The first half of the NBA schedule has been released. Plus, FOX will send Monday’s Washington-Pittsburgh game to less than half of TV markets; the NHL has abandoned a January 1 start; Marv Albert plans to return to the NBA on TNT.
NBA releases schedule for first half of season
The NBA released the first half of its 2020-21 regular season schedule on Friday — available here — with ESPN, ABC and TNT currently scheduled to carry 85 games between December 22 and March 4. The season is set to begin with Warriors-Nets and Clippers-Lakers on TNT December 22, followed by a split-network doubleheader of Bucks-Celtics on TNT and Mavericks-Suns on ESPN the next night. The five-game Christmas Day slate is as previously reported.
Beyond the opening week, TNT and NBA TV are scheduled to combine for five Martin Luther King Day games on January 18, including Warriors-Lakers on TNT. ABC plans to begin its NBA Saturday Primetime slate with Lakers-Celtics on January 30 and would air Kevin Durant’s possible return to the Bay Area against the Warriors two weeks later.
The NBA plans to release the schedule for the second half of its season (March 11-May 16) around the time of the March 5 All-Star break. [ESPN PR 12.4, Turner Sports]
Washington-Pittsburgh going to only 45% of markets Monday
Monday’s Washington-Pittsburgh NFL makeup game is scheduled to air regionally on FOX in only 45% of markets, none of which will be in the Mountain or Pacific time zones, it was announced Friday. Markets receiving the game include New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas (additional cities are listed on the NFL TV schedule page). The game was originally scheduled to air as part of Sunday’s FOX singleheader but was pushed back when the Steelers’ previous game against Baltimore was delayed to this past Wednesday.
All previous makeup games this season, including those originally scheduled to air regionally, have aired nationally. [Fox Sports PR 12.4, 506 Sports 12.4]
NHL gives up on January 1 start, still in line for big TV deal
The NHL has abandoned plans to begin its season as soon as January 1 and is instead discussing a possible mid-January start with its players union, according to multiple reports. According to The Athletic and ESPN, the league is aiming for a 52-56 game schedule.
In other NHL news, Sports Business Journal reported this week that the league remains in line for a significant increase in rights fees in its next round of media rights negotiations, with NBC, ESPN, Fox and an unnamed streaming outlet reportedly showing interest. [The Athletic 12.4, ESPN.com 12.4, SBJ 12.2]
Albert returning to NBA on TNT
TNT NBA play-by-play voice Marv Albert plans to return to the broadcast booth this season calling games remotely from a New York studio, according to the New York Post. Albert elected to skip the NBA’s Walt Disney World “bubble” restart over the summer as he is in the age group at greatest risk of COVID-19. As noted by the Post, he is in the final year of his contract with Turner Sports. [NYP 12.3]
