Highlights June 2008
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (NBA)
The National Basketball Association (NBA) wraps another supercharged season with LIVE coverage on ESPN of the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics more than lived up to their early-season hype, becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth and claiming the Atlantic Division title. The teams battling the Celtics to win the Eastern Conference berth in the NBA Finals are as tough as they come, led by the 2004 champion Detroit Pistons, fired-up Orlando Magic, and sharp-shooting LeBron James, one of the league’s top scorers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Don’t miss coverage of the season’s crowning event, the NBA Finals, airing LIVE on ESPN in June. All games re-air same day in prime. Schedule:
June 2 June 6 June 9 June 11 June 13 June 16 June 18 June 20
*If necessary
AUS
10:30am 11:00am 11:00am 11:00am 11:00am 11:00am 11:00am 11:00am
LIVE coverage
NBA Conference Finals – Game 7* NBA Finals – Game 1 NBA Finals – Game 2 NBA Finals – Game 3 NBA Finals – Game 4 NBA Finals – Game 5* NBA Finals – Game 6* NBA Finals – Game 7*
Future stars of the NBA are in the spotlight with ESPN’s coverage of the 2008 NBA Draft airing LIVE June 27 from famed Madison Square Garden in New York City. Coverage includes the 2008 NBA Draft Preview Special on June 26, 12:00pm, followed on the 27th by the NBA Draft Preview Show at 9:00am and the main event, the 2008 NBA Draft beginning at 9:30am. All coverage airs LIVE. Catch NBA Action for team and player updates, breaking news, and highlights from the week’s best action. Program airs throughout the season on Fridays at 7:00pm with reairs on Saturday evenings at 7:30pm.
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (WNBA)
It promises to be another action-packed season, with Eastern favorites like the past champion Detroit Shock and tough Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun lighting up the court. Out West, look to the Storm, 2005 champion Sacramento Monarchs and the defending champion Phoenix Mercury to keep the heat turned up high all season. Coverage of the WNBA airs all season on ESPN. Schedule:
June 11 June 25
AUS
01:30pm 01:00pm
Host team shown first
Minnesota Lynx vs. Connecticut Sun San Antonio Silver Stars vs. Houston Comets
Games air on Short-turnaround
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER (MLS)
Major League Soccer (MLS) continues all month on ESPN, spotlighting football action from the top professional league in the U.S. Mid-month features a rematch of MLS Cup 2007 as the defending champion Houston Dynamo – led by Canadian midfield star Dwayne De Rosario – host the New England Revolution, home to top-scorer Taylor Twellman. The 2007 championship game was itself a repeat of 2006, and the Dynamo’s most recent win made them the first back-to-back champions since D.C. United in 1996 & ’97. Also on the field this month are the New York Red Bulls – a leading rival to New England and D.C. United in the East – taking on Chivas USA. Along with FC Dallas, Chivas is once again expected to be a tough rival to Houston in the West. Late month features a familiar headline-maker in action as England’s David Beckham leads the Los Angeles Galaxy against D.C. United, always one of the league’s hottest teams. ESPN presents coverage of Major League Soccer throughout the season. Schedule:
June 6 June 13 June 20 June 27 June 30
AUS
09:00am 01:30pm 01:30pm 11:00am 02:00am
Host team shown first
New York Red Bulls vs. Chivas USA (L) Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution (S) Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire (S) Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas (T) D.C. United vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (L)
(L) Live; (S) Short-turnaround; (T) Taped
SOCCER MAGAZINE PROGRAMS – ESPNSoccernet Press Pass
ESPN’s popular 30-minute LIVE roundtable talk show, ESPNSoccernet Press Pass, continues twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Viewer email helps set the agenda as host Derek Rae and expert analysts Tommy Smyth and Janusz Michallik debate the game’s hottest issues. Beginning June 7, ESPNSoccernet Press Pass will air a daily special covering all the latest news and action from Euro 2008, one of the most important events on the world football calendar. Program airs daily at 10:00am throughout the tournament. ESPNSoccernet Press Pass airs on Mondays at 10:00pm; the weekend show airs on Fridays at 3:00pm with a re-air at 10:00pm. Both programs have multiple re-airs.
SPORTSCENTER
ESPN’s marquee sports news and information program, SportsCenter, continues with one LIVE edition airing daily, Friday through Tuesday (AUS), starting at 6:00am local time with multiple re-airs. Innovative and entertaining, SportsCenter covers major sporting events and stories of special interest to sports fans in Australia and New Zealand, as well as a broad range of international sports that appeal to local viewers.
