14 hours of Olympic Trials broadcasts to begin Friday |
SACRAMENTO - USA Track & Field's summer of TV broadcasts continues when live coverage of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials kicks off Friday, July 9. Coming at the conclusion of USATF's 2004 Outdoor Golden Spike Tour, the Olympic Trials will feature 14 hours of live coverage on NBC and the USA network, during all eight days of competition from Sacramento, Calif. Coverage begins Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on USA. Highlights of the first weekend of competition include the men's and women's 100 meters, men's shot put pole vault and 10,000 meters, and women's high jump, 800m and 5,000m. Ratings continue upward trend USATF's broadcasts of the Golden Spike Tour in 2004 continued to show increases, while faring well in the ratings. A 10-meet series of elite, domestic track & field events, the Golden Spike Tour is part of an upward tick in the number of broadcasts of national and international meets in the United States. In 2004 alone, track & field will be broadcast nationally 30 times, totaling 40 hours, for all shows not inclusive of NBC's Olympic coverage. The live, May 22 NBC broadcast of the Home Depot Invitational drew an overnight rating of 1.8 to show a six-fold ratings increase over 2003. With its lead-in program on NBC yielding only a 1.0 rating, the Home Depot Invitational broadcast topped out with a 2.2 rating for the final half-hour of the two-hour show as Maurice Greene took the track in the 100 meters. It was just the beginning of a summer of track & field on the television airwaves, including the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, 2004 Olympic Track & Field Trials, and IAAF Golden League. Strong trends for track & field During the indoor season, track & field programming increased ESPN2 ratings significantly, on average, over the programming that preceded it. Motor sports such as auto racing, or college basketball typically ran immediately before the GST broadcasts, and the Golden Spike Tour meets increased the ratings for ESPN2 by 38.5% over those shows. The shows that followed the Golden Spike Tour meets, primarily NHL games, lost 24% of the ratings achieved by the Golden Spike Tour meets. Two of the biggest shows of the Golden Spike Tour, also on NBC earlier this year, illustrated how USATF television shows continue their upward ratings trend. The 2004 ratings for USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays increased by 15.4 percent over 2003, while the 2004 Verizon Millrose Games saw a ratings increase of 7.7 percent. USATF broadcasts aren't alone in drawing more viewer interest. The NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, shown tape-delayed in March, had a three-fold increase in ratings and drew 136% more households than in 2003. More ahead In addition to the Golden Spike Tour, USA Track & Field has taken a lead role in bringing track & field broadcasts to American networks. Through the efforts of USATF, IAAF Golden League coverage once again are being shown on U.S. television. This season, the regional affiliates of Fox Sports Net are showing all six Golden League meetings. Telecast times are determined by each regional network. Below is a schedule of outdoor track & field broadcasts, not including the Olympic Games on NBC. All times Eastern. Check local listings. 2004 Outdoor Track & Field TV Schedule, by event U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials July 9 11 p.m.-1 a.m. USA July 10 8-9 p.m. NBC July 11 7-8 p.m. NBC July 12 10 p.m.-1 a.m. USA July 15 10 p.m.-Midnight USA July 16 11 p.m.-1 a.m. USA July 17 5-6 p.m. NBC July 18 7-9 p.m. NBC IAAF Golden League Broadcasts Bislett Games (Bergen, NOR) June 12-13 TBD Fox Sports Net Golden Gala (Rome, ITA) July 3-4 TBD Fox Sports Net Gaz de France (Paris, FRA) July 31-Aug. 1 TBD Fox Sports Net Weltklasse Zurich (Zurich, SUI) Aug. 7-8 TBD Fox Sports Net Van Damme (Brussels, BEL) Sept. 11-12 TBD Fox Sports Net ISTAF 2004 (Berlin, GER) Sept. 18-19 TBD Fox Sports Net USA Track & Field Outdoor Golden Spike Tour USA vs. The World Apr. 24 4:30 - 6 p.m. NBC Home Depot Invitational May 22 4-6 p.m. NBC Payton Jordan U.S. Open adidas Oregon Track Classic Nike Prefontaine Classic NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships June 19 4-6 p.m. CBS 2004 Track & Field TV broadcast schedule, by date adidas Boston Indoor Games Jan. 31 6-7 p.m. ESPN2 Verizon Millrose Games Feb. 7 3-4:30 p.m. NBC Tyson Foods Invitational Feb. 14 9-10:30 p.m. ESPN2 Verizon Millrose Games Feb. 22 9-10:30 a.m. YES USA Indoor Track & Field Champs Feb. 28 6:30 - 7:30 p.m ESPN2 USA Indoor Track & Field Champs Feb. 29. 6-7 p.m. ESPN2 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Champs March 17 3:30-5 p.m. ESPN2 USA vs. The World Apr. 24 4:30 - 6 p.m. NBC Home Depot Invitational May 22 4-6 p.m. NBC Payton Jordan U.S. Open June 1 9-10 p.m. ESPN2 adidas Oregon Track Classic June. 5 6-7 p.m. ESPN2 Bislett Games (Bergen, NOR) June 12-13 TBD Fox Sports Net Nike Prefontaine Classic June 19 9:30-11 p.m. ESPN2 NCAA Championships June 19 4 p.m. CBS Golden Gala (Rome, ITA) July 3-4 TBD Fox Sports Net U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 9 11 p.m.-1 a.m. USA U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 10 8-9 p.m. NBC U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 11 7-8 p.m. NBC U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 12 10 p.m.-1 a.m. USA U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 15 10 p.m.-Midnight USA U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 16 11 p.m.-1 a.m. USA U.S. Olympic T&F Trials July 17 5-6 p.m. NBC Gaz de France (Paris, FRA) July 31-Aug. 1 TBD Fox Sports Net Payton Jordan U.S. Open Jul. 30 3-4 a.m. ESPN adidas Oregon Track Classic Jul. 31 3-4 a.m. ESPN Nike Prefontaine Classic Jul. 31 4-5:30 a.m. ESPN Weltklasse Zurich (Zurich, SUI) Aug. 7-8 TBD Fox Sports Net Van Damme (Brussels, BEL) Sept. 11-12 TBD Fox Sports Net For a full listing of NBC Olympic broadcasts, visit www.nbc.com |
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