Seen on Screen: Showtime Plans Original Programming Leading Up to Mayweather-Pacquiao; NBCSN to Carry Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Game

Although Showtime will not produce an “All Access” series and HBO won’t do a “24/7” series in the buildup to the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao megafight — for which they have partnered for a joint pay-per-view telecast on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas — each network will produce its own prefight programming.

The Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight is looking to generate $74 million in live gate alone, part of a total package that could surpass $400 million. Showtime will produce the four-part “Inside Mayweather vs. Pacquiao,” a documentary-style series leading up to and covering the fight.

It will debut April 18 immediately after Showtime’s coverage of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Andrzej Fonfara fight that night. Episode 2 will be April 25 (7:30 p.m. ET/PT), Episode 3 on April 29 (10 p.m. ET/PT), and Episode 4, which will serve as the epilogue, is slated for May 9 (time TBA). The series will focus on Mayweather as he heads into the fight. The HBO programming, which has not yet been announced, will focus primarily on Pacquiao.

“’Inside Mayweather vs. Pacquiao’ will not only welcome viewers into Mayweather’s camp before the fight but also give viewers a window into those dramatic and often poignant moments immediately before and after this historic fight,” said Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports executive vice president and general manager…

…Notre Dame Football’s 86th annual Blue-Gold game will be televised Saturday, April 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The spring football scrimmage will provide fans with their first look at the team’s early enrollee freshmen, as well as a preview of the 2015 Fighting Irish football roster. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream coverage of the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game via “TV Everywhere.”

NBCSN’s coverage of the Blue–Gold game will feature enhanced production elements to give viewers access to additional sights, sounds and aspects of the scrimmage. Elements will include in-game audio from head coach Brian Kelly and select players. In addition, NBCSN will conduct interviews with current players and former Notre Dame standouts.

Due to the renovation of Notre Dame Stadium, the 2015 Blue-Gold game will take place at LaBar Practice Complex in South Bend, Ind…

…ESPN will carry the NBA Development League postseason for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, airing the league’s playoffs and Finals games on ESPNU and ESPNEWS. The 2015 NBA D-League postseason will begin Tuesday, April 7, with first round action. The NBA D-League Finals are slated to start Thursday, April 23…

…MLB Network will debut its first ever-regular season morning show, MLB Central, on Opening Day, Monday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m. Hosted by Matt Vasgersian, Mark DeRosa and Lauren Shehadi, MLB Central will offer MLB Central will offer an entertaining and informed take on the game live every weekday morning, with updates and context on the latest news, extensive on-field highlights, and long-form conversation with guests, celebrities, and insiders from around the league…

truTV and Top Rank will partner to exclusively televise a live Friday night primetime boxing series beginning Friday, May 1, at 10 p.m. ET. The new boxing series, in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, will launch on the eve of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view fight with a card featuring two title bouts inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

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