USA Track & Field today announced a 2007 TV lineup for the sport that boasts a surge in major network coverage, positioning in key time slots and increased sponsor support.
The 2007 season will include at least nine network telecasts on NBC and CBS, 10 shows on ESPN/ESPN2 and more than 20 hours of coverage on Versus. The TV coverage will be augmented by unprecedented Internet coverage of the sport to be announced shortly. The enhanced media presence of the sport comes during a crucial year, as Team USA is selected for the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships and prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
"We are thrilled that our best domestic and international meets will be featured on television in 2007," said USATF CEO Craig Masback, "The strength of our event lineup and recent ratings history helped us negotiate coverage that will appeal to both our core fan base and the broader sports audience, introducing many of them to our young stars who will make America proud the Olympics in Beijing in 2008."
Track and field's 2007 season will debut this weekend with ESPN2's coverage of the kickoff event of the Visa Championship Series, the Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
The outdoor season will culminate with more than 25 hours of NBC and Versus coverage of the IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, in late August/early September.
Among the highlights of the 2007 season:
* Live coverage of the AT&T USA Indoor Championships in Boston and the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis - where the Team USA roster for the IAAF World Championships will be selected. The AT&T USA Outdoor Championships coverage will include four shows on NBC and ESPN2.
* Live and taped coverage on NBC and ESPN2 of the 100th Millrose Games early next month. The Millrose Games, which attracts the largest crowd of any indoor track meet in the world, is the longest-running continuously staged event in New York's Madison Square Garden and will feature many special "Centenary" events in 2007.
* Live coverage of the USA versus the World relay events at the Penn Relays on ESPN2. Last year's Penn Relays attracted a three-day crowd of over 114,000 spectators, including 49,000 on the day that top American relay teams took on the world's best.
* Live coverage on NBC of the Nike Prefontaine Classic from Eugene, Oregon, site of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Track & Field in 2008.
2007 Track on TV Schedule
(All times Eastern; subject to change; check local listings)
Indoor Visa Championship Series
Reebok Boston Indoor Games Jan. 28, 3:00 -5:00 PM, ESPN2
100th Millrose Games February 2, 7-9 p.m., ESPN2; February 3, 2-3 p.m., NBC
Tyson Invitational February 11, 1-3 p.m., ESPN2
AT&T USA Indoor Championships February 25, 4-6 p.m., ESPN2
Outdoor Visa Championship Series
USA vs. The World at Penn Relays April 28, 1-3 p.m., ESPN2
adidas Track Classic May 19, 5-7 p.m., ESPN
Reebok Grand Prix June 2, 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m., ESPN2; June 3, 1-2 p.m., CBS
Prefontaine Classic June 10, 4-6 p.m., NBC
AT&T USA Outdoor Championships
June 22, 8-9 p.m., ESPN2
June 23, 2-3 p.m., NBC
June 23, 7-8 p.m., ESPN2
June 24, 1-3 p.m., NBC
Additional coverage
IAAF World Outdoor Championships
August 26, 12:30-2:30, NBC
Sept. 1, 2-3:30, NBC
Sept. 2, 1-3, NBC
** Additional, daily coverage on Versus.
NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships ESPN/CBS, times and dates TBA
2007 Visa Championship Series event schedule
Indoor
January 27 Reebok Boston Indoor Games Boston
February 2 100th Millrose Games New York
February 9 Tyson Invitational Fayetteville, AR
February 24-25 AT&T USA Indoor Championships Boston
Outdoor
April 28 USA vs. The World at Penn Relays Philadelphia
May 19 adidas Track Classic Los Angeles
June 2 Reebok Grand Prix New York
June 10 Prefontaine Classic Eugene, OR
June 21-24 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships Indianapolis
