New England Sports Network

NESN has provided coverage of the Boston Red Sox's Major League Baseball games since the network's initial spring training game broadcast upon its March 21, 1984 launch. NESN now carries full coverage of Red Sox games (with the exception of some games nationally broadcast on Fox and ESPN) as well as in-depth pre-game and post-game shows. For its first two decades, NESN split coverage with broadcast television stations in the team's market territory, with an increasing number of games moving to NESN. Since 2006, NESN is the exclusive home of all Red Sox games that are not nationally televised, using the slogan "One Nation, One Network" to signify this. In 2006, NESN became the first regional sports network to broadcast all Major League Baseball games in high definition (however, spring training games continued to be broadcast in standard definition until 2012), through the launch of its simulcast feed NESN HD.

For Red Sox game broadcasts, Dave O'Brien serves as the play-by-play announcer with Jerry Remy as his color commentator and Guerin Austin serving as the field reporter. In 2009, Remy took an indefinite leave of absence for most of the season due to health complications stemming from his November 2008 lung cancer surgery. During that season, several people filled in including Dennis Eckersley and Dave Roberts. Remy returned to the booth that August.[5]

On August 25, 2015, NESN announced that former announcer Don Orsillo would no longer call Red Sox games following the 2015 season. In 2016, he would be replaced by O'Brien, who has called games for the Red Sox Radio Network since 2007.[6][7] Fox Sports San Diego subsequently announced that Orsillo had been hired as the new play-by-play voice of the San Diego Padres, succeeding Dick Enberg (who would be retiring after the 2016 season).[8]

Following each game telecast, NESN airs W.B. Mason's Extra Innings and Red Sox Final, in which Tom Caron and one or more of the studio analysts from the pre-game show deliver a wrap-up of that night's game from the studio. The team presents highlights and statistics from the preceding game and often have a team member of the Red Sox on hand to get their take on the game. This hour of coverage also focuses on the game to be played next on the preseason/seasonal game schedule, as well as news from the league. The post-game is usually not covered if the Red Sox play a game held on the west coast; NESN Sports Today immediately follows the game in those instances. Since 2006, NESN has broadcast the postgame show from its Watertown studios; it had previously been broadcast from its Fenway Park studio.[9]

NESN's Hockey East Friday Night showcases college hockey games from all ten Hockey East teams, including Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern University. In addition, NESN airs the Beanpot tournament, the Hockey East playoffs and the Hockey East championship game. Tom Caron primarily handles the play-by-play for college hockey coverage, with Craig Janney or Billy Jaffe serving as color analyst. Game coverage also includes analysis from John Chandler and Brendan Walsh. For the Beanpot, either Boston Red Sox announcer Don Orsillo or Tom Caron have traditionally handled the play-by-play in past years, with Boston Bruins announcer Andy Brickley handling color commentary.[10]

As of 2016, NESN is the regional home for all UMass Minutemen home football games. These games are produced and distributed by Eleven Sports.[11] In the 2016 season, American Sports Network produced the telecasts, called by Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Andy Gresh (color commentary). NESN aired all six home games in 2016, including one against an SEC opponent. This package was announced in conjunction with the Minutemen becoming an independent in football. [12]

Since 2014, the network has featured Southern New Hampshire University athletics, including baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's soccer, as a part of its regular programming lineup. Scott Sudikoff handles the play-by-play duties for the soccer matches. Dan Hannigan serves as the play-by-play announcer for the men's and women's basketball games. In addition, Jacob VanRyn serves as the color commentator for basketball and soccer and the anchor for baseball and softball.[13]

NESN also airs college football and basketball games from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which are usually produced by Fox Sports Networks.[3]

NESN airs several minor league baseball games from the Pawtucket Red Sox (a AAA affiliate of the Red Sox) each season, as well as Futures at Fenway, a doubleheader featuring the PawSox and the Portland Sea Dogs. Tom Caron handles the play-by-play with Bob Montgomery as color commentator.

