- ESPN is promising a superstar start to 2021.
- The channel on Thursday said it will be broadcasting sporting action from the NFL, NBA, Eredivisie, and Scottish Premiership in January.
- Alongside the live sport programming it will also be airing sports films, series, news, talk shows, highlights, and its iconic sports doccies.
ESPN is getting ready to kick off 2021 with an action-packed sporting schedule, and South Africans won’t be missing out.
The channel will be broadcasting sporting action from the NFL, NBA, Eredivisie, and Scottish Premiership.
NFL:
Things will kick off with the NFL (National Football League) as the regular season comes to an end in January.
"The post-season brings high stakes football with the Wild Card Round, Divisional Round and Conference Finals to follow," ESPN said in a statement to the press on Thursday.
The year's football fixtures are expected to start on 3 January on ESPN (DStv 218).
The Wild Card round is set to kick off on 9 January with the Divisional Round Schedule anticipated from 16 January and Conference Finals Schedule from 24 January. The Pro Bowl Schedule is likely to commence on 31 January (Dates TBC).
NBA:
The NBA is expected to back in full swing in January with LeBron and the Lakers looking to return to the finals and win back to back championships.
The rest of the league will be out to beat them and ensure that their respective franchises lift the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy. The matches are still to be confirmed amid the current health crisis.
Eredivisie
Dutch football fans can tune in as the Eredivisie league passes the midpoint for the season, with rounds 16-20 set to place.
January fixtures include PSV vs AZ Alkmaar on 13 January, Twente vs Ajax on 14 January, Sparta vs PSV on 17 January, Ajax vs Feyenoord on 17 January and Ajax vs Willem II on 28 January.
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership also continues with live matches set to broadcast in January.
Celtic have been the only winners of this Premiership since the era began in 2013. With the addition of Bafana Bafana star Bongani Zungu to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side, there is hope that the blue side of Glasgow will strongly challenge Celtic’s dominance.
Match dates to diarise include Rangers vs Celtic on 2 January, Rangers vs Aberdeen on 9 January, Celtic vs Livingston on 16 January, Celtic vs St Mirren on 23 January and Hibernian vs Rangers on 27 January.
Other content
According to Evert van der Veer, vice president, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa, ESPN offers viewers unrivalled access to all major American sports, European football and local sports including the West African Football Union (WAFU) Cup of Nations and featured boxing tournaments and events.
"We are looking forward to providing an action-packed year for sports lovers across the continent in 2021," Van der Veer said.
The channel will also be broadcasting the latest sports films, series, news, talk shows, and highlights, as well as ESPN’s iconic sports doccies alongside the live programming.
ESPN is available in South Africa on DStv 218 and Starsat 248. ESPN2 is available on Dstv 219 and Starsat 249.
Note: All fixture dates and times are subject to change.
(Compiled by Herman Eloff. Source: ESPN)