(All times ET)
The “Press Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box is a quick overview of upcoming program information and highlights from the NBC Sports Group Communications team. For live streaming information on NBCSports.com, and Golf Channel Live Extra, click here.
Friday, January 6th
2:30 p.m. on NBCSN - Aviva Premiership Rugby: Newcastle v. Bath
6 p.m. on Golf Channel - PGA Tour Golf: SBS Tournament of Champions
6:30 p.m. on NBCSN - Dakar Rally
7:30 p.m. on NBCSN - Notre Dame College Hockey: Michigan Tech @ Notre Dame
Saturday, January 7th
6 a.m. on NBCSN - FIS World Cup - Women’s Giant Slalom/Men’s Giant Slalom
10 a.m. on NBCSN - Aviva Premiership Rugby: Saracens v. Exeter
12 p.m. on NBCSN - Dakar Rally
12:30 p.m. on NBCSN - U.S. Army All-American Bowl Pre Show
1 p.m. on NBC - U.S. Army All-American Bowl
1 p.m. on NBCSN - College Basketball: UMass @ VCU
3 p.m. on NBCSN - College Basketball: St. Joe’s @ Fordham
4 p.m. on NBC - PGA Tour Golf: SBS Tournament of Champions
5 p.m. on NBCSN - College Basketball: George Mason @ St. Bonaventure
6 p.m. on Golf Channel - PGA Tour Golf: SBS Tournament of Champions
7 p.m. on NBCSN - Notre Dame College Hockey: Michigan @ Notre Dame
7:30 p.m. on NBC - Football Night in America
8:15 p.m. on NBC - NFL Wild Card Playoffs: Detroit Lions @ Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, January 8th
6 a.m. on NBCSN - FIS World Cup: Women’s Slalom/Men’s Slalom
10 a.m. on NBCSN - Aviva Premiership Rugby: Wasps v. Leicester
12 p.m. on NBCSN - College Basketball: Richmond @ George Washington
2 p.m. on NBCSN - College Basketball: Davidson @ St. Louis
3 p.m. on NBC - PGA Tour Golf: SBS Tournament of Champions
3 p.m. on Golf Channel - WEB.COM Tour: Bahamas Great Exuma Classic
5 p.m. on Golf Channel - PGA Tour Golf: SBS Tournament of Champions
6:30 p.m. on NBCSN - Dakar Rally
7 p.m. on NBCSN - NHL Live
8 p.m. on NBCSN - NHL: Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks
11:30 p.m. on NBCSN - NHL Sunday Shootout
NFL
NBC kicks off its NFL Playoff coverage this Saturday, Jan. 7, at 8:15 p.m. ET with an NFC Wild Card matchup, when the Seattle Seahawks (NFC West, 10-5-1) host the Detroit Lions (NFC North, 9-7) at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash. NBC’s NFL Wild Card coverage on Saturday begins at 7:30 p.m. ET with a special edition of Football Night In America.
Calling Lions-Seahawks are Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth. They will be joined by sideline reporters Michele Tafoya and Heather Cox.
Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, is hosted by Mike Tirico, who will report from CenturyLink Field. Dan Patrick will host from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., and will be joined by Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison and Mike Florio.
NHL
Highlighted by the iconic Winter and Centennial Classics on NBC to ring in the new year, NBC Sports Group is slated to present 25 hockey telecasts in 28 days – nearly one per day – to begin the 2017 calendar year.
This week’s NHL coverage is highlighted by the debut of Star Sundays this Sunday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the Minnesota Wild visit the Anaheim Ducks.
Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass analyst) call this week’s Ducks-Wild Star Sunday contest at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
Pre-game coverage on NHL Live begins one hour prior to this week’s games. Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappenwill anchor coverage throughout the week, joined by analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones,Jeremy Roenick, Brian Boucher, and Anson Carter.
College Basketball
NBCSN tips off its 2017 college basketball coverage with five Atlantic 10 men’s basketball games this weekend, highlighted by an A-10 tripleheader on Saturday, January 7, and A-10 doubleheader on Sunday, January 8.
Coverage begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, when VCU (12-3) hosts UMass (10-5) at the Siegel Center, in Richmond, Va. Mike Corey calls Saturday’s game alongside Ron Thompson.
The action continues at 3 p.m. ET, when defending A-10 men’s basketball champion Saint Joseph’s (7-6) takes on Fordham (6-9) at Rose Hill Gymnasium, in Bronx, N.Y. Rick Allen (play-by-play) and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (analyst) will call the matchup.
Saturday’s A-10 tripleheader on NBCSN will culminate at 5 p.m. ET, when George Mason (11-4) takes the court against St. Bonaventure (9-5) at the Reilly Center, in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Kenny Rice (play-by-play) and Blaine Fowler (analyst) will provide commentary.
The weekend of coverage wraps up at 2 p.m. ET, when Davidson (7-5) hits the court against Saint Louis (4-10), at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo. Todd Harris (play-by-play) and Dave Kaplan (analyst) will call the action.
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
NBC will air the 17th annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the nation’s premier high school football all-star game, this Saturday, Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. ET live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
NBC Sports Group’s coverage kicks off Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with a live pre-game show from the Alamodome.
Paul Burmeister will serve as play-by-play announcer for the game, as well as host of the pre-game show. Burmeister will be joined by analyst Anthony Herron, analyst Ross Tucker, and reporters Lewis Johnson and Marty Snider. Barton Simmons from 247Sports will serve as an analyst for the telecast, contributing information on prep players and collegiate team recruiting rankings.
Dakar Rally
NBCSN presents coverage of the world’s most challenging off-road endurance race during the next two weeks, when NBCSN begins its coverage of the 2017 Dakar Rally.
NBCSN will present coverage of all 12 stages of the race. NBC Sports Group’s lead F1 and IndyCar play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey will provide commentary throughout NBCSN’s Dakar Rally coverage, which concludes on Jan. 15.
GOLF
the PGA TOUR will stage its first event of the 2017 calendar year this week at the SBS Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama headline the winners-only event, which features a field of 32 players having earned a victory during the 2015-16 PGA TOUR season. Golf Channel will air early-round coverage on Thursday-Friday, Jan. 5-6, while NBC will provide weekend coverage on Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 7-8, leading into Golf Channel’s third and final round coverage in primetime. The Web.com Tour kicks off its 2017 season on Sunday, Jan. 8 with the inaugural Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. The event – which will conclude on Wednesday, Jan. 11 – is the first of two Web.com Tour events this month being staged in a Sunday-Wednesday competition format.