EDITOR’S NOTE: Today, ESPN Executive Vice President, Production & Executive Editor, Norby Williamson shared this note with employees about the company’s NBA studio plans.
Starting on Wednesday, April 4, NBA Countdown, our NBA pre-game show, will emanate from our brand new studios at Seaport District NYC. Michelle Beadle, who has been fantastic at the helm of NBA Countdown, will continue to host all episodes of the show and will regularly be joined by our core team of analysts – multi-platform ESPN commentator and hoops veteran Jalen Rose, and former NBA Finals MVPs Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups.
We’re excited that NBA Countdown and Get Up, which launches Monday, April 2, will call the district studios their home. With Michelle and Jalen playing integral roles on both shows, we’re looking forward to impactful crossover opportunities between these two priority platforms. I should note that before moving to the district studios, NBA Countdown will briefly originate from our Bristol studios, between Feb. 23 and April 4, which helps us appropriately transition the show to New York, while also preparing for the Get Up launch.
While NBA Countdown will emanate from New York, the ESPN Los Angeles Production Center will remain the hub of our NBA studio production, led by our accomplished behind-the-scenes production staff out west. Similarly, our Digital Center 2 facility in Bristol will serve as the production epicenter for Get Up, supporting the New York studio efforts. These are two examples of how we continue to innovate by embracing new technology to help us evolve our production workflow and serve fans with the highest quality content they’ve come to expect from ESPN.
We’re enthusiastic about having a strong, bi-coastal NBA studio presence in the two largest media markets – New York and Los Angeles. I’m also pleased to announce that the The Jump will be expanding to one hour on a year-round basis starting Monday, March 12. The Jump has established itself as a vital, relevant source of NBA news and analysis, led by the outstanding Rachel Nichols, a vibrant cast of commentators, and an innovative group of producers and behind-the-scenes personnel. The Jump recently celebrated its most-watched episode-to-date on Feb. 8, when it drew more than 600,000 viewers for its “Trade Deadline Special.” Congratulations to the entire team.
I want to thank all of the employees who work on our NBA studio coverage for their continued commitment to excellence on such an important area of our company. Your contributions are helping to drive our success.
