When you have up to four NBA and four NHL playoff games on one night, fans need a place to keep up with all the action. Both NBA TV and NHL Network have done an outstanding job keeping fans up to date on everything related to the playoffs. NBA TV carries some first-round playoff games while also complimenting the coverage on TNT and ESPN.
“We love to be part of the mix with TNT and ESPN,” said Albert “Scooter” Vertino, vice president of content for NBA Digital. “To carry playoff games is something we all love to do, but we always relish our other responsibilities. We have done our best to become the home for the true basketball fans. We give you highlights of all the games, quality analysis with guys like Greg Anthony, Kevin McHale, Chris Webber and plenty of great special guests who summarize an entire night of basketball. We also have all the post game press conferences, and of course we look at the games that will be coming up the next night, and since we are on the air until the last game is over we have that luxury.”
Meanwhile, the NHL Network gives viewers looks into games we don’t see because Versus doesn’t cover every Stanley Cup playoff game — something thankfully they will do next year under their new contract.
“We start things off Monday through Fridays at 4 p.m. with “NHL Live,” which is a program our fans know well as a radio show on Sirius-XM that we also air on the network,” said Bob Chesterman, vice president of programming. “We have improved the program by adding more video and really made it more TV friendly.”
The show “NHL on the Fly” has become the network’s signature program.
“We have become the home of the extended live look-ins, taking fans from game to game to give them the best live action,” Chesterman said.
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
