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ESPN’S PRIMETIME RETURNS, SORT OF
Posted by Mike Florio on August 20, 2008, 10:41 a.m.
Two years ago, when NBC assumed the Sunday night football package and ESPN upgraded (or, as the case may be, downgraded) to Monday nights, NBC also finagled the ability to have the only extensive early evening highlights show.
The effort, awkwardly dubbed “Football Night In America” and staffed with (at last count) 63 talking heads, has fallen short thus far of ESPN’s old “Primetime” show, which featured three things: highlights and Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.
We’re told that, during a Tuesday ESPN media breakfast that we were invited to attend but couldn’t (A.J. Daulerio of ******** has a great recap of the event), it was announced that Berman and Jackson, as of the start of the NFL season, will take over the Sunday evening SportsCenter, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The show will include NFL game highlights, but not the extensive packages available to NBC. However, it will be Berman and Jackson (and also Merril Hoge, Mike Ditka and probably Trent Dilfer) offering up their analysis of the games.
Though we wonder whether the apparent intent to conjure a Primetime Light might get the folks at NBC a bit nervous about whether their turf is being invaded, we love this move. For two reasons.
First, we missed Primetime. We suspect many others did, too.
Second, the presence of Primetime Light will likely force NBC to roll up its sleeves and try to make its own show better.
In the end, the viewers win.
Posted by Mike Florio on August 20, 2008, 10:41 a.m.
Two years ago, when NBC assumed the Sunday night football package and ESPN upgraded (or, as the case may be, downgraded) to Monday nights, NBC also finagled the ability to have the only extensive early evening highlights show.
The effort, awkwardly dubbed “Football Night In America” and staffed with (at last count) 63 talking heads, has fallen short thus far of ESPN’s old “Primetime” show, which featured three things: highlights and Chris Berman and Tom Jackson.
We’re told that, during a Tuesday ESPN media breakfast that we were invited to attend but couldn’t (A.J. Daulerio of ******** has a great recap of the event), it was announced that Berman and Jackson, as of the start of the NFL season, will take over the Sunday evening SportsCenter, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The show will include NFL game highlights, but not the extensive packages available to NBC. However, it will be Berman and Jackson (and also Merril Hoge, Mike Ditka and probably Trent Dilfer) offering up their analysis of the games.
Though we wonder whether the apparent intent to conjure a Primetime Light might get the folks at NBC a bit nervous about whether their turf is being invaded, we love this move. For two reasons.
First, we missed Primetime. We suspect many others did, too.
Second, the presence of Primetime Light will likely force NBC to roll up its sleeves and try to make its own show better.
In the end, the viewers win.
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