FOX Sports, PBA Announce Expanded Television Schedule for 2020
Go Bowling! PBA Tour Includes Additional Live Telecasts, Five Majors and More
LOS ANGELES – Today, FOX Sports and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) announced the 2020 Go Bowling! PBA Tour television schedule, which includes more shows on the FOX broadcast network, the first show featuring women bowlers and more live telecasts. The announcement was made today by Bill Wanger, Executive Vice President, Head of Programming and Scheduling and PBA CEO Colie Edison.
The second year of the PBA-FOX Sports agreement features six telecasts on FOX, the most PBA action on network broadcast TV since 1999. Plus, there will be 25 shows on FS1 and a total of 23 live broadcasts, the most in 12 years (up from 19 live shows last year). Altogether, the 2020 TV schedule includes more than 60 hours of coverage.
“We are delighted to expand our Go Bowling! PBA Tour offerings,” says Wanger. “In our first season, we brought new energy and excitement to the tour, highlighting the star bowlers and enhancing the broadcasts with Kegel’s Specto ball-tracking technology StrikeTrack to provide real-time ball tracking during all events.”
Kicking off the 2020 PBA on FOX season will be a bonus event - PBA Clash - on Sunday, Nov. 3 on FOX. The 90-minute telecast will feature top PBA stars in a unique, $50,000 winner-take-all competition, plus a look at the new year and upcoming events on FOX and FS1.
“We’re making major investments in the PBA and the future of the tour by expanding TV coverage and increasing prize money across our tournaments,” said Edison, the PBA’s CEO and Chief Customer Officer of Bowlero Corp, its parent company. “Bowlero Corp purchased the PBA with the goal of strengthening its presence throughout all media and our partnership with FOX is an essential part of that objective.”
Other highlights of the 2020 PBA on FOX Sports schedule include:
• Live coverage of five PBA major championships: the PBA Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Feb. 9, from suburban Akron, Ohio; the PBA Players Championship on Saturday, Feb. 15, from Columbus, Ohio; the US Open on Sunday, Feb. 23, from Lincoln, Nebraska; PBA World Championship on Wednesday, March 18, from Las Vegas, and the United States Bowling Congress Masters on Sunday, March 29, from Reno, Nevada.
• Revolutionary coverage of professional bowling’s biggest event, the PBA World Series of Bowling XI. Five consecutive days of WSOB coverage, including live finals of four PBA title events, will air from Las Vegas, March 15-19.
• The PBA Playoffs are back bigger and stronger, taking place from April 6 through May 17. The playoffs will be held in four different locations, allowing fans across the country to see their favorite bowlers in the exciting tournament.
• The PBA/PWBA Mixed Doubles take place on Sunday, July 5 live on FS1 from Denver and will include the debut of professional female bowlers on FOX Sports.
• The PBA League team competition returns to Portland, Maine, where the hometown team looks to defend its PBA League title in four live primetime telecasts on FS1 for three consecutive nights, July 21-23.
Viewers can live stream the PBA shows on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com.
In addition to the 60 hours of broadcast television, FOX Sports digital also will play a key role in expanding the PBA’s visibility. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Additional details concerning tournament formats, host bowling centers and more, will be announced by the PBA soon through the PBA Network’s social media outlets.
2020 PBA-FOX SPORTS GO BOWLING! PBA TOUR SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern)
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