Just like LeBron James, ESPN’s NBA pregame show is heading to Los Angeles.
Michelle Beadle and company are heading back to LA for NBA Countdown, the show that comes before the four-letter’s live broadcasts of NBA games across its various networks. The show had been broadcast from ESPN’s L.A. LIVE studios since 2011, but at the second half of last year production shifted from there to New York.
But according to ESPN’s release, things are going back to normal and the show, hosted by Michelle Beadle, will be broadcast back in Los Angeles starting this fall. ESPN is also introducing a post-game show for its NBA broadcasts, NBA After The Buzzer,
The show means more responsibility for Beadle, who ESPN announced signed a new contract with the network.
“We are extremely excited to launch ESPN’s first ever NBA post-game show,” ESPN executive vice president of content Connor Schell said in a release. “We’re doubling down on our NBA studio content at a time when the NBA is red-hot and fan interest continues to surge, and we are doing it with Michelle, as she is so important to our coverage. As the basketball world looks to L.A. with renewed interest, we’ll be right there to cover it.”
The ESPN report actually mentions LeBron and the Lakers in the announcement, which presumably is a big reason why the broadcast is coming back to the City of Angeles. LeBron and the Lakers lead the NBA in nationally televised games this season, and their 14 ESPN games is also a league-best.
The production assets for the show certainly are there, but having one of the league’s biggest stars in Los Angeles certainly made the decision easier for the network.
