Evidently pleased with the results of last year’s experiment, the NFL is adding more early morning London games next season. Meanwhile, ESPN/ABC have eliminated two NBA telecast windows to avoid airing the Knicks, and publication of a memoir by late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott has been moved up.
NFL: Sunday Morning Football (9:30 AM ET Oct. 4, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1)
- The NFL has announced that all three of next year’s London games will kick off at 9:30 AM ET. The three games — Jets/Dolphins on October 4, Bills/Jaguars on October 25, and Lions/Chiefs on November 1 — will air nationally as part of an NFL quadrupleheader. The league experimented with the 9:30 AM ET timeslot this past season, with Lions/Falcons delivering a 5.5 rating and 8.5 million viewers on FOX. (Pro Football Talk)
NBA: No game scheduled (2 PM ET Feb. 1, 1 PM ET Feb. 22)
- In an unusual move, ESPN/ABC has opted to eliminate NBA telecast windows on February 1 and February 22 rather than televise the New York Knicks. ESPN was scheduled to air Lakers/Knicks as a Super Bowl Sunday matinee, but dumped the game in favor of Thunder/Lakers on March 1 — a game had been previously dropped by ABC. The move came weeks after ABC swapped Cavaliers/Knicks on February 22 with Rockets/Wizards on March 29, a game that will air opposite the NCAA Tournament. (ESPN Media Zone)
“Every Day I Fight” (March 10)
- Publication of a memoir by the late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott has been moved up to March 10 from a previously scheduled May release. Titled Every Day I Fight, the book will chronicle Scott’s seven-year battle against cancer as well as his upbringing and career success. (Publishers Weekly)
