FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 22nd, 2013
NBC SPORTS GROUP’S PRESS PASS – WHAT TO WATCH MARCH 22, 2013
The “Press Pass” on the NBC Sports Group Press Box is a quick overview with upcoming program information and highlights from the Communications team. “The Pass” provides upcoming listings, and “The ‘Lights” details the programs.
THE PASS
Friday, March 22
Midnight on NBC Sports Network – F1: Malaysia Practice Re-Air
Saturday, March 23
4 a.m. on NBC Sports Network – F1: Malaysia Qualifying
Noon on NBC – World Figure Skating Championships
12:30 p.m. on Golf Channel – Arnold Palmer Invitational
1 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – F1: Malaysia Qualifying Re-Air
2 p.m. on NBC – Golf Central Live
2:30 p.m. on NBC – Arnold Palmer Invitational
2:30 p.m. on Golf Channel – Arnold Palmer Invitational Spotlight Coverage
2:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – IndyCar: St. Petersburg Qualifying
3:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – MLS: Columbus at D.C.
6 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – Road to the Kentucky Derby Preview
9:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – World Series of Fighting
Sunday, March 24
3:30 a.m. on NBC Sports Network – F1: Malaysia Grand Prix
6 a.m. on NBC Sports Network – F1 Extra
11 a.m. on NBC Sports Network – Indy Lights: Streets of St. Petersburg
Noon on NBC Sports Network – IndyCar: Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
2 p.m. – Golf Central Live
2:30 p.m. on NBC – Arnold Palmer Invitational
3 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – F1: Malaysia Grand Prix Re-Air
7 p.m. – NHL Live
7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – NHL: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
Monday, March 25
1 a.m. on NBC Sports Network – 2013 Rugby Sevens: Hong Kong
6 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – The Crossover
7 p.m. – NHL Live
8 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – NHL: Los Angeles at Chicago
11:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network – NHL Overtime
THE ‘LIGHTS
NBC Sports Network continues its live coverage of Formula One this weekend with the Malaysia Grand Prix airing at 3:30 a.m. ET on Sunday morning, March 24, followed by F1 Extra at 6 a.m. ET. Extensive coverage of the Malaysia Grand Prix includes practice on Friday, March 22 that will be re-aired at 11:30 p.m. ET, and live qualifying on Saturday, March 23 at 4 a.m. ET that will be re-aired at 1 p.m. ET.
Bob Varsha will fill in for Leigh Diffey, who is calling the IndyCar debut, and serve as lead announcer for this week’s Formula One race. Sharing the booth with Varsha will be former racecar driver David Hobbs and analyst Steve Matchett, a former race mechanic for the Benneton F1 team, including two years with seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher. Will Buxton, F1 insider and former journalist, will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from Malaysia. Diffey will return for the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, April 14.
FIS WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday’s FIS World Figure Skating Championships features highlights of men’s and ladies’ free skates.
Golf Channel will provide lead-in coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. NBC will deliver a combined seven hours of live tournament coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET each day.
Golf Channel and Golf Channel on NBC’s 18th tower broadcast teams will include Rich Lerner and Frank Nobilo (Golf Channel), and Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller (NBC). For telecasts on both networks, Gary Koch and Peter Jacobsen will report from tower positions, while Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing and Notah Begay will walk with the players on the course. Steve Sands will conduct player interviews. Jimmy Roberts’ signature essays will be highlighted during weekend coverage.
Spotlight coverage returns to Golf Channel featuring one of the best finishing three-hole stretches in golf – holes 16-18 at Bay Hill. Calling the action for Spotlight coverage will be Brian Hammons, joined by analyst Curt Byrum. Phil Parkin will be in a tower position and Phil Blackmar will report from the golf course. Todd Lewis will conduct post-round interviews
INDYCAR: HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the 2013 IZOD IndyCar series starts its engines this weekend with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 24 at noon ET, live from St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be preceded by the return of Firestone Indy Lights on the streets of St. Petersburg at 11 a.m. ET. IndyCar qualifying airs live at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 23.
