FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS MORE THAN 18 HOURS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND COLLEGE HOCKEY LIVE-EVENT COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND

NO. 17 STANFORD AT NO. 7 NOTRE DAME HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR COLLEGE SPORTS WEEKEND ON NBC & NBC SPORTS NETWORK Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and Hines Ward Take College Football Studio Show On-Site to Notre Dame Stadium for First Time NBC Sports Live Extra to Live Stream Notre Dame–Stanford Online, and on Mobile & Tablet Apps NFL Films-Produced Special Onward Notre Dame: South Bend to Soldier Field Airs Prior to Notre Dame-Stanford on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC Brown at Princeton at Noon ET & Fresno State at No. 22 Boise State at 3:30 p.m. ET, both Saturday on NBC Sports Network *** NBC Sports Network Kicks Off 2012-2013 College Hockey Season Friday Night Dave Strader and Pierre McGuire to Call Ice Breaker Tournament

NEW YORK – October 9, 2012 – NBC and NBC Sports Network will air more than 18 hours of live-event college football and college hockey coverage this weekend, highlighted by No. 7 Notre Dame hosting No. 17 Stanford from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. For the first time, NBC Sports’ college football studio show featuring Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and Hines Ward will go on the road and broadcast on-site from Notre Dame Stadium. In addition to the live-event and studio programming, a special NFL Films-produced behind-the-scenes look at Notre Dame Football, Onward Notre Dame: South Bend to Soldier Field, will air prior to Notre Dame-Stanford at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

The weekend includes two additional college football games as well as the season debut of NBC Sports Network’s college hockey coverage. Veteran NHL commentators Dave Strader and Pierre McGuire will be on-site Friday and Saturday in Kansas City, Mo., to call the Ice Breaker Tournament, which features Notre Dame, Maine, Army and Nebraska-Omaha.

This weekend’s college sports schedule on NBC and NBC Sports Network (all times ET):

Date Time Teams Network
Fri., Oct. 12 7 p.m. Ice Breaker Tournament: Notre Dame vs. Maine NBC Sports Network
10 p.m. Ice Breaker Tournament: Army vs. Nebraska-Omaha NBC Sports Network
Sat., Oct. 13 Noon Brown at Princeton NBC Sports Network
2:30 p.m. Onward Notre Dame: South Bend to Soldier Field NBC
3:30 p.m. Stanford at Notre Dame NBC
3:30 p.m. Fresno State at Boise State NBC Sports Network
7 p.m. Notre Dame Postgame Show NBC Sports Network
7:30 p.m. Ice Breaker Tournament: FINAL NBC Sports Network

Following is a look at this week’s college sports action on NBC and NBC Sports Network:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL ON NBC: NBC continues its coverage of Notre Dame Football with the undefeated Fighting Irish (5-0) taking on the Stanford Cardinal (4-1) at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Veteran NBC announcer Tom Hammond will manage the play-by-play duties and will be joined in the booth by analyst Mike Mayock. Alex Flanagan will report from the sideline.

For the first time, NBC Sports’ college football studio team of Liam McHugh, 1984 Heisman Trophy Winner Doug Flutie, and two-time Super Bowl champion Hines Ward will report on-site from Notre Dame Stadium with pre-game and halftime commentary on NBC. A postgame show will air at 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

In addition, the team will begin reports on site from Notre Dame on Friday during NBC SportsTalk on NBC Sports Network and will continue with intermission reports during the Ice Breaker college hockey tournament that includes Notre Dame (see below). On Saturday, the on-site studio will air content during both NBC Sports Network college football games (see below).

ONWARD NOTRE DAME: SOUTH BEND TO SOLDIER FIELD: The special, produced by NFL Films, will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and features exclusive access as head coach Brian Kelly prepares the Notre Dame Football team for the Shamrock Series showdown in Chicago against Miami in an off-site home game from Soldier Field. It’s an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the Fighting Irish.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA ONLINE & APP: NBC Sports Live Extra will live streamall of NBC’s Notre Dame games on NBCSports.com and on the new app for mobile devices and tablets. NBC Sports Live Extra online will feature a simulcast of the broadcast feed in full HD quality plus one additional online-only bonus camera. The video player will include picture-in-picture capability and full DVR functionality, allowing the user to pause the live video and even review plays in “slo-mo.”

Sideline reporter Alex Flanagan will provide live in-game tweets. Additionally, fans can watch in-game highlights, live coverage of the Notre Dame and visiting teams’ bands at halftime, as well as a live postgame footage that will include head coach Brian Kelly’s press conference.

NOTRE DAME VIEWERSHIP: Through three games this season, viewership of NBC’s coverage of Notre Dame Football is up 45% vs. last year (4.2 million vs. 2.9 million). Primetime coverage of Miami-Notre Dame from Soldier Field this past Saturday night was watched by 3.7 million viewers, up 131% vs. last year’s third game on NBC (Air Force, 1.6 million) and up 76% vs. last year’s second Notre Dame primetime game on NBC (Maryland at FedExField, 2.1 million).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK: NBC Sports Network’s college football coverage begins at Noon ET on Saturday with Princeton hosting Brown. Both teams are coming off of victories. Randy Moss will handle the play-by-play with analyst Ross Tucker. Carolyn Manno will report from the sideline at Princeton Stadium in Princeton, N.J.

College football continues at 3:30 p.m. ET when No. 22 Boise State hosts Fresno State with Boise State running off four consecutive wins while Fresno State stands at 4-2. Paul Burmeister will call the play-by-play, alongside analyst Rod Woodson. Anthony Herron will serve as sideline reporter from Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

COLLEGE HOCKEY ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK:On Friday, NBC Sports Network launches its coverage of the 2012-2013 NCAA hockey season with live coverage of the 16th annual Ice Breaker Tournament from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The tournament features some of the nation’s top teams from different conferences beginning with No. 10 Notre Dame vs. Maine at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Army taking on Nebraska-Omaha at 10 p.m. ET. On Saturday, NBC Sports Network will air the Ice Breaker Tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Veteran NBC Sports Group NHL commentators will call the action with Dave Strader handling play-by-play and Pierre McGuire serving as ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst. Each game will include intermission reports from NBC Sports’ college football studio team of McHugh, Flutie and Ward from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Intermissions during the Notre Dame-Maine game will include interviews by McHugh with Notre Dame coaches Brian Kelly, on the eve of the Stanford game, and basketball head coach Mike Brey, as he prepares his team for the season.