ESPN Announces Coverage for U.S. Open

Here’s a release from the fine PR department at ESPN outlining the network’s coverage for the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black this week. It’s a long release. By the way, for those of you who will be working, ESPN’s online coverage will only be available at ESPN360.com and not at usopen.com as in the past.

ESPN to Provide Over 87 Hours of 2009 U.S. Open Coverage

Live Coverage of First and Second Rounds

ESPN360.com Live Broadband Coverage Integrated on ESPN.com

Jason Sobel Live Online Blog Throughout the Championship

Rick Reilly Essays and Commentary in ESPN Coverage

ESPN will provide comprehensive multi-platform coverage of the 2009 U.S. Open Championship from Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., including live telecasts of the first two rounds on ESPN on Thursday and Friday, June 18-19. Additionally, there will be coverage of the national championship across 15 multimedia platforms: ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN International, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com (international and domestic), ESPNDeportes.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN VOD, Interactive Television (ITV) and ESPN Mobile TV.

ESPN will deliver 87 hours of U.S. Open programming across its television networks and digital platforms, including 14 hours of live first- and second-round action (10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET and 5 – 7 p.m. each day on ESPN), SportsCenter at the U.S. Open preview and highlight shows, plus The Best of the U.S. Open, which airs in primetime (8-11 p.m.) Thursday and Friday and re-airs of the third and final rounds over the weekend. All telecasts will be in high definition.

Chris Berman, who has covered the U.S. Open on ESPN since 1986, and Mike Tirico will host ESPN’s live coverage Thursday and Friday. Curtis Strange and Andy North, both two-time U.S. Open Champions, will serve as analysts alongside Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch; along with hole announcers Terry Gannon, Gary Koch, Bob Murphy, Karl Ravech, Mark Rolfing and Scott Van Pelt and on-course reporters Bill Kratzert, Dottie Pepper and Judy Rankin. North and Scott Van Pelt will anchor SportsCenter reports from Bethpage. Tom Rinaldi and Jimmy Roberts will contribute interviews and reports and ESPN The Magazine columnist Rick Reilly will provide essays and commentaries.

Among the features planned in ESPN’s television coverage:

• Rocco Mediate: One-year after his U.S. Open Playoff loss to Tiger Woods

• A Look Back at 2008 U.S. Open

• First tee jitters

• How to perform in New York City

• Aaron Stewart: Payne Stewart’s son, 10 years after Payne’s win at Pinehurst

• North’s Notes: Andy North on Bethpage Black

2009 U.S. Open Telecast Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Telecast	Network
Tue., June 16	2-3 p.m.	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN	Live
Wed., June 17	2-3 p.m.	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN	Live
Thu., June 18	10 a.m.-3 p.m.	U.S. Open Championship – First Round (Part I)	ESPN ESPN Deportes ESPN360.com ESPN Mobile TV	Live
	5-7 p.m.	U.S. Open Championship – First Round (Part II)	ESPN ESPN360.com ESPN Mobile TV	Live
	8-11 p.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist (First Round)	ESPN ESPN Mobile TV	Tape
	11-12 MID	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN2	Tape
	11 p.m.-2 a.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist (First Round)	ESPN Mobile TV	Tape
Fri., June 19	2:30-5:30 a.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist (First Round)	ESPN2	Tape
	10 a.m.-3 p.m.	U.S. Open Championship – Second Round (Part I)	ESPN ESPN Deportes ESPN360.com ESPN Mobile TV	Live
	5-7 p.m.	U.S. Open Championship – Second Round (Part II)	ESPN ESPN360.com ESPN Mobile TV	Live
	8-11 p.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist (First Round)	ESPN	Tape
Sat., June 20	12 MID-1 a.m.	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN2	Tape
	12 MID-3:00 a.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist (First Round)	ESPN Mobile TV	Tape
	3-6 a.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open Presented by Titleist (First Round)	ESPN	Tape
	1-2 p.m.	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN ESPN Mobile TV	Live
Sun., June 21	12 MID-1 a.m	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN	Tape
	3-6 a.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open (Third Round)	ESPN	Tape
	12:30-1:30 p.m.	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN ESPN Mobile TV	Live
Mon., June 21	12 MID-1 a.m.	SportsCenter Presented by IBM at the U.S. Open	ESPN	Live
	1-5 a.m.	The Best of the U.S. Open (Final Round)	ESPN2	Tape

ESPN360.com

The U.S. Open will mark the first time that ESPN.com will integrate ESPN360.com live streaming directly into the site’s front page main engagement area. When ESPN360.com’s live coverage of the begins Thursday, fans who have access to ESPN360.com through their high speed Internet Service Provider will see a live video tab in the main engagement area. They can click the “watch live” button and the live streaming coverage will appear in the video window.

