ESPN Sports Saturday Coming to ABC Saturday Afternoons Starting April 3, 2010

[Pavan]

ESPN Sports Saturday is coming to ABC Saturday afternoons (4-6pm ET/2-4pm PT) starting Saturday, April 3, 2010, which includes a new series titled Winning Bracket at 5pm ET/3pm PT:

ABC to Debut ESPN Sports Saturday Block April 3

Two-Hour Window Comprised of New Series and Popular ESPN Franchises


ESPN Sports Saturday, a new block of sports programming on ABC, will launch Saturday, April 3, from 4-6 p.m. ET, it was announced by John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content. The two-hour window will consist of a new 60-minute, highlight-driven series entitled Winners Bracket and a mix of some of ESPN’s most distinctive offerings, including films from the acclaimed 30 for 30 documentary series, episodes of the ESPN’s award-winning newsmagazine E:60 and installments of the interview-focused Homecoming with Rick Reilly.

ESPN Sports Saturday will generally be featured Saturdays from 4-6 p.m. April through mid-August before returning for another round of shows December 2010 through August 2011. For certain weeks as schedule dictates, ESPN Sports Saturday may be less than two hours.


“ESPN Sports Saturday is a creative way to mix more high quality sports product with ABC’s strong live event lineup,” Skipper said. "Winners Bracket will review the sports week using a fresh and fun approach, while some of the very best ESPN series will provide an extremely compelling companion.”

Bill Hoffman, vice president, general manager, WSB-TV in Atlanta and the chair of the sports committee for the ABC Affiliate Board of Governors commented, "We are excited about this brand new sports offering from such a trusted brand. This program comes as a result of great creative thinking and collaboration between the ABC Board and ESPN."


ESPN Sports Saturday

The two-hour block, anchored by ESPN SportsCenter’s Hannah Storm, will generally begin with a 60-minute episode of one of the three ESPN series at 4:00 p.m. followed by the all-new hour-long Winners Bracket at 5:00 p.m. Storm will guide viewers throughout, with comments from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios. Additionally, during the last portion of the block, local ABC affiliates will have the opportunity to insert a short, local update to promote upcoming programming.


April 3 and 10 Programming

For the first two weeks of ESPN Sports Saturday, new episodes of different ESPN shows will make their debut in the block’s first hour. Coinciding with the start of the Final Four on April 3, the television debut of the 30 for 30 film, Guru of Go, a documentary about the incredible run of Loyola Marymount’s men’s basketball team and the tragic death of star Hank Gathers, airs at 4 p.m. ET and will be followed by the premiere of new series Winners Bracket at 5 p.m. ET.
The following week (April 10) – the first full weekend of the MLB season -- a new episode of Homecoming with Rick Reilly featuring Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer wil air at 4 p.m. ETl lead into Winners Bracket at 5 p.m. ET


About Winners Bracket

This new, 60-minute series, hosted from Bristol, Conn., by ESPN SportsNation co-host Michelle Beadle and ESPN contributor and former NFL star Marcellus Wiley, will debate and recap the week in sports in a bracket-style format. Frequent appearances and perspective from ESPN’s experts in various sports will be a regular part of the show. Each episode will include highlights, analysis and discussion of the biggest newsmakers and stories from the world of sports, culminating with the determination of the bracket champion.

From great performances to record-setting moments to unforgettable quotes, the 16 biggest newsmakers of the week will be pitted against each other in seeded brackets. For each round, the debate will be framed through highlights, comments from ESPN analysts and perspective from the hosts.

Other elements planned for Winners Bracket include segments on a collection of athlete and coach sound bytes, a taste of that week in sports history, a countdown of the 20 “lowlights” from the week and a look at athletes that fans would have expected to see in the bracket but missed.


Other Series on ESPN Sports Sunday:
30 for 30, E:60, Homecoming with Rick Reilly

Inspired by ESPN's 30th anniversary this past year, ESPN Films launched 30 for 30, an unprecedented documentary series featuring 30 of today's finest storytellers who chronicle 30 remarkable stories from the ESPN era. Each storyteller brings their passion and point of view to his/her film detailing the issues and events that transformed the sports landscape since 1979.

E:60 is ESPN’s first multi-subject, prime-time news magazine program offering a combination of investigative features, profiles of intriguing sports personalities, and cutting edge stories on innovation in the sports world, including emerging sports and new technology. The series focuses on life stories that relate or have a basis in sports, melding its stories with a glimpse of the reporters’ experiences – discussing the story idea with producers, creating storylines and shooting the interviews. By turning the camera on the story subjects and reporters, the program gives the viewer a unique behind-the-scenes look at television storytelling.

Homecoming with Rick Reilly challenges that old adage "you can't go home again." Hosted by 11-time Sportswriter of the Year Rick Reilly, the show features a one-on-one interview with a prominent athlete. Reilly brings his unique style of storytelling to the series set in the athletes’ hometown or formative place surrounded by friends and family they’ve known throughout their life.


Existing ESPN on ABC Programming

In addition to the new ESPN Sports Saturday, ESPN on ABC offers a variety of top quality live event programming. Among the offerings are NBA regular-season and playoffs, including The Finals, World Cup soccer, NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Indianapolis 500, SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals and championship, Belmont Stakes, Little League World Series and Saturday Night Football, the only weekly primetime college football series on broadcast television.

[Marvo301]

This is a nice opportunity for those of us who don't hace accsess to ESPN but do have access to ABC to see some of ESPN's programming.

[TVFactFan]

since hannah storm is involved I won't be interested

[Pavan]

She is just the host you'll see in commercial breaks...

[Seinatra]

I would take Hannah Storm over Rick Reilly. I don't like him on TV at all, he should stick to writing.

[TMC]

You got to do something better than this ABC/ESPN! Talk about putting a small band-aid on a deep gash!

[Pavan]

Well TMC, now they will have something no matter what every Saturday. Whether it be sports or this new ESPN block programming. CBS, NBC and Fox don't have sports every Saturday and when they don't have sports, they air local programming or even paid programming.

See the schedule: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...postcount=1139

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Pavan

Well TMC, now they will have something no matter what every Saturday. Whether it be sports or this new ESPN block programming. CBS, NBC and Fox don't have sports every Saturday and when they don't have sports, they air local programming or even paid programming.

See the schedule: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...postcount=1139

What ESPN is doing as a "response" is incredibly condescending. Lets see, a repeat of ESPN programming (a la ABC's current Saturday morning line-up, which is little more than reruns of live-action Disney Channel shows) and a weakly put together Sports Nation knock off. It doesn't take being a genius to understand that what the affiliates meant was they want the big-time sports properties that ESPN has poached from ABC (i.e. the NBA, NFL, college football, PGA, NASCAR, etc.). But of course, Disney is terrified that they can't make more money on broadcast television, so they'll take things exclusively to cable. Roone Arledge must be rolling over in his grave right now!

All that ESPN is doing in order to "placate" ABC affiliates (it doesn't matter how much ABC is being affected, as long as Disney is able to make money, and ESPN continues to hold a monopoly) is produce a weekly 2-hour show, whose primary purpose is either to promote future ESPN programming or re-air old ESPN programming? In essence, the whole "ESPN on ABC" concept to begin with is a glorified infomercial for the ESPN cable channel. It's no different than whenever premium cable channels like Showtime has their annual "free preview" weekends.