Two ESPN Announcements

I have two ESPN press releases for you this morning.

The first one deals with a new college bowl game that will be played at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx this December. It’s called the Pinstripe Bowl.

ESPN to Televise Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium

ESPN has reached a multiyear agreement with the New York Yankees for exclusive national television and radio rights to the Pinstripe Bowl to debut this year and be played at Yankee Stadium. As part of the agreement, the post-season college football bowl game will be televised by ESPN, broadcast on ESPN Radio and can be simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV through the 2015 season.

The inaugural game will be played on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010.

The Pinstripe Bowl will pit the BIG EAST team with the third-best conference record against the Big 12 team with the sixth-best conference record after BCS selections. The contest will mark the first NCAA football bowl game in Bronx, N.Y., since the Gotham Bowl on Dec. 15, 1962, when Nebraska defeated Miami 36-34 at the original Yankee Stadium.

ESPN also recently announced a new long-term agreement with the Gator Bowl and multiyear extensions with the Capitol One Bowl and Outback Bowl for exclusive television rights for coverage across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 on January 1.

With the new agreements, ESPN now has exclusive rights to 32 of college football’s post-season bowl games, including all five BCS games highlighted by the BCS National Championship.

And the new slate of films in the “30 for 30” documentary series begins this week. I notice that one documentary will air on ABC.

Spring Schedule Update for ESPN Films’ Acclaimed ‘30 for 30’ Series

Film Added to Schedule to Premiere on ABC; Several Films Shift Air Date

ESPN Films and its acclaimed “30 for 30” series will return this spring with nine films from a star-studded filmmaker roster that includes Ice Cube, Steve James, Dan Klores, Brett Morgen and more.  The slate begins with a special presentation Sunday, March 14 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPNHD with Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks. The schedule continues with a special premiere presentation of Guru of Go on ABC Saturday, April 3, at 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The documentary, directed by Academy Award winner Bill Couturié, focuses on Paul Westhead’s unconventional fastbreak approach and how it turned tiny Loyola Marymount into an overnight sensation before the tragic death of star player Hank Gathers led to an inspirational run through the 1990 NCAA Tournament.

The “30 for 30” series schedule then gets underway again in its regular Tuesday slot on ESPN with No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson April 13 at 8 p.m., along with a special premiere of The Two Escobars June 21, 9 p.m. on ESPN Deportes and some additional schedule changes (in bold):

Each title in the “30 for 30” series will also be offered free on ESPN TV On Demand where available one week after the TV debut and will remain available to viewers for at least 30 days.

Ratings So Far

The December 12, 2009 airing of  Billy Corben’s The U, posted a 1.8 rating for an average of 1.8 million homes (2.368 M viewers, P2+) making it ESPN’s highest-rated documentary of all time (The Greatest Game Ever Played aired December 13, 2008, and earned a 1.4 rating – 1.369 million households, 1.811 M viewers). To date, the series’ first seven films earned an average 1.0 rating (1,007,000 homes, 1,258,000 viewers).

“30 for 30”
Other previously announced “30 for 30” projects are: Reggie Rock Bythewood (One Night in Vegas), Academy Award winner Alex Gibney (Steve Bartman: Catching Hell), Jonathan Hock (The Best That Never Was), Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine (Birth of Big Air), two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple (The House That George Built), Academy Award nominee Frank Marshall (Right to Play), Steve Michaels, Joel Surnow and Jonathan Koch (Charismatic), two-time NBA MVP and first-time filmmaker Steve Nash (Into the Wind), Academy Award nominee Ron Shelton (Jordan Rides the Bus) and two-time Academy Award nominee John Singleton (Marion Jones: Press Pause).
For information about the “30 for 30” project and ESPN Films, visit: ESPN Films.

That’s it for this post. I do have a few more press releases.

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