Seen on Screen: Fox Sports To Celebrate 25th MLB Season; ESPN Releases WNBA Schedule at IMG Academy

Seen on Screen: Fox Sports To Celebrate 25th MLB Season; ESPN Releases WNBA Schedule at IMG Academy By SVG Staff

Tuesday, July 14, 2020 - 10:00 am

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Seen on Screen provides a roundup of the current sports programming landscape as networks deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In this week's edition, major networks like NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN are combating the silence of no live sports with previously-released, taped, or archival content. Many networks have also continued producing live studio content - often with on-air talent located remotely.

Fox Sports returns to the field as America's Home for Baseball with the release of its complete regular season broadcast lineup. As it celebrates its 25th season, the network continues to connect fans to the Major League Baseball's marquee events and biggest moments, including its 23rd year as the exclusive home of the World Series.

The network opens its season on Saturday, July 25 with its first-ever quadruple-header. The daylong marathon begins with pregame coverage at 12:30 PM ET, bringing fans expert analysis and up-to-the-minute news from around the league. Game coverage starts at 1:00 PM ET as the Milwaukee Brewers head to Wrigley Field to face the Chicago Cubs. An in-state rivalry matchup between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers follows at 4:00 PM ET, and the New York Yankees and reigning champion Washington Nationals complete the opening slate on Fox at 7:00 PM ET. Rounding out Fox Sports' Opening Day, the San Diego Padres welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks at 9:00 PM ET on FS1.

The network's regular season lineup is highlighted by a collaboration with MLB, bringing the 1989 Oscar nominee Field of Dreams to life. On Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7:00 PM ET on Fox and Fox Deportes, the Chicago White Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals, in the first-of-its-kind event, on the Dyersville, Iowa farm site where the classic film was shot. A special edition of the network's highly acclaimed pregame show begins at 6:00 PM ET on FS1 before shifting to Fox at 6:30 PM ET. Additional details around the event will be announced at a later date.

Highlighted by 22 total games on broadcast, regionalized action on Fox begins Thursday, July 30 with a pair of games featuring the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets in addition to the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins at 7:00 PM ET.

The network will announce its full regular season slate, inclusive of all FS1 and Fox Deportes matchups, Postseason schedule and on-air talent lineup at a later date.

Click HERE for a full schedule

ESPN's WNBA schedule will open on July 25, with a doubleheader featuring No. 1 draft pick Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty vs. legend Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm at noon ET on ESPN, followed by Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks vs. Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury at 3 p.m. on ABC. Opening weekend continues on Sunday, July 26, with another double-header featuring Connecticut Sun vs. Minnesota Lynx at Noon, on ESPN, and Chicago Sky vs. Las Vegas Aces at 3 p.m., on ABC.

The full slate will feature at least 24 games across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. All games will also be available in the ESPN App.

Additional Highlights of the More than 20-game schedule include:

Reigning WNBA Champions Washington Mystics on July 30, August 7, and August 13

Bird and the Seattle Storm set to appear on July 25, July 30, August 4, August 6, August 8, and August 10.

AP, Citizen Naismith & ESPN.com Player of the Year and No. 1 draft pick Sabrina Ionescu with the New York Liberty make four appearances across regular season schedule.

ESPN commentators will call the games remotely from ESPN's Bristol, Conn. campus. Booth teams include:

Play-by-Play Ryan Ruocco and Analyst Rebecca Lobo

Play-by-Play Pam Ward and Analyst LaChina Robinson

ESPN's sideline star Holly Rowe will also participate in game coverage, providing insight and storytelling around various games.

There will be the typical six to eight cameras showcasing a multitude of angles on each game, with the use of some robotic cameras implemented to accommodate health and safety protocols related to social distancing. Other production elements will include live coach's mics and player mics in select games.

Click HERE for the full schedule

NBC Sports' full Premier League match and studio coverage this Wednesday, July 15 will be presented free to all fans on Peacock - NBCUniversal's new streaming service - as part of its national launch celebration that day.

On July 15, Peacock will be the exclusive home for all free NBC Sports' Premier League coverage featuring four matches - including newly-crowned champions Liverpool visiting Arsenal at 3:15 p.m. ET - and the full complement of studio programming including prematch, halftime and postgame. In addition, NBC Sports' six hours of coverage, beginning at Noon ET, on July 15 will be presented without commercial interruption.

In addition, Peacock will present more than 175 exclusive Premier League matches on Peacock Premium in the 2020-21 season, and in total, more than 1,500 hours of Premier League live match and shoulder programming - the most robust offering ever available in the U.S. Included are full-event replays for all 380 matches on-demand (after 9 p.m. ET). All content presented on NBC Sports Gold's Premier League Pass will shift exclusively to Peacock Premium with the start of the 2020-21 Premier League season

NBC Sports Group and the Premier Lacrosse League jointly announced the media schedule for the PLL Championship Series, a two-week quarantined and fanless tournament taking place at Zions Bank Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, from July 25 - August 9.

Throughout the first week of the PLL Championship Series, the league&

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/07/14/seen-on-screen-fox-sports-to-ce...
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