FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 19th, 2019

NATHAN CHEN STARS IN NBC SPORTS’ LIVE COVERAGE OF WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS, STARTING TONIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS GOLD

30+ Hours of Live Event Programming Across NBC Sports Platforms; TV Coverage Begins Tomorrow, Wed., March 20 at Noon ET on NBCSN

2018 U.S. Champion Bradie Tennell Headlines U.S. Team in Ladies’ Free Skate Friday at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Nathan Chen Highlights Men’s Free Skate Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Live Coverage of all Events Available on NBC Sports Gold’s “Figure Skating Pass”

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 19, 2019 – 2018 world champion Nathan Chen headlines NBC Sports’ 30+ hours of live coverage of the World Figure Skating Championships this week in Saitama, Japan.

Live coverage on NBC Sports Gold’s “Figure Skating Pass” begins tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET with the pairs’ short program. TV coverage begins with the ladies’ short tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20 at 12 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC presents coverage of the ladies’ and men’s free programs on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by an encore show on Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m. ET.

As defending world champion, Chen highlights the men’s field in the final competition of the 2018-19 figure skating season and aims to become the first American man to win back-to-back world titles since Scott Hamilton (1981-1984). He is undefeated in his last five outings, including his third straight U.S. title in January, the Grand Prix Final and two Grand Prix events in the fall. Chen aims to complete his undefeated season while facing off against two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.

At the top of the ladies’ field, 2018 Olympic champion Alina Zagitova from Russia is expected to challenge home crowd favorite Rika Kihira of Japan, who beat Zagitova at the Grand Prix Final in December. From the U.S., Bradie Tennell and Mariah Bell return to the World Championships after finishing in second and third place, respectively, at the 2019 U.S. Championships in Detroit.

Olympic silver medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong from China seek their second world title in the pairs’ discipline, while France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron are favored to win the event for a fourth time in ice dance. U.S. Olympic ice dance teams Madison Hubbell/Zach Donohue and Madison Chock/Evan Bates are also expected to contend for spots on the podium.

On the NBC and NBCSN broadcasts, Terry Gannon handles play-by-play for all disciplines, joined by 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski and three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir on men’s, ladies’, and pairs’ programs. 2006 Olympic ice dance silver medalist Tanith White serves as analyst for the dance competition.

NBC Sports Gold will stream coverage live and on-demand, to desktops, mobile, tablets, and connected TV devices. “Figure Skating Pass” can be purchased for $59.99 by visiting NBCSportsGold.com.

“Figure Skating Pass” features content previously offered to subscribers on icenetwork.com, including live coverage of the U.S. Championships (junior and senior), ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, ISU World Championships, ISU Four Continents Championships, ISU European Championships and the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. Live offerings also include the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships (senior, junior and collegiate levels) and the U.S. Sectional Figure Skating Championships for both figure skating (senior and junior levels) and synchronized skating (senior, junior and collegiate levels). All live events, as well as the U.S. Regional Championships (junior and senior levels) and U.S. Synchronized Skating Sectional Championships (senior, junior and collegiate levels) will be available on-demand. Click here for more information.

The NBC Sports Gold app is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV V4, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, and online at NBCSportsGold.comNBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.

The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as

Following is the World Figure Skating Championships Broadcast Schedule on NBC and NBCSN (all times E.T. and subject to change):

DATE EVENT TIME (ET) NETWORK
Wed., Mar. 20 Ladies’ Short 12-2 p.m. NBCSN
Thurs., Mar. 21 Pairs’ Free 1-3 p.m. NBCSN
Thurs., Mar. 21 Men’s Short 3-5 p.m. NBCSN
Fri., Mar. 22 Rhythm Dance 7-9 p.m. NBCSN
Fri., Mar. 22 Ladies’ Free 9-11 p.m. NBCSN
Sat., Mar. 23 Men’s Free 1-3 p.m. NBCSN
Sat., Mar. 23 Ladies’ & Men’s Free 8-10 p.m. NBC
Sun., April 14 Encore 3-6 p.m. NBC

Following is the World Figure Skating Championships Streaming Schedule on NBC Sports Gold’s “Figure Skating Pass” (all times E.T. and subject to change):

DATE EVENT TIME (ET)
Tues., Mar. 19 Pairs’ Short (LIVE) 9:30 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 20 Ladies’ Short (LIVE) 2:05 a.m.
Wed., Mar. 20 Pairs’ Free (LIVE) 9:30 p.m.
Thurs., Mar. 21 Men’s Short (LIVE) 3 a.m.
Thurs., Mar. 21 Rhythm Dance (LIVE) 11 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 22 Ladies’ Free (LIVE) 4:30 a.m.
Fri., Mar. 22 Free Dance (LIVE) 11:30 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 23 Men’s Free (LIVE) 4:30 a.m.

 

– NBC SPORTS –