PBA on Fox
| PBA on Fox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Ten-pin bowlingtelecasts |
| Presented by | Rob Stone Randy Pedersen Kimberly Pressler Dave Ryan Dave LaMont John Fanta |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 90 to 180 minutes |
| Production company | Fox Sports |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox Fox Sports 1 |
| Release | December 23, 2018– present |
PBA on Foxis the branding used forProfessional Bowlers Association(PBA) broadcasts produced byFox Sportsand airing on theFoxbroadcast network andFox Sports 1(FS1). On March 21, 2018, the PBA announced that Fox Sports signed a multi-year agreement to acquire the television rights to its events beginning in2019and running through at least 2022. Most events will be carried by FS1, but at least four events per season will air on the Fox broadcast network.[1]
Terms of the deal[edit]
On March 21, 2018,Fox Sportsannounced that it had acquired the television rights for the PBA Tour, replacingESPN,with a commitment for 26 broadcasts onFox Sports 1and four onFoxbeginning in 2019 (totaling 58 hours, in comparison to the 30 hours of coverage provided by ESPN linear channels in 2018).[1][2]To launch its coverage, Fox broadcast an invitational event, the PBA Clash, on December 23, 2018.[3]Fox will air four events per-season, including the CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational (which aired on the afternoon prior to theSuper Bowl).[2]Fox and FS1 will air 14 final rounds live, as compared to the four live broadcasts aired on ESPN in 2018. Fox Sports will also assume the role of sponsorship sales for the tour.[2]The PBA saw the deal as an effort to increase media exposure for the tour and its top players.[2]
In a similar manner to Fox's recent acquisition ofNHRAdrag racing,there will be a focus on developing new on-air features and technology to improve viewer understanding of the intricacies of the sport, and additional shoulder content.[2]One such feature is StrikeTrack, a graphic (based on technology from the company Kegel) that displays the trajectory, speed, and rotation (RPM) of the ball as it travels down the lane.Broadcasting & Cableconsidered this feature akin to the network's "FoxTrax"system, infamously used during itsNational Hockey League coverage.[4]
Fox and the PBA have declared their first year partnership a success. Through the June 2 PBA Playoffs final round, viewership on Fox, FS1 and FS2 (including reruns) was 20,923,000. This is up 85 percent from the 11,327,000 total viewers for all PBA telecasts in 2018 (on ESPN and CBS Sports Network). The February 10 PBA Tournament of Champions finals, broadcast on Fox, has had the highest 2019 first-run audience at 1,132,000 viewers. The ten PBA Tour Playoffs broadcasts drew a total of 7,941,000 viewers on FS1, FS2 and Fox.[5]
Tournament schedule[edit]
On August 28, 2018, the PBA announced that all events televised on Fox and FS1, except for theUSBC Masters,will only be open to members of the association. The USBC Masters has traditionally allowed qualifyingUSBCmembers who may not be PBA members to participate, and will continue to do so. PBA Xtra Frame Tour,PBA Regional Tourand PBA50 Tour events will also continue to allow qualifying non-members to participate.[6]
The 2019PBA Tournament of ChampionsandPBA Players Championshipmajors were held in February. In order to include it in Fox's new contract, the PBA's World Series of Bowling X (which included three standard PBA title events and thePBA World Championship— the season's third major) was postponed for 2018 and moved to March 2019, with live finals broadcasts occurring in prime time across four consecutive nights.[7][8]For the first three majors of 2019 and the PBA Indianapolis Open, Fox and the PBA offered a $1 million bonus for any player who rolls a300 gamein the televised title match. Of the PBA's 26 televised 300 games, only two came in the title match, and neither of these was in a major tournament.[9]
PBA Tour Playoffs[edit]
The inaugural PBA Playoffs took place April 8–10 and June 1–2, 2019 at Bayside Bowl inPortland, Maine.The PBA has called it the "spotlight event" for its first year of television coverage on Fox Sports.[10]The tournament had a total prize fund of $276,000 with a $100,000 first place prize.[11]The first three “elimination” rounds were held April 8–10, with broadcasts of these events held on eight consecutive Monday nights (April 8 – May 27) onFS1.The final four then competed on live broadcasts held June 1–2 onFox.[12]
Commentators[edit]
In August 2018, thePBAannounced thatRob Stonewould return to covering professional bowling events when TV coverage moved from ESPN to Fox Sports for the2019 season.[13]Stone would be rejoiningRandy Pedersenwith whom he partnered from2007to2011on ESPN. Pedersen also worked forFox Sports Netfora brief timein2000.
Dave LaMontandDave Ryanhave filled in on play-by-play for select broadcasts where Stone was on other assignments for Fox.Kimberly Presslercontinues in her role as laneside reporter.[14]
After being knocked out of the 2019PBA Tour Playoffsin the second round,Kyle Troupprovided analysis for the final four and championship finals live broadcasts (aired June 1 and 2 onFox), along withJason Belmonteand the regular PBA broadcast team of Rob Stone and Randy Pedersen.[5]
References[edit]
- ^abSteinberg, Brian (2018-03-20)."Professional Bowling Rolls to Fox Sports".Variety.Retrieved2018-03-22.
- ^abcde"PBA sees Fox Sports TV deal as a game changer".Sports Business Daily.Retrieved2018-09-08.
- ^Lowe, Kent."Good news, Rob Stone moves to Fox for bowling telecasts".The Advocate.Retrieved2018-09-08.
- ^Lafayette, Jon (19 December 2018)."Fox Sports Goes Bowling With StrikeTrack Graphics".Broadcasting & Cable.Retrieved2018-12-23.
- ^abVint, Bill (2019-06-06)."PBA Playoffs Finale Caps Strong Viewership Surges on FOX Sports".PBA.com.Retrieved2019-06-07.
- ^Vint, Bill (August 28, 2018)."2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour Tournaments on FOX to be Open to PBA Members Only".pba.com.RetrievedAugust 29,2018.
- ^"Dougherty: No World Series of Bowling in 2018".Albany Times Union.2018-05-15.Retrieved2018-09-08.
- ^Vint, Bill (May 9, 2018)."PBA's 10th Anniversary World Series of Bowling Returns to Its Detroit Roots in March 2019".PBA.com.RetrievedMay 10,2018.
- ^Schneider, Jerry (January 30, 2019)."PBA Tournament of Champions and Players Championship Already a Critical Stretch for Players in Young Go Bowling! PBA Tour Season".PBA.com.RetrievedJanuary 30,2019.
- ^Vint, Bill (May 28, 2019).""Final Four" Set for Historic Weekend as Inaugural PBA Playoffs Conclude Live on FOX ".pba.com.RetrievedMay 30,2019.
- ^"Tournament Details – PBA Playoffs".pba.com.Retrieved20 April2019.
- ^Vint, Bill (May 30, 2018)."PBA-FOX Sports Announce Historic Television Schedule for 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour Season".pba.com.RetrievedMay 30,2018.
- ^Vint, Bill (August 21, 2018)."Rob Stone Returns as Play-By-Play Announcer for Fox Sports Telecasts of 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour".PBA.com.RetrievedAugust 22,2018.
- ^Vint, Bill (August 21, 2018)."Rob Stone Returns as Play-By-Play Announcer for Fox Sports Telecasts of 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour".PBA.com.RetrievedAugust 22,2018.