NBA Countdown on ESPN (but NOT on TSN)

[PokerFace]

I'm surprised that TSN (or even NBA TV Canada) doesn't carry ESPN's NBA Countdown (1 hour pre-game show hosted by Michelle Beadle) usually on Wednesdays and Fridays (7pm-8pm). Instead (like today, and with no Raptors game to interfere), TSN often airs filler shows like Plays of the Week on its various channels. You get to see Michelle and the others during the TSN/ESPN halftime for the game(s) of the night, but not before the game(s) starts. Dumb move, TSN. Shame on you! Hello piracy, how ya doin? Yeah, I know, blame TSN (The Stupid Network).

I know TSN doesn't air other ESPN shows (like Golic & Wingo M-Fri @ 6am-10am), but by ignoring NBA Countdown, they are ignoring part of the buildup to the games that TSN is also often showing. Boo!

[InMontreal]

Bell Media's vision of things : The "Countdown" is just a pre-game interview show and not absolute-necessary to the actual game, and TSN can do its own version if NBA was popular and there was demand for it. It's on ESPN, canadians don't have access to it, so, let's save a few bucks by ignoring its existence.

BUT, if the pre-show is on the ABC network, CTV Two should simsub it if possible, or if it's on an american specialty channel available in Canada, TSN will make room to air it also with its usual canadian ads.

[PokerFace]

EDIT: Oh, I see that TSN1 is set to air ESPN's NBA Countdown on Wed Feb 7 at 7pm, followed by the ESPN doubleheader NBA games (Minn vs Cleve and then SA vs Phoenix). At least TSN airs some of them.

EDIT 2: Zap2It and TSN have corrected the schedule and removed NBA Countdown from the lineup for Friday (since it's not airing anywhere as I assumed). It now matches the ESPN schedule. And the Minn/Chicago game starts at 9:30pm (not Joined In Progress).

No longer relevant:

[I just noticed that TSN2 will apparently show ESPN's NBA Countdown this Friday Feb. 9th at 7pm before it airs the (ESPN or NBA regional sports broadcast) Minnesota vs Chicago NBA game. However, ESPN doesn't seem to be airing NBA Countdown that day, instead choosing to air another NBA basketball game at 7pm, while then joining the Minn./Chicago game in progress.

I suppose it's possible that some ESPN regions will get NBA Countdown at 7pm followed by the Minnesota/Chicago game at 8pm, whereas the majority of the US will just get the other NBA game (Clippers vs Pistons) at 7pm (and then the joined in progress Minn/Chic game), but my guess is that there will be no NBA Countdown show, and TSN2 will just sub in some filler programming as it often does. It seemed too good to be true when I first noticed it today (via Rogers guide, Zap2it and TSN website), and now it looks like it was indeed too good to be actually true. But at least TSN2 thought about airing it, if it were to be aired. Fingers still crossed it airs.]

[PokerFace]

It's not listed on Zap2It, the Rogers guide, or even the TSN website, but TSN 2 is now showing ESPN 2's NFL Live because it's covering the Phil. Eagles Parade (NFL Network is also airing the parade).

So it looks like there are constant updates to TSN programming that you wouldn't know about unless you tune into the actual channels themselves. Nothing surprising, but I just figured there wouldn't be that many.

[PokerFace]

It's another Raptors night for TSN, so no NBA Countdown over there, thus off to pirate land I go.
Michelle, ma belle ... Why does Bell take you away from me? ... my Michelle.

With a lot of auto-tuning, Bell should be able to Launch this singer to superstardumb: