NBC Sports Network will launch a new highlight-driven morning show next month.
Presumably in an effort to compete with the morning edition of ‘SportsCenter’ on ESPN, NBC Sports Network will premiere ‘The ‘Lights’ — a 20-minute morning show devoted solely to highlights.
The show, which will launch August 13 at 7 AM ET, will focus exclusively on highlights. There will be no anchors, no set, and presumably no analysts. The only on-air presence will be a unnamed person providing voiceovers.
With ‘SportsCenter’ frequently showcasing anchors’ schtick, analysts’ bluster, and recurring features, ‘The ‘Lights’ highlights-only approach could give it an outside chance of becoming a viable alternative.
Of course, it is far more likely that instead of competing with ESPN, ‘The ‘Lights’ debuts in obscurity and fades out of existence by December. Dating back more than a decade, there has not been a single successful ‘SportsCenter’ competitor — and that is not for lack of trying.
‘The ‘Lights’ will re-air over the course of a two-hour period, but can be “updated as necessary.”
(Tuesday’s news from NBC Sports Group press release)
