ESPN - EURO 2008 Coverage
All matches live and in High Definition; 29 Matches Simulcast live on ESPN360.com; All Matches on ESPN DeportesFor the first time, ESPN, Inc., will present exclusive live coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 Saturday, June 7, through Sunday, June 29, from eight cities in Austria and Switzerland.ESPN2, ESPN, ESPN Classic and ABC will combine to present all 31 matches live – five on ESPN Classic, 17 on ESPN2 and seven on ESPN. ABC will broadcast two matches – a quarterfinal contest on June 21 and the Euro 2008 title match Sunday, June 29 at 2:30 p.m. ET from the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna Austria.(The title match, part of an ABC soccer doubleheader, will be preceded by a Major League Soccer contest featuring the David Beckham-led LA Galaxy at DC United, beginning at 12 p.m.).All Matches in HD Euro 2008 matches will be available in high definition on ESPN HD, ABC HD and ESPN2 HD. The high definition telecasts will be offered as a simulcast of ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2’s European Football Championship coverage.In addition, ESPN’s high definition services will feature Euro 2008 studio programming including the pre-match, halftime and post-match segments.ESPN360.com ESPN’s signature broadband network will provide live online simulcasts of the 29 ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic matches of the UEFA Euro 2008 from June 7- 29.ESPN360.com, which has become one of the premier broadband destinations for live soccer events with the additional acquisitions of Italian soccer (Serie A, Coppa Italia), UEFA Cup, Russian Premier League, Chinese Premiere League, et al., will also feature Euro 2008 Studio Updates, the live pre-, halftime and post-game segments.ESPN Deportes ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s domestic Spanish-language network, will be the exclusive Spanish-language television home of UEFA European Football Championship 2008 in the United States. The network will present a distinct and separate coverage of 31 matches. ESPN Deportes will air 25 matches live, and on days with concurrent matches (June 15-18), it will feature one match live per day with the second on tape delay. The two ABC matches will be aired via tape delay on ESPN Deportes.In addition to its pre-game, halftime and post-game segments, ESPN Deportes will also present a daily, one-hour Euro 2008 studio program throughout the competition.Euro 2008 Studio Update ESPN’s English-language coverage of Euro 2008 will include live presentation of Euro 2008 Studio Update – the pre-, halftime and post-game studio news, highlights and analysis program. Additionally, ESPN will present eight live editions of Euro 2008 Studio Update shows between matches on select days.ESPN Classic In addition to five Euro 2008 match telecasts, ESPN Classic will present a nightly, 30-minute program featuring highlights and analysis of the day’s action throughout the tournament.Each weeknight leading up to the tournament, ESPN Classic will air one title match from the previous nine UEFA European Football Championships beginning Monday, May 26 at 7 p.m., with 1972’s finals (Germany 3 – USSR 0) and concluding Thursday, June 5, with the 2004 finals (Greece 1 – Portugal 0).The Event With 10 of the 16 teams in Europe’s quadrennial soccer championship ranked among the top 15 teams in the FIFA World Rankings, the UEFA European Football Championship is one of the most prestigious and competitive tournaments among national soccer teams.Teams representing the 16 nations compete in the Championship. Of these, 14 earned a spot in the finals following a two-year qualification process among 50 UEFA member nations while the host nations – Austria and Switzerland – received automatic berths.Since its inception in 1960, the competition is held every four years. Greece won the last Championship – UEFA Euro 2004 – hosted by Portugal.EURO 2008 TEAM GROUPINGS 1 Czech Republic - #6, Austria - #101, France - #7, Greece - #82 Portugal - #9, Croatia - #13, Italy - #3, Russia - #253 Switzerland - #48, Germany - #5, Netherlands - #10, Spain - #44 Turkey - #25, Poland - #27, Romania - #12, Sweden - #23#: Current FIFA World RankingFor ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Classic and ESPN Deportes EURO 2008 TV SCHEDULES – Visit the LiveSoccerTV.com Euro 2008 Live Match Schedules.