FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 18th, 2018

NBC SPORTS LAUNCHES “NBC SPORTS HISTORY”

New Website Chronicles Network’s Rich History by Showcasing Iconic Moments, Unprecedented Storytelling & Record Audiences

Television Home of the 1st MLB, NFL, NHL, Boxing & Tennis Broadcasts, New “NBC Sports History” Website Features Robust Multimedia Timeline

Digital Features Include Interviews with Vin Scully, Dick Enberg, Bob Costas & Dick Ebersol

Timeline Highlights Memorable Moments from Olympics, Super Bowls, Stanley Cup Finals, World Series, NBA Finals & More

STAMFORD, Conn. – December 18, 2018 – NBC Sports – the home to many of sports media’s first-ever game presentations on radio, television, and live streaming – today announced the launch of “NBC Sports History”, a multimedia digital timeline highlighting the most iconic and influential sports moments in the network’s nearly century-long history.

The interactive timeline illustrates marquee moments, legendary voices, and record audiences in NBC Sports’ lore, including the NFL’s “Greatest Game Ever Played” in 1958; Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals; Olympic performances by 23-time gold medalist Michael Phelps; the improbable World Series walk-offs by Mookie Wilson and Kirk Gibson; and NBC’s presentation of Super Bowl XLIX, the most-watched program in U.S. television history, among many others. It also looks back at many of the ubiquitous brands and programs that NBC Sports launched, including “MLB Game of the Week,” “Breakfast at Wimbledon,” NHL Live,” and “Sunday Night Football.”

“NBC Sports History” chronicles these moments and more through behind-the-scenes photos, archival videos, and exclusive, firsthand interviews from the iconic on-air commentators, producers and executives who covered and produced NBC Sports’ biggest events. Interviews include: Bob Costas, Vin Scully, Dick Enberg, Don Ohlmeyer, Dick Ebersol and more.

As a result of its pioneering ethos, the iconic moments in NBC Sports’ historic portfolio are overflowing and unforgettable, brought home to viewers by an unparalleled collection of legendary voices:  Marv Albert, Mel Allen, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya, Bud Collins, Costas, Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Mary Carillo, Enberg, Joe Garagiola, Curt Gowdy, John Madden, John McEnroe, Al Michaels, Johnny Miller, Scully, and many more.

“NBC Sports’ rich history dates back to the days of David Sarnoff and RCA more than 90 years ago, and now we have a place to house all of its great sports moments that have been ingrained into the collective memory,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Broadcasting & Sports, NBCUniversal.

The multimedia site also features a complete history of NBC Sports Group’s vast portfolio, which now consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Digital, NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer streaming service – and two transactional sport businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine.

The “NBC Sports History” site lives digitally at NBCSports.com/our-history.

Below is a look at some of the biggest events NBC Sports has presented:

  • Summer Olympics
  • Winter Olympics
  • Super Bowl
  • World Series
  • NBA Finals
  • Stanley Cup Final
  • Kentucky Derby
  • Triple Crown – American Pharoah & Justify
  • Preakness Stakes
  • Belmont Stakes
  • NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
  • Rose Bowl
  • Orange Bowl
  • Fiesta Bowl
  • Wimbledon
  • Tour de France
  • The Open
  • The Ryder Cup
  • S. Open
  • Premier League
  • Winter Classic

The following are highlights from “NBC Sports History”:

  • NBC begins rich baseball history with first MLB broadcast – Legendary announcer Red Barber calls the play-by-play of a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, N.Y., on W2XBS, signifying the first television broadcast of a Major League Baseball game.
  • The 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics – NBC broadcasts the first live Olympic Opening Ceremony, and the first live telecast of any kind from Japan to the U.S.
  • “Heidi Bowl” – New York Jets and Oakland Raiders fans are left hanging late in the fourth quarter of the game, as NBC interrupts the thrilling conclusion to the AFL game to air the children’s movie “Heidi.”
  • Vin Scully recounts his call of Dodgers’ dramatic World Series win – Vin Scully recounts his call of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics.
  • Notre Dame defeats Florida State in “Game of the Century” – In a game that truly lived up to the hype, the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeat the No. 1 Florida State Seminoles 31-24 in South Bend, dubbed as a “Game of the Century.”
  • NBC televises the first NHL Winter Classic – NBC televises the first NHL Winter Classic, an event created by NBC Sports’ President of Programming Jon Miller. The Buffalo Sabres face the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., marking the first outdoor regular-season professional hockey game in the U.S. Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby scores the game-winning shootout goal amidst steady snowfall.


ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP

NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, IndyCar and many more. In 2018, NBC Sports Group took part in presenting three of the biggest sporting events in the world: Super Bowl LII, the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, and the FIFA World Cup on the networks of Telemundo.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-