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ESPN FORMALLY RESURRECTS NFL PRIMETIME
Posted by Mike Florio on September 2, 2008, 1:09 p.m.
We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that ESPN plans to bring back its former Sunday night staple, NFL Primetime, sort of.
Since NBC now owns the exclusive rights to the extensive highlights packages shown on the show previously shown on ESPN, it won’t be the same thing.
But it should be enough to make things interesting.
ESPN has officially announced that Chris Berman and Tom Jackson will team up with John Saunders on the 7:00 p.m. EDT Sunday evening SportsCenter. Saunders presumably will handle the non-NFL news (as if there’s any that anyone will ever care about).
Since the show likely will be light on highlights, due to the contractual arrangement between the NFL and NBC, ESPN will fill the void with discussion segements, analysis, press conference excerpts, interviews, and post-game reports from ESPN correspondents covering the games.
Also, stats, injury reports, fantasy football data, and other relevant news will be shown graphically, with the main viewing screen compressed (and, for anyone watching in HDTV, that’s a good thing . . . unless you’re interested in trying to count the hairs on the top of Berman’s head).
Analysts like Trent Dilfer, Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge and Chris Mortensen will contribute to the show.
The effort is a direct assault against NBC’s Football Night in America (Even Though It’s Still Afternoon In California). We’ve been critical of the show in the past, for a variety of reasons. We’re somewhat encouraged by the reunion of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann at the highlight desk, but the size of the cast has made the whole thing feel clunky from Day One.
Hopefully, the competition from ESPN will force NBC to improve its product. If that happens, we all win.
Except for ABC, CBS, and FOX, but they can have one-hour shows as well. Really, does anyone under the age of 70 watch 60 Minutes anymore? (And the only reason they watch it is because the slate of reporters makes them feel young and spry.)
Posted by Mike Florio on September 2, 2008, 1:09 p.m.
We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that ESPN plans to bring back its former Sunday night staple, NFL Primetime, sort of.
Since NBC now owns the exclusive rights to the extensive highlights packages shown on the show previously shown on ESPN, it won’t be the same thing.
But it should be enough to make things interesting.
ESPN has officially announced that Chris Berman and Tom Jackson will team up with John Saunders on the 7:00 p.m. EDT Sunday evening SportsCenter. Saunders presumably will handle the non-NFL news (as if there’s any that anyone will ever care about).
Since the show likely will be light on highlights, due to the contractual arrangement between the NFL and NBC, ESPN will fill the void with discussion segements, analysis, press conference excerpts, interviews, and post-game reports from ESPN correspondents covering the games.
Also, stats, injury reports, fantasy football data, and other relevant news will be shown graphically, with the main viewing screen compressed (and, for anyone watching in HDTV, that’s a good thing . . . unless you’re interested in trying to count the hairs on the top of Berman’s head).
Analysts like Trent Dilfer, Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge and Chris Mortensen will contribute to the show.
The effort is a direct assault against NBC’s Football Night in America (Even Though It’s Still Afternoon In California). We’ve been critical of the show in the past, for a variety of reasons. We’re somewhat encouraged by the reunion of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann at the highlight desk, but the size of the cast has made the whole thing feel clunky from Day One.
Hopefully, the competition from ESPN will force NBC to improve its product. If that happens, we all win.
Except for ABC, CBS, and FOX, but they can have one-hour shows as well. Really, does anyone under the age of 70 watch 60 Minutes anymore? (And the only reason they watch it is because the slate of reporters makes them feel young and spry.)
