ESPN is reportedly going with Mike Greenberg as its NFL Draft host. Plus: not much NBA on ABC in the second half of the season; the Paralympics is set for primetime exposure on NBC; and more.
Greeny gets NFL Draft gig, per NYP
ESPN “Get Up!” host Mike Greenberg will anchor the network’s NFL Draft coverage starting this year, the New York Post reported Thursday, filling the vacancy left by ex-ESPN anchor Trey Wingo. Greenberg, who from 2007-09 called the back half of ESPN’s annual Week 1 Monday Night Football doubleheader, has held no previous role on ESPN’s NFL studio roster.
Per the report, Greenberg is scheduled to work only the first two nights of the draft. [NYP 2.25]
Few NBA games on ABC in second half schedule
The second half of the NBA regular season schedule, which was announced Wednesday, includes just five additional games on ABC. After this weekend, when it is scheduled for a pair of games, the broadcast network is not scheduled to air another game until Lakers-Clippers on April 4 — a layoff of more than a month. If all games are played as scheduled, ABC will end up having carried 15 for the season, the minimum under ESPN’s contract with the NBA.
With ABC mostly absent, ESPN is scheduled to ramp up its weekend NBA offerings with eight weekend afternoon games in April and May. That includes back-to-back daytime doubleheaders on April 24 and 25. [NBA]
NBC to air some Paralympics in primetime
NBC Sports announced this week that it plans to air some Tokyo Paralympics coverage in primetime on the NBC broadcast network, a first for the event. Per the Associated Press, NBC’s primetime windows will total four hours spread over multiple nights.
In addition, NBCSN is scheduled to air live coverage of the Paralympics daily from 9 PM-9 AM ET. The NBC streaming service Peacock is also scheduled to carry portions of the event, including the medal round of the basketball and volleyball competitions.
The 1,200 total hours of Paralympics coverage compares to 70 hours five years ago and six back in 2012. The Paralympics is scheduled to take place from August 24-September 5. [NBC Sports PR]
Plus: Gannon, Women’s Frozen Four, Inside the NFL/NBA
CBS Sports has parted ways with NFL analyst Rich Gannon, the New York Post reported this week. … ESPN announced that it has reached a multi-year agreement to carry the Women’s Frozen Four, with ESPNU set to carry a semifinal and the national championship of this year’s event. … Showtime’s Inside the NFL is moving to the CBS streaming service Paramount+, it was announced this week. … The four-part TNT Inside the NBA documentary “The Inside Story” is now scheduled to run on consecutive nights over All-Star weekend from March 4-7. It was originally scheduled to air during last year’s Western Conference Finals before the season was halted. [NYP 2.22, ESPN PR 2.23, Awful Announcing 2.24, Turner Sports PR]
