If you want to watch the first three U.S. men’s basketball games live during the Olympics, you will have to pay for Peacock. Plus: the most prestigious tennis tournament is staying put on ESPN for at least 14 more years; Apple is reportedly in early discussions for NFL Sunday Ticket.
NBC sets Olympic schedule, with early U.S. men’s hoops games on Peacock
NBC Sports announced its schedule for the planned Tokyo Summer Olympics on Friday, with coverage getting underway on NBCSN July 20 with a softball doubleheader of Japan-Australia and United States-Italy. NBCSN, USA and Olympic Channel are scheduled to carry softball and soccer games the following two days until the official Opening Ceremony on July 23.
Notably, each United States men’s basketball group play game is scheduled to air live exclusively on Peacock with only encore presentations on NBC and NBCSN. Peacock is set to air the team’s first game against France during a morning window on July 25, the second game against Iran in a late night window July 28 and the third game against the Czech Republic on the morning of July 31. Each game would then re-air on NBC the following afternoon and on NBCSN in primetime. It should be noted that while other sports will be available for free on Peacock, all men’s basketball games on the platform will only be available on the paid Peacock Premium tier.
The three USA women’s basketball group play games are scheduled to air live on USA — against Nigeria July 26, Japan July 29 and France August 1. [NBC Sports PR]
ESPN extends Wimbledon deal through 2035
ESPN announced Friday that it has reached a 12-year contract extension with the All England Club to continue televising Wimbledon through 2035. Its contract had been set to expire after the 2023 tournament.
Under the new deal, live Wimbledon coverage will return to broadcast television for the first time since 2011 with ABC carrying live play on the “middle Sunday” of the event. That will begin next season, two years ahead of the official commencement of the deal. On the streaming side, ESPN+ will continue to carry coverage of all 18 courts.
In addition to ESPN, Tennis Channel also renewed its deal to carry Wimbledon highlights through 2036. [ESPN PR 7.9, Tennis Channel 7.9]
Apple reportedly discussing Sunday Ticket
Apple is among several companies that have had discussions with the NFL about possibly acquiring NFL Sunday Ticket, The Information reported Friday. According to Deadline, the NFL approached Apple to gauge its interest in the rights and the company has yet to decide whether to “engage the idea in a meaningful way.”
A slew of digital media outlets have either expressed interest or been named as potential contenders for the Sunday Ticket package, most notably ESPN+ and Amazon Prime. The rights are currently held by AT&T’s DirecTV. According to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, the NFL has yet to officially begin negotiations. [The Information 7.9, Deadline 7.9, Ourand/SBJ 7.9]
