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ESPN MidWeek – December 16, 2009

Posted by Editor • December 16, 2009 • Printer-friendly

MNF

College Sports

 

 

 

MNF

Monday Night Football: Eli Manning and N.Y. Giants at Washington Redskins

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com 

Next week’s MNF game will be an NFC East matchup, as Eli Manning and the New York Giants continue their push for a playoff spot with a visit to Jason Campbell and the Washington Redskins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN HD. It’s the sixth time the NFC East rivals have met on Monday night (Giants lead 3-2). Mike Tirico (play-by-play) and analysts Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski will call the game with reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya. Álvaro Martin (play-by-play) and Raúl Allegre (analyst) will call the Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes with reporter John Sutcliffe.

ESPN’s “game around the game” coverage will include NFL Live at 3:30 p.m. and continue throughout the day with SportsCenter Monday Kickoff at 6 p.m. and Monday Night Countdown at 7 p.m., hosted by Chris Berman with analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Stuart Scott, Matt Millen and Steve Young will be on site.

Cardinals-49ers Wins the Night Among All Networks in Key Male Demos

contact: bill.hofheimer@espn.com 

The San Francisco 49ers’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football Dec. 14 earned a 9.6 rating (an average of 9,529,000 households and 13,077,000 viewers – P2+). As it has each week this season, MNF led the night’s programs (broadcast or cable) in all key male demos, as well as people 18-34. MNF’s rating is up 17% vs. 2008 with cable’s 14 biggest audiences of 2009 among households and viewers. To view the entire release, click here.

 

Special Saturday Edition of Sunday NFL Countdown to Preview Cowboys-Saints;
Berman Interviews Patriots WR Wes Welker on Sunday 

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com

ESPN will preview the Dallas Cowboys-New Orleans Saints game with a special 30-minute edition of Sunday NFL Countdown Saturday, Dec. 19, at 11:30 a.m., with host Chris Berman and analysts Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson and Keyshawn Johnson in studio. Reporters Ed Werder (Cowboys) and Michael Smith (Saints) will report from the game on Countdown and on the postgame SportsCenter at 11:30 p.m., which will include NFL analysts Trent Dilfer and Merril Hoge reviewing this key NFC game.

ESPN’s regularly scheduled Sunday NFL Countdown on Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. will include a sit-down interview with Berman and New England Patriots All-Pro wide receiver Wes Welker, as well as a feature by Rachel Nichols on Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and his involvement in the Baltimore community.

 

COLLEGE SPORTS, SUBSCRIBER SURVEY & More
College Football: Capital One Bowl Week Kicks off with New Mexico Bowl

contact: jenny.zimmerman@espn.com or michael.c.humes@espn.com

Capital One Bowl Week, one of ESPN’s most-viewed weeks of the year, begins Saturday, Dec. 19, with the New Mexico Bowl live from Albuquerque, featuring Fresno State vs. Wyoming at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN, followed by the St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in prime time, at 8 p.m., with UCF vs. Rutgers. Overall, ESPN will present 30 bowl games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Radio, ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV. ESPN and ESPN2 will televise 24 bowl games, highlighted by from Dec. 19-Jan. 2. ESPN Radio will broadcast 19 bowl games, including all five BCS matchups.

 Capital One Bowl Week Schedule through Dec. 22

Date Time (ET) Game Network
Sat, Dec 19 4:30 p.m. New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. WyomingTV: Terry Gannon & David NorrieRadio: Carter Blackburn & Charles Arbuckle ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio
  8 p.m. St. Petersburg Bowl: UCF vs. RutgersTV: Mark Jones, Bob Davie & Rob StoneRadio: Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio
Sun, Dec 20 8:15 p.m. R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Middle TennesseeTV: Dave Lamont & J.C. PearsonRadio: Clay Matvick & David Diaz-Infante ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio
Tue, Dec 22 8 p.m. MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: No. 18 Oregon Statevs. No. 14 BYURece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May & Quint Kessenich ESPN / ESPN360.com

Conference Call: Todd McShay on the Bowl Season and 2010 NFL Draft

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com 

ESPN Scouts Inc. director of college football scouting Todd McShay will participate in a conference call on Monday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m. to preview the college football bowl season and offer a first look at the 2010 NFL Draft. To Participate: 913-905-3226 (Confirmation Code: 2488133).  