A mock up of the ESPN360.com integration can be seen here: http://espnmediasource.com/rs/?c=1219&k=5a8b5fb299. Fans, who do not currently have access to ESPN360.com, will see ESPN.com exactly as they always have.

Live ESPN360.com coverage includes:

• Live online simulcast of ESPN’s First and Second Round television coverage
• Live coverage of all groups from Bethpage Black’s signature Par 3 17th hole (from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. both days)
• Live coverage from the driving range, press conferences and interviews
• Archival channel of classic U.S. Open Championship highlights
• Archival channel of the 2002 U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage Black

ESPN.com

Covering the 2009 U.S. Open from all angles, ESPN.com will provide:

• Jason Sobel’s popular daily live blog throughout the championship;
• Columns from featured writers Jason Sobel, Gene Wojciechowski and Bob Harig;
• Interactive leaderboard and live scores;
• A golf-themed fantasy game titled Best Ball Majors, U.S. Edition, the second installment of the ESPN Best Ball Challenge;
• Live video look-ins of the U.S. Open from the telecast throughout the day;
• Bethpage Black EA flyovers with voiceover by Tiger Woods;
• Video content, including highlights, analysis, clips from SportsCenter and press conferences;
• Photo galleries;
• Podcasts;
• Live chats; and
• SportsNation polling.

Interactive Television (ITV)

Enhanced HD Mix Channel programming with four different screens available during ESPN’s telecast through DirecTV (channels 701-705):

• ESPN live network coverage of the first and second rounds
• Marquee group coverage: featuring the Woods, Harrington, Cabrera and Mickelson, Goosen, Els, groups on Thursday and Friday.
• Live Par 3 coverage of the 17th hole, including commentary from SportsCenter anchors Trey Wingo and John Anderson, among others
• Players in Depth: A deeper look at the Championship, featuring live coverage from the practice range, press conferences, interviews and more

Mobile Properties

• Live mobile video simulcasts of ESPN’s First and Second Round telecasts (available via Verizon’s V Cast Mobile TV service)
• ESPN Mobile Web will feature “Tigercast” in the Hot Corner; a detailed breakdown of each of Tiger Woods’ rounds as well as leaderboard alerts
• U.S. Open leaderboard
• U.S. Open Insider content, news, and columns
• Scoring alerts for top players
• Leaderboard updates
• Video shot packs of select golfers
• In-depth mobile content through ESPN MVP – available on Verizon Wireless – and through ESPN’s WAP site across wireless carriers

ESPN CLASSIC

To get fans ready, ESPN Classic will feature a twelve-hour U.S. Open tribute beginning Sunday, June 14, at 11 a.m. On Wednesday, June 17, – the eve of the 2009 U.S. Open – ESPN Classic will replay the historic 2008 U.S. Open playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate at 8 p.m.

ESPN VOD

Video-on-demand content will be available to select cable providers (including Verizon, one of the largest providers) and accessed on over 7.6 million set-top-boxes. It includes 30 minute clips from recent U.S. Open Championships, including 2002 at Bethpage Black.

ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio will air live updates and timely interviews throughout the U.S. Open. ESPN 1050-AM New York will be live from Bethpage Black from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. with Brandon Tierney on Saturday, June 13, and Ian O’Connor on Saturday and Sunday, June 21-22. Tierney will also host his show on Thursday, June 18 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the U.S. Open viewing party from Grand Central Station in New York City.

ESPN International:
ESPN International will televise more than 24 hours of live U.S. Open coverage to viewers in Latin America and more than 30 live hours in the Caribbean, Middle East & Northern Africa, Israel, Canada (TSN) and Asia (ESPN Star Sports). Combined, the programming will reach more than 218 million homes outside the U.S. In addition, U.S. Open Classic golf films will air on ESPN’s network in the Middle East & Northern Africa. ESPN’s telecast in Latin America will feature the Spanish-language announce team of Silvia Bertolaccini and Francisco Aleman; in Brazil, Marco Rodrigues and Ricardo Melo will call this event in Portuguese. Fans in Latin America will also be able to follow ESPN’s live simulcast television coverage, the 17th – Par 3 Hole and press conferences via ESPN360 platforms, plus full editorial coverage on ESPNdeportes.com.

ESPN Deportes:

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language network in the U.S., will televise more than 10 hours: Thursday, June 18, and Friday, June 19, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Siliva Bertolaccini will host with a 14-year veteran of the LPGA Tour, analyst Francisco Aleman with John Sutcliffe providing reports for the field. In addition, ESPNdeportes.com will provide real time leaderboard, an Ask ESPN feature giving fans the opportunity to submit the questions to be answered on-air, news and a daily column by Aleman. The site will also feature a daily blog and exclusive video following each round by Sutcliffe.

ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 U.S. Open playoff was the most-viewed golf telecast in cable TV history (4.2 household rating, 4,055,000 household impressions, 4,762,000 viewers).

That’s it for this release. Links coming up.