NBC Sports Network’s new-look IndyCar booth makes its debut with Leigh Diffey as lead voice in his first year covering the IndyCar Series. He will be joined by returning race analyst and former NASCAR driver Wally Dallenbach, Jr., and newcomer to the booth, IndyCar driver Townsend Bell.
Jon Beekhuis, an analyst who has also served at the network since 2009, will now report from pit road. Veterans Kevin Lee and Brian Till will manage the pit, and will be joined by Robin Miller, the network’s IndyCar reporter.
NBC Sports Network continues its MLS coverage this weekend with an Eastern Conference matchup when D.C. United hosts the Columbus Crew Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports Group’s MLS announce team of Arlo White (play-by-play), Kyle Martino (‘Between-the-Benches’) and Russ Thaler (analyst) will host coverage from Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.
ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY PREVIEW
The Jockey Club, in collaboration with the NBC Sports Group, will kick off the Road to Kentucky Derby series with a 30-minute special previewing the Triple Crown season on Saturday, March 23, on the NBC Sports Network from 6 – 6:30 p.m. ET.
The special, produced by America’s Best Racing, will provide a comprehensive look at the top contenders for the 2013 Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands, as well as features on jockeys Gary Stevens and Rosie Napravnik, and the six recent college graduates who are now serving as “brand ambassadors” for America’s Best Racing.
World Series of Fighting (WSOF) returns to NBC Sports Network this Saturday, March 23, at 9:30 p.m. ET, the first show of a new multi-year partnership to deliver live, World Championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) programming.
The main event features heavyweights Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (19-9) of Minsk, Belarus, and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (15-3) of Boca Raton, Fla., at the Ovation Hall at Revel in Atlantic City, N.J. Arlovski, a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, comes off a five-fight winning streak as he faces Johnson in a heavyweight showdown.
In the co-feature bout, Tyson Nam (12-4) of Portland, Ore., takes on two-time national Muay Thai champion and Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Marlon Moraes (9-4) of Jupiter, Fla., via Friburgo, Brazil.
NBC Sports Network’s World Series of Fighting broadcast team of Todd Harris (play-by-play) and mixed martial artist Bas Rutten (analyst) will call the action. Tina Dixon will report from the cage.
NBC Sports Network’s NHL coverage will continue on Sunday, March 24 with a passionate in-state rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers (27pts) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (46pts) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a wild 5-4 victory for the Penguins. Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the action from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Monday, March 25, the league-leading Chicago Blackhawks (51pts), who started the season with a record-breaking 22-game point streak, will host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings (36pts) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the game from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
NHL studio programming throughout the 2013 season will originate from NBC Sports Group’s new, state-of-the-art International Broadcast Center located in Stamford, Conn. NHL Live, NBC Sports Network’s pregame show, will air prior to Sunday and Monday’s games at 7 p.m. ET.
NHL Overtime airs Monday night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. NHL Overtime is hosted by Bill Patrick and former NHL C Jeremy Roenick. NHL Overtime examines all NHL games played each night and features news, highlights, and analysis.
2013 RUGBY SEVENS
NBC Sports Network will continue its 2013 Rugby Sevens telecast season with two hours of coverage of the Hong Kong Sevens tournament this Monday at 1 a.m. ET, from Hong Kong Stadium in Hong Kong, China. Coverage will include full matches as well as highlights from the tournament.
The Hong Kong Sevens tournament is the sixth of nine stops on the 2012-13 HSBC Sevens World Series. One of the premier Rugby Sevens events in the world, the Hong Kong Sevens will feature the USA Eagles and 15 other national teams competing to gain points in the Sevens World Series standings.
Played on the same size field as traditional 15-player rugby, sevens rugby is played with just seven players per team. Matches have seven minute halves, with two minute intervals for pool and knock-out matches.
Veteran announcer Bill Seward will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the telecast. Seward will be joined in the booth by former USA Sevens captain and USA Rugby World Cup participant Brian Hightower.