NBC Sports Group today released channel assignments for the first three weeks of its television coverage beginning Saturday, August 17 at 7:00 AM ET on NBC Sports Network with the Liverpool-Stoke City matchup.
In addition, NBC Sports Group in the coming days will launch an interactive game finder (via NBCSports.com) to provide fans with details on how to find Premier League games on TV, online and on mobile devices, based upon where they live and their TV provider.
In the first three weeks, NBC and NBC Sports Network will televise 17 Premier League matches. The remaining 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 NBC Sports Network.
Lead play-by-play voice Arlo White joins former Premier League star and four-time league champion Lee Dixon to call the 12:30 PM ET Saturday matches on NBC in the first three weeks – Swansea-Manchester United on Aug. 17; Aston Villa-Liverpool on Aug. 24; and Crystal Palace-Sunderland on Aug. 31.
White teams with Graeme Le Saux, the former Premier League star who played in 36 international matches for England, to call two Sunday matches and one Monday game on NBC Sports Network in the first three weeks – Chelsea-Hull City at 11:00 AM ET on Sunday, Aug. 18; Manchester United-Chelsea at 3:00 PM ET on Monday, Aug. 26; and Liverpool-Manchester United at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday, Sept. 1. Legendary U.K. footballer and presenter Gary Lineker will serve as a special contributor to NBC Sports Group’s Premier League coverage.
All matches will be preceded and followed by Premier League Live pre- and post-match shows from the NBC Sports Group International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn. Rebecca Lowe hosts Premier League Live alongside former Jamaican National Team player Robbie Earle, former U.S. National Team midfielder Kyle Martino, and former English footballer Robbie Mustoe.
In addition, six matches in the season’s first three weeks will be telecast in Spanish by Telemundo and mun2 (listed in table below).
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 NBC Sports Network 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.
To date, AT&T U-verse®, Bright House Networks, Cablevision’s Optimum, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH, Mediacom, Suddenlink, and Time Warner Cable have opted to carry the additional Premier League matches via the Premier League Extra Time package, and AT&T U-verse, Cablevision’s Optimum, Charter, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink and Verizon FiOS will make all Premier League games available through TV Everywhere. Additionally, over 100 NCTC partners have either signed-on to the Premier League Extra Time package or have opted-in via TV Everywhere, including Blue Ridge Communications, Buckeye CableSystem, CenturyLink Prism, and RCN. In some cases, the Premier League Extra Time package will be available in select markets.
Following are schedule highlights for the first three weeks of the Premier League season:
Saturday, August 17, 7:45 AM ET on NBCSN
LIVERPOOL v STOKE CITY
NBC Sports Group’s first-ever telecast of Premier League action features the Liverpool-Stoke City matchup.
Saturday, August 17, 12:30 PM ET on NBC & mun 2
SWANSEA CITY v MANCHESTER UNITED
Manager David Moyes takes the reins of the Premier League’s most decorated team – returning champions Manchester United – from their legendary manager of over 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson. The Red Devils’ first test comes against a fiery Swansea side.
Sunday, August 18, 11:00 AM ET on NBCSN & mun2
CHELSEA v HULL CITY
Chelsea, last season’s third-place finishers, begin their campaign against newly promoted side, Hull City. Jose Mourinho, “the Special One,” is back as the Blues manager to the delight of the Chelsea faithful. With an all-star international line-up, Chelsea will be looking for a strong showing against the Tigers, whose quest to avoid a trip back to the Championship begins against one of the Premier League’s perennial powers.
Saturday, August 24, 10:00 AM ET on Premier League Extra Time
STOKE CITY v CRYSTAL PALACE
Stoke City, established in 1863, are the oldest club in the Premier League and in their first home match of the campaign, they host newly promoted London side Crystal Palace. Stoke City were known for playing an aggressive, physical style of soccer but new manager Mark Hughes is looking to change that. Playing against colorful manager Ian Holloway’s Crystal Palace, that now boasts rising Spain star and exciting midfielder Jose Campaña, will provide an early measuring stick for both the Stoke team in transition and Palace’s rising star.
Monday, August 26, 3:00 PM ET on NBCSN
MANCHESTER UNITED v CHELSEA
In just the second week of the campaign, last season’s first- and third-place finishers meet at the Premier League’s largest stadium, Manchester United’s Old Trafford. Eight of the last nine Premier League titles have been won by either United or Chelsea and both clubs will be under tremendous scrutiny this season with new managers.
Sunday, September 1, 8:30 AM ET on NBSCN & Telemundo
LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER UNITED
The two most decorated teams in English soccer history simply do not like each other. At Liverpool’s historic Anfield, the Reds’ beloved captain and star Steven Gerrard, aka “Stevie G”, will look to help his side earn three points against United in the Premier League for the first time since March 2011.
Sunday, September 1, 11:00 AM ET on NBSCN & mun2
ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Arsenal host neighbors Tottenham at Emirates Stadium for the first edition of this season’s North London Derby and for a tough, early test at home for Arsenal. The rivalry between the Gunners and Spurs dates to the early 1900s, and with Arsenal having finished directly above Tottenham in the table the last four seasons, Tottenham will be looking to make an early statement that their place in the standings belongs above Arsenal.
Following is the NBCUniversal schedule for the first three weeks of the Premier League season:
| Date | Time (ET) | Home | Away | Network |
| Sat., Aug. 17 | 7:45 a.m. | Liverpool | Stoke City | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Arsenal | Aston Villa | NBCSN, mun2 | |
| 10 a.m. | Norwich | Everton | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | Sunderland | Fulham | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | West Ham | Cardiff | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | West Brom | Southampton | Extra Time | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Swansea | Man United | NBC, mun2 | |
| Sun., Aug. 18 | 8:30 a.m. | Crystal Palace | Tottenham | NBCSN |
| 11 a.m. | Chelsea | Hull City | NBCSN | |
| Mon., Aug. 19 | 3 p.m. | Man City | Newcastle | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Wed., Aug. 21 | 2:30 p.m. | Chelsea | Aston Villa | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Aug. 24 | 7:45 a.m. | Fulham | Arsenal | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 10 a.m. | Newcastle | West Ham | NBCSN | |
| 10 a.m. | Everton | West Brom | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | Southampton | Sunderland | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | Hull City | Norwich | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | Stoke City | Crystal Palace | Extra Time | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Aston Villa | Liverpool | NBC | |
| Sun., Aug. 25 | 11 a.m. | Tottenham | Swansea | NBCSN, mun2 |
| 11 a.m. | Cardiff | Man City | Extra Time | |
| Mon., Aug 26 | 3 p.m. | Man United | Chelsea | NBCSN |
| *** | ||||
| Sat., Aug. 31 | 7:45 a.m. | Man City | Hull City | NBCSN |
| 10 a.m. | Newcastle | Fulham | NBCSN | |
| 10 a.m. | Cardiff | Everton | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | West Ham | Stoke City | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | West Brom | Swansea | Extra Time | |
| 10 a.m. | Norwich | Southampton | Extra Time | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Crystal Palace | Sunderland | NBC | |
| Sun., Sept. 1 | 8:30 a.m. | Liverpool | Man United | NBCSN, Telemundo |
| 11 a.m. | Arsenal | Tottenham | NBCSN, mun2 |
