NBA on Foxtel/Aussie TV 2013/2014

[Andrew]

I've got a BBQ with friends that day but I should be able to catch the first two games live.

With One HD dropping their NBA coverage this year, hopefully ESPN will have a decent selection throughout the season and make use of both channels. Now all we need is ESPN Classic.

[AMenace]

Well I know what I'm doing boxing day, got a solid lineup of games to watch.

[Dan's Brain]

Now all we need is ESPN Classic.

It would be nice to see the 1987 World Scrabble Championship.

[koberulz]

hopefully ESPN will have a decent selection throughout the season

and make use of both channels

I really don't understand why they didn't do this last year. Other than opening night, they seem to be going back to not doing that, as what I've heard has them airing two games a week.

I need the cricket to get rained out or something, otherwise I'm getting nowhere near a television. I really don't understand what the big deal is; it goes for another four fucking days anyway.

[Andrew]

Now all we need is ESPN Classic.

It would be nice to see the 1987 World Scrabble Championship.

1986 was way better. It's all been downhill since then.

hopefully ESPN will have a decent selection throughout the season

I know, wishful thinking right? Perhaps there's an outside chance with the two channels though, we might at least get some doubleheaders where we didn't before. I'm not holding my breath, but perhaps there's a glimmer of hope this year.

I really don't understand why they didn't do this last year. Other than opening night, they seem to be going back to not doing that, as what I've heard has them airing two games a week.

There might be restrictions of some sort, certain licensing issues and whatnot but other than that, yeah, it's puzzling. Maybe they launched it too late to do anything with the NBA last season, looking back it came along in March when the Aussie schedule was already set. Or maybe they're just not going to make good use of the Australian ESPN2 channel. Guess we'll soon see.

[koberulz]

ESPN here airs a lot of stuff that airs on other channels in the US, too, so it's not as though it's as simple as just airing what ESPNUS airs. But as you say, you'd think they'd throw in a few more of the double-headers. Andthefoul.net is reporting two games a week, though, so it doesn't seem to be happening (which in turn negates your theory about the late launch of ESPN2).

Do they still have ESPNSD/ESPN2SD? All the HD channels that have SD equivalents now have the same number as the SD channels used to have, and the SD channels appear to have vanished.

[Andrew]

Yeah, they've still got SD as well as HD.

[koberulz]

So they've just switched the channel numbers? That's what I thought they'd done the first time, but then I was checking what time the wrestling was on or something like that, using the i-search banner or whatever it's called, and it was quicker to get to 208 than 108, but it didn't list a channel 208. The online guide still lists everything as it was prior to the change.

[Andrew]

I'm still chugging along with an old Foxtel box (not an IQ), ESPN SD is 508 and ESPN2 SD is 509.

[Andrew]

Upcoming games on ESPN:

January 12th: Heat vs Clippers
January 14th: Bulls vs Celtics
January 17th: Bulls vs Grizzlies
January 17th: Nets vs Clippers
January 17th: Thunder vs Celtics
January 17th: Mavericks vs Lakers
January 19th: Blazers vs Hawks
January 21st: Lakers vs Magic

Nice that they're showing four of the MLK Day games, though it's an early start with Bulls vs Grizzlies tipping off at 5 AM AEDST. Heat vs Clippers should hopefully be a good one tomorrow. I'm pleased to see a couple more Bulls games coming up and there are a couple of other good matchups there like Mavs/Lakers, Lakers/Magic and Blazers/Hawks, the latter making for a little variety. Not bad, ESPN Australia, not bad.

[koberulz]

So they're advertising game two of the Pacers/Heat series on Wednesday, and the TV guide just lists baseball.

[Andrew]

Handy. I guess we go by the promo until further notice. Perhaps they'll update the online and on-screen guides by Wednesday.

[koberulz]

They've really not been doing very well of late.

Hopefully they do better than ONE, who didn't list game three of the grand final on their TV guide until the night before the game. It wasn't listed on the Foxtel guide until a couple of hours before tipoff. No idea how many people just assumed it was delayed - as every game had been all year - and ended up missing it.

[Andrew]

They ultimately did update the online and on-screen guides yesterday and the game is being shown as advertised. I guess there is some unpredictability in the schedule being the Playoffs and all, but they could be doing better.

[koberulz]

So much for that variety. Lakers-Thunder followed a day later by...Lakers-Thunder. Really, ESPN?

[koberulz]

Less luck with advertising as-yet-unrequired game fives this time.

[Andrew]

Yep. According to the online guide, they've picked up Game 5 of Heat/Pacers along with Game 6 on Friday.

[koberulz]

Variety, huh?

[Andrew]

Kind of the way it goes, the deeper we get into the Playoffs and when "*if necessary" falls through.

[koberulz]

Celts/Sixers? We haven't seen either of those teams yet in the playoffs, IIRC. Could've had that instead of one of the Lakers/Thunder games, too. Or Clips/Spurs instead of the other.

[Andrew]

They showed Game 2 of Bulls/Sixers and I seem to recall a Celtics/Hawks game being shown. They could've shown the Celtics/Sixers game last Saturday though, aside from the final few minutes before the Lakers and Thunder tipped off. It'd be nice if we got more full doubleheaders, they're a rare treat unfortunately.

[Phil89]

Just saw a promo for Spurs/Thunder game 1 on espn at 10:30am monday.

[Andrew]

Yep, we're getting both Conference Finals series on ESPN this year. Nice to see in the wake of One HD discontinuing their NBA coverage.

[Andrew]

There are some Team USA warm-up games coming up on ESPN, beginning with a game against the Dominican Republic tomorrow at 11 AM AEST.

[koberulz]

Foxtel TV guide for London. Lets you filter by sport; looks like there'll be plenty of basketball on.