With one month until kickoff of the 2014-15 Premier League season, NBC Sports Group today released the television schedule for the first three months of the season, featuring live coverage of all 130 matches beginning Saturday, August 16 at 7:45 a.m. ET on NBCSN with Manchester United v. Swansea City.
A total of 68 Premier League matches – at least five games each week in the season’s first three months – will be presented on NBCSN, NBC and CNBC with all games preceded and followed by Premier League Live pre- and post-match shows from the NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.
Tim Howard and Everton make their NBC debut this season on August 23 against Arsenal at 12:30 p.m. ET. Howard, the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. Men’s National Team, was one of the 100+ Premier League players in the 2014 FIFA World Cup - more than any other professional league in the world.
The 62 remaining Premier League matches will be made available on Premier League Extra Time, a bonus television package available to MVPDs at no extra cost for customers who receive NBCSN.
In addition, 47 matches in the season’s first three months will be telecast in Spanish by Telemundo and mun2 and will also be streamed on the Deportes Telemundo en Vivo Extra app for mobile devices.
All Premier League games will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets. Games airing on NBCSN will be live streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
Last season, NBCUniversal launched unprecedented coverage of every Premier League match live on TV and via live stream. A record 32 million Americans tuned in to NBC Sports Group’s Premier League coverage. In addition, viewers consumed a total of 259.2 million minutes of live Premier League action via NBC Sports Live Extra last season.
NBC Sports Group’s “Pick Six” Matches for the First Three Months of the Season
Sunday, August 17, 8:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN:
1. LIVERPOOL v. SOUTHAMPTON
Two teams on the heels of a successful 2013-14 season will meet in the Premier League’s opening weekend: Liverpool, which earned a Champions League berth as league runners-up, and Southampton, which finished eighth, equaling their best-ever Premier League finish. The Reds acquired former Southampton teammates and England internationals Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert this summer, but face Southampton without 2013-14 Premier League leading scorer Luis Suarez (31 goals), who was transferred to FC Barcelona. The match will be Southampton manager Ronald Koeman’s first with the club.
Monday, August 25, 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN & mun2:
2. MANCHESTER CITY v. LIVERPOOL
Last season’s top two teams face off as Liverpool head to the Etihad for a Monday matinee with defending champions Manchester City. In the most recent meeting between the two clubs on April 13, the Reds edged City, 3-2, in an unforgettable match that many consider the best of the 2013-14 season. The win put Liverpool in control of the title race, but a loss to Chelsea was followed by a shocking 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace, and Manchester City went on to win their final five games and lift the trophy on Championship Sunday.
Sunday, September 21, 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN & Telemundo:
3. MANCHESTER CITY v. CHELSEA
Last season, despite beating eventual champions Manchester City in both league meetings, Chelsea finished third under manager Jose Mourinho. This summer they’ve strengthened their attack by bringing in Spanish international forward Diego Costa, who led La Liga champions Atletico Madrid with 27 goals last season, and his World Cup teammate Cesc Fabregas, a 27-year-old playmaker who has starred for both FC Barcelona and Arsenal during his 11-year club career.
Saturday, September 27, 7:45 a.m. ET on NBCSN & mun2:
4. “DOUBLE DERBY DAY:” LIVERPOOL v. EVERTON
The sixth week of the Premier League season is highlighted by two of the biggest derbies in English soccer. First, the Merseyside derby takes center stage, as Everton and U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup goalkeeper Tim Howard (15 clean sheets last season, third-most among BPL ‘keepers) make the less-than one mile trip across Stanley Park to face neighbors Liverpool. Everton looks to build upon last year’s success under manager Roberto Martinez, who guided the Toffees to a fifth place finish in his debut season to earn a Europa League berth.
Saturday, September 27, 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN & mun2:
5. “DOUBLE DERBY DAY:” ARSENAL v. TOTTENHAM
Following Liverpool-Everton is a London Derby featuring rivals Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates, where Spurs haven’t won since 2010. Last season, the Gunners completed the season double over Tottenham with a pair of 1-0 wins and finished ahead of their rivals for the 19th straight year. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, the longest-tenured manager in the league, guided the club to the 2013-14 FA Cup title, ending a nine-year trophy drought. Spurs will be looking to re-establish themselves as top-four contenders under newly appointed manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Sunday, October 5, 7 a.m. ET on NBCSN & mun2:
6. MANCHESTER UNITED v. EVERTON
Everton travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United and new manager Louis van Gaal, who will join the squad this week after leading Netherlands to a third-place finish at the World Cup. The Toffees came out victorious in both meetings last season, completing the season double over United for the first time in 44 years.
Following is the NBCUniversal schedule for the first three months of the Premier League season:
(NOTE: TBD indicates that there will be one match in that time slot on NBCSN, in some cases one match on mun2, and remaining non-NBCSN games on Premier League Extra Time. Final channel assignments for those matches will be made in the coming weeks.)
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