 

ESPN, ESPN2 & Disney Channel Earn Top Marks in Cable Subscriber Survey

contact: colleen.s.lynch@espn.com

In Beta Research Corp.’s annual survey of cable subscribers, ESPN, ESPN2 and Disney Channel ranked first, second and third, respectively, as the top three networks for perceived value among all respondents. This is the fourth year in a row in which ESPN has been ranked in the top spot among all subscribers. It is the sixth consecutive year in which Disney Channel has been No. 1 in satisfaction among subscribers with kids age 11 and younger.

Other highlights from this year’s survey:

  • ESPN and ESPN2 ranked 1-2 for perceived value among male network viewers 18+.
  • 42% of all network viewers ranked ESPN first as their favorite network for the fourth consecutive year.  ESPN also ranked first among men 18+ for total unaided mentions.
  • ESPN and ESPN2 ranked first and second, respectively, in programming quality among male viewers of each network.  
  • For the sixth consecutive year Disney Channel was No. 1 in satisfaction among subscribers with kids age 11 and under, and for the second consecutive year the popular channel topped the list in perceived value among that group.

 

ESPNU Rings in 2010 with Record Number of Live Events

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

In January, ESPNU – now in more than 65 million households – will televise its most-ever live events in a month with 106, accounting for more than 200 hours of programming. The January schedule includes 95 men’s and women’s college basketball games, highlighted by:

  • Men’s action: Notre Dame at No. 14 Connecticut on Jan. 2 at noon; No. 10 North Carolina at College of Charleston on Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.; and Texas A&M at No. 2 Texas on Jan. 16 at 6 p.m.
  • Among the women’s games, a Jan. 24 doubleheader has No. 24 West Virginia at No. 4 Notre Dame at 1 p.m. with No. 3 Tennessee at No. 5 LSU at 6 p.m.

 

ESPNU launched March 4, 2005. The 24-hour college sports network televises more than 550 live events annually, including college football, college basketball and Olympic sports from more than 25 Division I conferences, as well as premier high school content. The network also has a wide-ranging, long-term agreement with the NCAA for enhanced coverage of 22 NCAA Championships.  The network has long-term carriage agreements with nine of the top 10 providers – Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 614), DISH Network (Channel 148), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

 

Jamal Mashburn & Jimmy Dykes Return to Rupp Arena for Drexel at Kentucky on ESPNU

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

ESPN NBA analyst Jamal Mashburn and college analyst Jimmy Dykes will return Kentucky on Monday, Dec. 21, to call the Drexel at Kentucky men’s basketball game at 7 p.m. Mashburn ranked fourth among the Wildcats’ leading scorers and was a consensus First Team All-American while Dykes was an assistant coach at Kentucky after lettering for three years at Arkansas. They will work with play-by-play announcer Rob Stone and sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards. If the Wildcats remain undefeated, the game could be the program’s historic 2,000th victory. 

 

High School Basketball: Doubleheader on ESPN Thursday

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

ESPN will televise a doubleheader from the Old Spice High School Showcase on Thursday, Dec. 17.  At 7 p.m., No. 1 Findlay Prep (Nev.) will take on No. 13 Northland (Ohio) from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, followed by Waukegan (Ill.) vs. No. 24 Ames (Iowa) at 9 p.m. from Iowa State University. The games will feature three players from the ESPNU 100: No. 1 Harrison Barnes (Ames); No. 2 Jared Sullinger (Northland) and No. 17 Jereme Richmond (Waukegan). Bob Wischusen and Paul Biancardi will call the first game, and Jon Sciambi and Tim McCormick will handle the second telecast.  

 

International Challenge of Champions and Trick-Shot Billiards Tournament Sunday

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com 

On Sunday, Dec. 20, ESPN will have more than five hours of billiards action, beginning at 2:30 p.m. with the 18th International Challenge of Champions Billiards Tournament semifinal and final rounds from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The 10th annual Men’s Trick Shot billiards tournament will follow at 5:30 p.m. from the ESPN Zone in Las Vegas. (SPOILER ALERT: In the International Challenge of Champions tournament, Mike Immonen of Finland defeated Darren Appleton of England in the final match and was crowned the new “Champion of Champions” in a $25,000 winner-take-all event that took place Oct. 27. In the Trick Shot Magic tournament, Andy Segal defeated Sebastien Giumelli for the $10,000 top prize Sept. 17.)

 

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