NBC Sports "will have its entire on-air Premier League team on-location in the United Kingdom for games from April 11-13," providing "more than 18 hours" of EPL coverage across three days, according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. NBC said that there will be "dual on-site studios for pre-match, halftime and post-game shows, including pitch-side locations for the first time in the history of Premier League coverage in the U.S." NBC Sports Group Soccer Coordinating Producer Pierre Moossa said that the dates were chosen because it gave the network "an opportunity to be at three iconic Premier League ground over three days." He noted that the production from Liverpool "will be two days before the 26th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster." The net's full group "will be at the Turf Moor grounds on April 11" for Arsenal-Burnley, which airs at 12:30pm ET on NBC. The next day, NBC "will present seven hours of live coverage from Old Trafford including the Manchester Derby between Manchester United and Manchester City" at 11:00am on NBCSN. On April 13, the group "travels to Anfield" for Newcastle-Liverpool, where they "will be joined" by U.S. National Team and Everton G Tim Howard. Host Rebecca Lowe "will lead a rotating team of studio analysts from within the stadium," while Steve Bower and another team of analysts "will be pitch-side at a desk located just a few feet from the playing field" (SI.com, 3/22).
THREE CHEERS: EMPIREOFSOCCER.com's Dave Martinez cited sources within the NASL as saying that the league "is a breath away from expanding their presence on ESPN3." NASL "will take advantage of the limited broadcast capabilities of the majority of league clubs, streaming all home offering to the masses" throughout the '15 season. This "will be a compliment to the individual team’s current televised deals" (EMPIREOFSOCCER.com, 3/23).
