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NEW YORK, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- ESPN will present multimedia coverage of the 2009 World Baseball Classic including coverage across ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International, ESPNEWS, ESPNEWS HD, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile Properties and more. World Baseball Classic coverage highlights include:
 'Baseball Spoken Here' is our motto, and so we're delighted that once again we are partnering with ESPN to bring the world the games, and the thrills, of the second World Baseball Classic |
- Up to 39 games via ESPN International distribution; - ESPN and ESPN2 combining to televise 23 games in the U.S. beginning March 5, 2009; - The semifinals -- Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22 -- and final, Monday, March 23, from Dodger Stadium; - All ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts simulcast via ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV; - ESPN Deportes, ESPN's Spanish-language network in the U.S., televising 23 games; - 23 games (ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts) available in Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands; 23 games available on ESPN Deportes in Puerto Rico. "ESPN looks forward to working with the World Baseball Classic to build on what we started in 2006," said Len DeLuca, ESPN Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. "We have more games for ESPN, a deeper multimedia offering, and wider international rights. We look forward to collaborating to make this the best global championship in March." "ESPN has the proven ability to convey the excitement and national pride that the World Baseball Classic generates among the players and fans," said Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball President and Chief Operating Officer. "'Baseball Spoken Here' is our motto, and so we're delighted that once again we are partnering with ESPN to bring the world the games, and the thrills, of the second World Baseball Classic," said Gene Orza, MLBPA Chief Operating Officer. "No one 'speaks baseball' better than ESPN." Additional World Baseball Classic coverage will include: - ESPN Radio broadcasting the semifinals and final, along with three additional games; - Comprehensive highlights within SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and ESPNEWS; - Extensive ESPN.com content featuring highlights, news and information. ESPN International will televise up to 39 games in Africa, Australia, Europe (via NASN, which will become ESPN America on Feb. 1), Latin America, the Middle East and New Zealand. About World Baseball Classic, Inc. World Baseball Classic, Inc. is a company created at the direction of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to operate the World Baseball Classic tournament. The tournament, which is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), is supported by MLB, the MLBPA, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), their respective players associations and other leagues and players from around the world. About the World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. In March 2006, 486 players -- 235 of them from MLB organizations -- representing 16 teams from across the globe competed in the inaugural event. More than 740,000 fans from 48 states and 15 countries attended games -- 16 of which sold out -- and millions more watched on TV as Team Japan was crowned the first-ever World Baseball Classic Champion. Broadcast by 48 media outlets in 10 languages to 205 countries and territories around the world, the inaugural tournament had 50 official sponsors and 21 official licensees. Media members representing 25 different nations attended the 39 games in seven host venues across three countries/territories. The next tournament will be held in March 2009 and will again feature 16 of the greatest baseball-playing nations in the world. The tournament will be held every four years thereafter, with plans in place to expand the participant field beginning in 2013. ESPN and MLB ESPN is the home of the Sunday Night Baseball franchise -- the only exclusive, national game of the week -- along with weekly Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball telecasts and Baseball Tonight. ESPN Radio continues to exclusively broadcast Sunday night games, along with select games throughout the season, MLB All-Star festivities and every post-season game through the World Series. ESPN Deportes televises all Sunday Night Baseball games. ESPN networks televised the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.
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