Seen on Screen: ESPN, Turner Continue NBA Christmas Tradition; NBC to Debut “RedZone-like” Premier League Coverage on New Year’s Day

by Jarrel Harris, Editorial Assistant

On Thursday, a Christmas Day tradition continues as ABC and ESPN will combine to present a marquee NBA tripleheader and Turner Sports will present a pair of night games on TNT.

ESPN’s trifecta tips off at Noon ET when the Washington Wizards visit the New York Knicks. Following Wizards-Knicks, the Christmas schedule turns to ABC, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET with a rematch of the 2014 Western Conference Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. The star-studded Christmas Day slate continues at 5 p.m. ET with one of the most anticipated games of the season as LeBron James returns to Miami for the first time when his Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Miami Heat. In addition, NBA Countdown will make its ABC debut this season with it’s first-ever Christmas Day roadshow from American Airlines Arena in Miami. Host Sage Steele will be joined by analysts Jalen Rose and Doug Collins at 2 p.m. to preview the ABC doubleheader.

In the evening, Turner Sports takes the torch with the NBA on TNT presenting the Loa Angeles Lakers visiting the Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 p.m. ET…

… NBCSN presents the first-ever Premier League Breakaway, a special two-hour show featuring RedZone-like live look-ins on the best action from all eight Premier League matches on New Year’s Day, Thurs., Jan. 1, in the 10 a.m. ET window. In addition, all eight matches will be available in their entirety via live stream on NBC Sports Live Extra and on Premier League Extra Time, a bonus television package available to MVPDs at no extra cost for customers who receive NBCSN. Premier League Breakaway will also be available on NBC Sports Live Extra…

…The Week 17 Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers game on Sunday, December 28 will be played at 8:30 PM ET on NBC. The NFL uses “flexible scheduling” to ensure quality matchups in all NFL Sunday time slots and to give teams a chance to play their way onto primetime and into the late-afternoon 4:25 pm ET time slot on CBS or FOX.

…ESPN will kick off its coverage of Major League Soccer’s 20th season with live presentation Orlando City SC vs. New York City FC, two highly anticipated expansion teams playing their first league match, on Sunday, March 8, at 5 p.m. ET, from Orlando’s Citrus Bowl on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and WatchESPN. It is the first of 34 matches primarily on Sunday at 5 p.m. each season – through a new eight-year rights agreement ending in 2022…

…ESPN will televise a five-part documentary style series Snoop & Son: A Dad’s Dream beginning Wednesday, Jan. 14, with an unprecedented look at entertainment icon Snoop Dogg’s journey with his football star son Cordell Broadus. The series will air four consecutive Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN (re-airs on ESPNU) with a fifth and final episode airing in mid-February.