MOTOR SPORTS – IndyCar Series and NHRA Drag Racing
ESPN presents season coverage of the IndyCar Series through the season-closer in September. Most races re-air same day in prime. Schedule:
June 2 June 8 June 23 June 29
AUS
01:00pm 12:00pm 03:30am 10:00am Milwaukee Indy 225 – Milwaukee, WI (S) Texas Indy 300 – Ft. Worth, TX (L) Iowa Indy – Newton, IA (T) Richmond Indy Challenge – Richmond, VA (L)
(L) Live; (S) Short-turnaround; (T) Taped
NHRA Drag Racing continues on ESPN ESPN presents season coverage of NHRA Drag Racing; final eliminations are featured at each stop. All races re-air later in same week. Schedule:
June 2 June 9 June 23 June 30
AUS
03:00pm 07:00am 09:00am 09:00am O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals – Topeka, KS Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals – Chicago, IL NHRA SuperNationals – Englishtown, NJ Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals – Norwalk, OH
All races air on Short-turnaround
HORSE RACING – Triple Crown racing: the Belmont Stakes
ESPN presents coverage of the 140 Belmont Stakes on June 8, 3:00pm, preceded by special programs beginning at 2:00am including Today at the Belmont Stakes and The Belmont Stakes Special. Coverage airs LIVE and on short-turnaround directly from the track at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Schedule:
June 8 June 8 June 8 June 8
th
AUS
02:00am 04:30am 02:30pm 03:00pm
LIVE coverage
Today at the Belmont Stakes (L) The Belmont Stakes Special (L) Belmont Stakes Pre-race (S) th 140 Belmont Stakes (S)
(L) Live; (S) Short-turnaround
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (MLB)
The baseball season is in full swing and ESPN doesn’t miss a pitch with continuing LIVE coverage of Major League Baseball (MLB). ESPN’s MLB package (airing Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays AUS) airs LIVE all season. Most games re-air same day in prime. Schedule:
June 3 June 3 June 5 June 7 June 9 June 10 June 12 June 14 June 16 June 17 June 19 June 21 June 23 June 24 June 26 June 28 June 30 July 1
AUS
03:00am 09:00am 09:00am 09:00am 10:30pm 09:00am 09:00am 09:00am 10:30pm 09:00am 09:00am 09:00am 10:00am 09:00am 09:00am 09:00am 10:00am 09:00am
LIVE coverage – Host team shown first
ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (S) ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball ESPN’s Friday Night Baseball ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (S) ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball ESPN’s Friday Night Baseball ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball (S) ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball ESPN’s Friday Night Baseball ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball ESPN’s Friday Night Baseball ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball
All games air Live except (S) air on Short-turnaround
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE (AFL)
Stay tuned to ESPN in July for more AFL Playoff action with coverage of the Divisional Round, Conference Championships and the season’s crowning event, ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans. Schedule:
June 3 June 10 June 17 June 24 June 28 June 29 June 29 June 30
AUS
12:30pm 12:00pm 12:00pm 12:00pm 09:00am 02:00am 05:00am 05:00am
LIVE coverage – Host team shown first
Colorado Crush vs. New York Dragons Utah Blaze vs. Los Angeles Avengers Arizona Rattlers vs. Colorado Crush Chicago Rush vs. Dallas Desperados AFL Playoffs – Wild Card Game AFL Playoffs – Wild Card Game AFL Playoffs – Wild Card Game AFL Playoffs – Wild Card Game
POKER
ESPN’s Poker Night – airing Sunday nights from 9:00-11:00pm – gives fans of highstakes poker a chance to see some of the world’s most skilled card sharps in action. From the prestigious World Series of Poker in Las Vegas – poker’s biggest and most lucrative event – to the U.S. Poker Championship and other major international events, ESPN’s Poker Night has all the big-money, sweaty-palmed, tension-filled excitement that poker fans crave. Poker Night airs every Sunday from 9:00-11:00pm with re-airs on Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:00pm.
BOXING
Fight fans never miss Friday Night Fights, ESPN’s weekly program featuring live championship bouts starring the sport’s top-rated challengers. In addition to fight coverage, Friday Night Fights has news and information, chats with in-studio guests, and features clips of classic fight footage. Friday Night Fights airs Friday evenings at 10:30pm. Also weekly on ESPN is more first-rate boxing action on Wednesday Night Fights, airing Wednesday evenings at 9:00pm.
PTI AUSTRALIA*
Pardon the Interruption Australia shines a spotlight on the latest, most talked-about happenings in the sports world. Fast-paced, innovative and always provocative, PTI Australia features Russell Barwick and Sam Kekovich facing-off in a lively format devoted exclusively to sports opinions and the latest news making headlines. Mixing insight, analysis and humor, PTI Australia gets inside the stories viewers care most about. Program airs Tuesdays, 5:30pm. PTI Australia re-airs each week on Tuesdays at 9:00pm, Wednesdays at 12:30am and 3:00pm and Thursdays at 7:30pm.
*airs in Australia only.
CRICKET – ICC Cricket World
With exclusive ICC footage, interviews, plus human interest stories and player features from both on and off the field, ICC Cricket World covers all aspects of this fascinating sport. Also featured are news, highlights, updates on international cricket and highprofile events, regular features on the development of the sport, previews of upcoming happenings and much more. ICC Cricket World airs Fridays at 7:30pm.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures lead the lineup on ESPN’s Outdoor Block, two hours of adventure programming airing every Saturday morning on ESPN. From offroad trekking and backwoods explorations to fishing the world’s most pristine streams, ESPN’s Outdoor Block offers something for all lovers of the great outdoors. The Outdoor Block airs every Saturday, 4:00 – 6:00am.
Enquiries can be made by calling 1300 301 415 or visiting www.pve.tv
*All events are correct at the time of printing and all programming is subject to change. All events are LIVE unless stated. All times Eastern Daylight Saving Time.