This fall the satellite TV giant is delivering a "brawnier NFL package" for $300, with the pricey extras from a second tier rolled in at no additional cost. Some longtime DirectTV subscribers are reporting deeper discounting via friendly customer service reps. DirecTV in recent years made the most of its monopoly on multimarket NFL broadcasts. You paid $300 for the package and then extra for high definition and the various SuperFan options ($99) and liked it -- or not. "We've made every NFL Sunday Ticket customer a 'superfan' this year by rolling in HD, Game Mix, RedZone and Short Cuts to the package at no extra charge, taking (Sunday Ticket) to another level," said DirecTV's content guy Derek Chang. Access on cell phones, other mobile devices and computers still will bring a $50 charge. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pro football, Satellite TV Tagged With: ,

ESPN 3D looking for a hit at MLB’s Home Run Derby

March 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ESPN 3D's team gets its first at-bat with coverage of the Home Run Derby on July 12, a day before Fox 3Ds the Major League Baseball All-Star game. The July 12 derby will be ESPN 3D's first production, but not its first broadcast. The Worldwide Leader's spinoff channel kicks off June 11 with the 2010 FIFA World Cup's first match, between South Africa and Mexico. 3DHollywood.net broke the story about the ESPN 3D baseball coverage. "It’s fitting that we launch ESPN 3D's domestic programming from Angel Stadium of Anaheim, which was the site for the launch of ESPN HD back on March 30, 2003," said Bryan Burns of ESPN business development. Upcoming events on ESPN 3D include: The BCS championship game on Jan. 11. Next year's Big East Tournament. The ACC's football championship game on Dec. 4 The summer X Games. ESPN 3D's Home Run Derby coverage will see the new channel … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Baseball, Television Tagged With: ,

NBC’s Olympics coverage torched on social nets

March 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Add to the long list of Olympics traditions the biennial bashing of NBC -- for its soft, dumb and needlessly delayed Games coverage. Not much changed in the 2010 Games, including NBC's bizarre refusal to service sports fans with meaningful online video coverage in real time. The social media outfit Crimson Hexagon used "sentiment analysis" to break down the complaints about NBC coverage, based on user generated content found online. Starting with the worst:   Not enough sports -- 20 percent The tape delay -- 19 percent NBC's overall suckiness -- 13 percent Bad online and mobile offerings -- 12 percent Various beefs -- 12 percent The commentators -- 9 percent. Those happy with NBC's coverage added up to 15 percent. Meanwhile, the sentiment on Twitter pretty much confirms those results. Based on Tweets over the 12 days of Olympic coverage, almost … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Olympics, Television Tagged With: ,

SNY voices don’t mince words about Minaya meltdown

July 29, 2009 By 1 Comment

Kudos to the New York Mets TV broadcast team for not shying away from the controversy surrounding general manager Omar Minaya's attack of a New York Daily News reporter at a press conference Monday. SNY's Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling each dealt with the meltdown head on, with Cohen opining that Minaya's remarks "only caused [the Mets] greater embarrassment." In announcing the firing of vice president of player development Tony Bernazard, Minaya, pictured, went off on beat writer Adam Rubin by claiming Rubin had been campaigning for a job in the team's front office. Rubin had broken several stories about recent incidents involving Bernazard, including physical intimidation of minor league players and a confrontation with team closer Francisco Rodriguez. Said Darling, "I would have liked it if the mea culpa thing that what (Minaya) did was wrong against Adam Rubin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Baseball, Television Tagged With: ,

Kubek living Hall of Fame life outside of baseball

July 27, 2009 By 1 Comment

Tony Kubek's induction Sunday into Major League's Baseball Hall of Fame was a homecoming of sorts for the former New York Yankee shortstop and longtime TV announcer. After 37 years in the bigs that included three championships, three all-star nods and a Rookie of the Year honor, Kubek got out and didn't look back. The call to Cooperstown last December put his name back on the sports pages and to those who connected with the game while listening to Kubek and Curt Gowdy on NBC's "Game of the Week," this was a surprising but welcome development. As the New York Post's Kevin Kernan wrote in a column earlier this year, Kubek, now 73, and his wife Margaret work with about 5,000 Hmong immigrants living in the Appleton, Wis., area. He teaches English to Hmong and Latinos and assists them with their everyday needs. At the time the article was written, Kubek hadn't watched a baseball … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Baseball, Television Tagged With: ,

Going long: NFL Draft becomes a miniseries

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

We love the NFL Draft. We really do. But three days worth? The league announced plans to begin the annual college meat market on a Thursday (April 22) in primetime by making the first round a self-contained event. Rounds two and three will take place the next evening while the remaining rounds will play out on Saturday. The NFL noted the first round lasted just under 3 1/2 hours in 2009. "Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a release. ESPN and NFL Network will televise the draft from New York's Radio City Music Hall. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pro football, Television Tagged With: , ,

Gatti-Ward trilogy HBO’s tribute to fallen warrior

July 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Boxing fans owe it to themselves to tune in to HBO tonight and/or tomorrow for another look at the classic junior welterweight trilogy between the late Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward. HBO televised 21 Gatti fights between 1995 and 2007 and while most of them were entertaining, the Ward fights were nothing short of epic. It was in these three wars that both fighters solidified their reputations as among the toughest in the business. The rebroadcasts are HBO's way of remembering Gatti, who was murdered a week ago in Brazil. His wife, Amanda Rodrigues, is being held on accusations she killed Gatti by strangling him with a purse strap while he was in a drunken sleep. She has maintained her innocence. Gatti, 37, will be buried Monday in his native Montreal. HBO will air the three Gatti-Ward bouts consecutively at 9 p.m. ET/PT tonight on HBO2 and at 10:15 p.m. Saturday on HBO. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Boxing, Television Tagged With: , ,

Federer-Roddick marathon ratings bonanza for NBC

July 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The marathon Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick is the second-highest rated since 2000. NBC said Monday that the 4 hour, 16 minute match drew a 4.2 overnight rating and 12 share. Only 2008's epic Federer-Rafael Nadal final had a higher rating in the last eight years, according to the Associated Press. Federer won the fifth set 16-14 on Sunday to set the record for most Grand Slam singles titles in men's tennis history. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Television, Tennis Tagged With: , , ,

Bruins, Flyers reportedly set for Fenway Classic

June 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

TSN.com is reporting that next year's NHL Winter Classic will originate from Boston's Fenway Park and feature the hometown Bruins against the Philadelphia Flyers. Quoting the Trentonian newspaper in New Jersey, TSN.com said the league pushed for the Washington Capitals and superstar sniper Alexander Ovechkin to be included in the annual outdoor match-up on New Year's Day, but NBC — the U.S. network that broadcasts the game — wanted the Flyers for better ratings. There have been rumors the NHL may add a second game on Jan. 1 pitting the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium, home of the CFL's Calgary Stampeders. The TSN.com report made no mention of a second game. The 2010 edition will mark the third annual Winter Classic. The first was played in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo while this year's event was staged at Chicago's Wrigley Field. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hockey, Television Tagged With: , ,
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