NBC Sports Announces Premier League Coverage Details For U.S. Viewers

NBC announced their overall broadcast plans for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League as coverage switches from Fox Soccer to the NBC Universal family.  The coverage will include all 380 matches, live coverage of Championship Sunday, and more than 600 hours of original and weekly studio programming on NBC Sports.  All matches will be presented live with pre- and post-game coverage and can be streamed on NBC Sports Extra Live. This is the first time access to all matches will be available. 

April 6, 2013; Commerce City, CO, USA; NBC soccer color analyst Kyle Martino before the match between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids at Dick

The matches not shown on NBC Universal channels will be available at no extra charge to customers who already have the NBC Sports Network on overflow channels.  A portion of the original programming will include Premier League 36 that follows players for 36 hours leading up to a match.  This programming is used for NBC’s NHL and open wheel racing programming as well.  Premier League Goal Zone, a 30 minute program on Sunday showcasing all goals, will also be a staple of NBC Universal’s coverage.  What will they do on those weekends where the scoring is absent?

NBC paid $250 million for three years worth of rights to the Barclays Premier League and is on the verge of unprecedented coverage.  This will be good for fans in the U.S. that are not fans of the current top teams.  Squads not normally found on television will be there for your viewing pleasure.  They may even be available on the NBC Sports Live Extra app for your tablets or smartphones.  Check out the full press release below.

Are you excited by the news?  Any concerns?

Watch this space tomorrow for thoughts on how this may affect Major League Soccer coverage by NBC.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S 2013-14 PREMIER LEAGUE PROGRAMMING PLANS

Live Multi-Platform Coverage of All 380 Matches

Matches to Air Live on NBC, NBC Sports Network, Telemundo, Mun2, Premier League Extra Time, NBC Sports Live Extra and Other NBCUniversal Channels

All 10 Matches on Championship Sunday – May 11, 2014 – Available Live on an NBCUniversal Television Channel

More than 600 Hours of Original and Weekly Studio Programming on NBC Sports Network

New York – April 16, 2013 – All 380 games of the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season will be presented live on NBC Sports Group’s television and digital properties as well as other NBCUniversal channels. NBC Sports Group’s schedule, which begins on Saturday, August 17, includes live matches on NBC, NBC Sports Network, Telemundo, Mun2, the Premier League Extra Time package of overflow television channels, the NBC Sports Live Extra website and app, and other NBCUniversal channels including CNBC and USA.

As previously announced in October 2012, NBCUniversal, via the NBC Sports Group, acquired the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Premier League through a multi-year agreement that begins with the 2013-14 season. Per the agreement, NBCUniversal becomes the exclusive English- and Spanish-language media rights holder to all 380 Barclays Premier League matches across all media platforms and devices in the United States.

Details of the 2013-2014 NBC Sports Group Premier League programming include:

• All 380 matches presented live on television with studio pre- and post-game coverage;
• All 380 matches streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra;
• Games not aired on a designated NBCUniversal channel will be made available to distributors via Premier League Extra Time, a package of overflow television channels available at no extra cost for each of their customers who receives NBC Sports Network;
• Championship Sunday – May 11, 2014, when all 10 Premier League matches will be available live on a different NBCUniversal channel;
• 76 Spanish-language telecasts, 10 on Telemundo, 66 on Mun2;
• More than 600 hours of Premier League original programming.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: Every Barclays Premier League match will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra, the NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktop, mobile and tablets and, in most cases, on the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, telco and other video subscription services. The vast majority of Barclays Premier League matches will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of these services.

NBC Sports Live Extra provides a primary and second screen experience across mobile, tablet and desktop, delivering high quality video, match/player stats and video highlights while aggregating Premier League content from social media.

PREMIER LEAGUE EXTRA TIME: All games not aired on a designated NBCUniversal channel will be made available to distributors on Premier League Extra Time, a package of overflow television channels available at no extra cost for each of their customers who receives NBC Sports Network.

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY: The biggest day on the Premier League schedule is the last day of the season when all 20 teams play at the same time. NBCUniversal will present each match of Championship Sunday live across a host of NBCU channels, including NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA, MSNBC, E! and more.

STUDIO AND ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING: NBC Sports Network will present more than 600 hours each year of studio and original programming surrounding Premier League. Shows include:

• Premier League Countdown – A preview of the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season;
• Premier League Download – With the help of a number of high-profile celebrity supporters, comedians and journalists, Premier League Download will explore what it is that’s so intensely loved – and loathed – about England’s topflight league. Long-time supporters will enjoy the lively commentary, while new fans will learn the language of the only league that matters;
• Premier League 36 – NBC Sports Network’s acclaimed 36 series that follows athletes for the 36 hours leading up to a game/match/race comes to the Premier League;
• Premier League Goal Zone – A 30-minute program airing after the matches on Sunday with highlights of all the goals scored on Saturday and Sunday;
• Game Cut-Downs – On Monday nights, NBCSN will present a two-hour show featuring cut-down versions of the Manchester United and Manchester City matches. On Tuesdays, a two-hour program will feature the Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham matches;
• Match of the Day – A two-hour show featuring extended highlights with the natural calls of every game on Saturday. This show is modeled after the highly-regarded BBC show of the same name. Match of the Day will re-air on Sunday mornings;
• Match of the Day 2 – A 90-minute show featuring extended highlights with the natural calls of every game on Sunday. This show is modeled after the BBC show of the same name;
• Match of the Week – On Sunday nights, NBCSN will re-air the best match of the weekend in its entirety;
• Barclays Premier League World – A weekly magazine show produced by Premier League;
• Barclays Premier League Preview – A weekly show produced by Premier League that previews the upcoming week’s matches;
• Barclays Premier League Review – A weekly show produced by Premier League that recaps all the matches from the past week.

GAMES BY PLATFORM (Subject to Change)
NBC 20
NBCSN 154
Premier League Extra Time 184
Telemundo/Mun2 76
Other NBCU Channels 22
NBC Sports Live Extra 380

TYPICAL WEEKLY PROGRAMMING GRID (All games live; All times ET)
Saturday Sunday Monday/Midweek
7 a.m. – NBCSN 8 a.m. – NBCSN 2:30 p.m. – NBCSN
10 a.m. – NBCSN 11 a.m. – NBCSN/Telemundo
12:30 p.m. – NBC

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com (http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com)