ESPN’s New ‘Where to Watch’ Schedule Is a Small Victory for Sports Fans

In the age of streaming, very little is being done for the true benefit of sports fans.

Sure, we have access to a wider range of streaming services than ever before… provided we’re willing to pay exorbitant cable fees, or subscribe to this streaming service, and this one, and hey, how about shelling out for those two, too, just in case your favorite team has an exclusive game or two this season?

Keeping track of it all is as maddening as it is expensive, which is why small wins can often feel like big wins.

I count ESPN’s new “Where to Watch” product as one of those wins.

If you missed it Wednesday amid all the news (details of Bill Belichick’s TV roles, a 12-year extension of broadcast rights with the USTA, an upcoming “30 for 30” on the Jets’ “New York Sack Exchange” of the early ’80s) from ESPN’s annual media day, the network announced it is launching a comprehensive guide to live sports on streaming and linear TV that will include events on competing networks.

“Where To Watch” launched Wednesday on the ESPN app and ESPN.com, and is accessible on any web browser at espn.com/wheretowatch. It’s a de facto user guide for quickly finding virtually any notable live sporting event on cable, broadcast, regional sports networks or streaming services, whether or not the event is on an ESPN platform.

Brian Marshall, vice president of sports products and technology at Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology, noted that more than 50% of respondents to an ESPN survey expressed frustration or difficulty finding the channel or service that is showing a particular game.

“Simplifying the discovery of sporting events and where a fan can watch them has become increasingly important as sporting viewing has become fragmented across networks and platforms,” he said.

Where to Watch allows you to customize the service to prioritize favorite teams and leagues, or specific sports or events. Partner networks, including NESN, have direct links from the service. The guide’s information is gathered from more than 250 media sources, including television networks and streaming platforms, and includes games and matches from every major sport.

In the fragmented and scattered world of streaming, linear TV and cable, it makes sense for ESPN to try to position itself as the hub for all live sports broadcasts, regardless of where the particular events are taking place.

And while it doesn’t solve the problem of having to make tough decisions about which services (and how many) you’re willing to pay to watch your favorite teams, at least it makes finding them easier.

Imagine this. A sports TV channel has just done something useful for sports fans. I wouldn’t expect it to become a trend. But a small victory? We’ll take it.

In-game interviews are here to stay

In-game interviews with coaches and players are entertaining only occasionally, like the time six years ago when Mookie Betts, then with the Red Sox, said in the middle of an interview, “I don’t understand that one, guys,” as the Cubs’ Kris Bryant hit a triple over his head in a spring training game.

Sometimes in-game interviews feel intrusive. Almost all of them are devoid of insight. I doubt most fans would miss them. But they’re not going away anytime soon.

This was reiterated last week when NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller shared some changes to the broadcasts, all aimed at giving fans better access.

Among them:

· Head coaches and coordinators from both teams will be available for television interviews during the game.

· Channels can now interview home team players in uniform before the game.

· Networks can work with teams to capture pre-match locker room content and broadcast it before kick-off.

I hope and believe that Belichick will return to coaching after a year or two away from television. Thinking about the hilarious way he could defy all this nonsense in the game makes me even more impatient.

Music to our ears

It’s interesting to hear “The Rich Shertenlieb Show” on WZLX lean a bit more heavily on music over the past couple of weeks, with entire songs being used as commercial covers. It’s a decision that I’m told came from WZLX management and parent company iHeart Radio. The decision to interrupt sports and pop culture talk with the occasional song probably should have been something the show should have done in the first place, given that WZLX is a classic rock station and one of Shertenlieb’s strengths is his encyclopedic knowledge of music.