NBC soccer broadcaster Arlo White said of the differences between calling games in England and the U.S., "Information, for one. We don't get the starting lineups until every else gets them an hour before the game." He added, "The view that we get varies from ground to ground. You mentioned the handheld microphones -- every time I put one on Twitter people go bonkers about it. There are technical reasons why we do it. They trap the voice of the commentators and they cut put the peripheral sound of everyone around us. ... Aside from that, not a massive amount of difference. The booths in the facilities at MLS grounds are terrific. It’s a little more agricultural at Premier League grounds, but we are looked after brilliantly" (PHILLY.com, 11/7).
LADIES NIGHTS: In Hartford, John Altavilla notes for UConn women's basketball fans outside the SNY footprint, "all but the three CBS games can be viewed online at ESPN3, currently available to more than 85 million homes to fans who subscribe to the Internet." SNY last year offered a PPV streaming service "inside and outside the SNY footprint." That will "no longer be the case" (HARTFORD COURANT, 11/8).
AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME: VARIETY's Rick Kissell noted Fox Deportes, boosted in part by the World Series, "held off its rivals in October and has cemented its standing as the most popular Spanish-language sports network in America." The net remains ahead of both Univision Deportes and ESPN Deportes for the year to date. Fox Deportes for the month of October averaged 90,000 viewers in primetime, more than Univision Deportes (62,000) and ESPN Deportes (54,000). Fox Deportes' exclusive Spanish broadcast of the World Series averaged 215,000 total viewers and 135,000 adults 18-49, up 41% in both categories from '12 (VARIETY.com, 11/7).
