Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are taking their show to the NBA. The two WNBA stalwarts will host their first NBA game together on ESPN, bringing back a programming concept that has proven popular during the network’s coverage of the NCAA women’s final four tournament. “The Bird & Taurasi Show,” seen six times over the course of 2022 and 2023, has gained notice for the duo’s rapport and rogue energy.
The program will be produced in conjunction with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, which is the backer of the so-called “Manning-cast” that airs alongside ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” The pair will call a noon game on Christmas between the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks and can be seen on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Scheduled guests include Jason Sudeikis, Tyrese Haliburton and Breanna Stewart. So-called “alterna-casts” have become all the rage among sports broadcasters, with ESPN, Warner Bros.
Discovery Sports and Amazon experimenting with the format. These concepts run alongside a traditional broadcast of a game, with a different set of hosts holding forth, usually in less formal circumstances.
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