Since 2008, NESN has aired the New England Regional Little League Tournament each August. Currently, Tom Caron and Adam Pellerin handle play-by-play duty for the tournament, while Bob Montgomery serves as the color commentator.

Since November 2015, NESN airs the home games of the Boston Pride of the National Women's Hockey League.

NESN also broadcasts tape-delayed matches of select Premier League games televised by Fox Soccer Plus (most of which feature Liverpool F.C., which is owned by NESN parent holding company New England Sports Ventures).[14][15] NESN also airs various soccer and tennis matches.

• Bruins Classics – A showcase of vintage Boston Bruins games condensed to fit a one-hour time slot.[16]
• Celebrity Spotlight
• Charlie Moore Outdoors – A fishing and outdoors show, hosted by Charlie Moore.
• Dirty Water TV – A lifestyle show covering the best parties, hottest venues, and coolest destinations in New England nightlife[17]
• Dining Playbook – A sports-themed look at the New England food and dining scene featuring celebrity chefs and favorite restaurants of local athletes
• Friday Night Fenway – a half-hour program that airs before the Red Sox pregame show on Friday nights when the Red Sox play a home game. Tom Caron serves as host, along with a rotating group of analysts.
• Golf Destination
• NESN After Hours – A weeknight one hour infotainment program that debuted on December 2, 2019, replacing NESN Sports Today, typically airing between 10p-12a and repeated from 4AM-6AM the following morning.
• NESN Clubhouse – A live Red Sox pregame show aimed at children; airs on Sundays when NESN is scheduled to broadcast a Red Sox game.
• NESN Sports Update – A 20-minute sports news show pre-recorded the night before repeated throughout the 6-10 AM time period (6-9 AM Saturdays and Sundays.)
• NESN Sports Weekend - A 30-minute sports news show that airs from 10PM-12AM Saturdays and Sundays and repeated on Sunday and Monday mornings from 4-6 AM.
• The Brick's – An awards show showcasing the top moments and players from the first half of the Bruins' season; a postseason edition of the show is also broadcast.
• Red Sox Classics – A showcase of old Red Sox games that have been deemed classics because of an event of significance that occurred in the game or a player achieving a certain record. Walk Off Sox is essentially identical, but incorporating games that featured a walk-off win by the Red Sox.
• The Red Sox Report – A Red Sox analysis program hosted by Tom Caron.
• The Remy's – An awards show showcasing the top moments and players from the first half of the Red Sox's season; a postseason edition is also broadcast. Jonathan Papelbon was named the inaugural "Top Dawg" recipient in 2006.
• Ring of Honor Wrestling (started in June 2015)
• Sox in 2/Bruins in 2 – A two-hour replay of the previous night's game, usually aired at 12:00 a.m. and on the following day in the early afternoon (it is not aired when the Red Sox and Bruins play a game in the Pacific Time Zone).
• The Ultimate Red Sox Show – A weekly show recapping the week in Red Sox Nation.
• Wicked Bites – A show focusing on some of the more fun and unique food destinations throughout New England.

• The Big Bad Bruins Live – A weekly look into the happenings of the Boston Bruins, focusing on the top stories of the week surrounding the team, with segments about its history. The show is hosted by Dale Arnold and features a rotating panel of expert analysts.
• The Instigators Live – A debate show featuring Bruins analysts that focuses on the latest hockey news, hosted by Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley and Billy Jaffe. The program was originally hosted by Edwards, Brickley and Mike Milbury; with Bob Beers and Lyndon Byers as substitutes.
• NESN Live – Nightly sports news program featuring live reports and coverage of all of the major sports teams in the Boston area, cancelled in February 2018.
• Breakfast with the Sox/Breakfast with the Bruins – A one-hour replay of the previous night's Red Sox or Bruins game. Originally aired when the Red Sox played a game on the west coast, it was later expanded to air every morning after a game; a version focusing on Bruins games debuted in 2007. The program ended in November 2010 when NESN began airing a simulcast of Dennis and Callahan.
• Dennis and Callahan – A three-hour simulcast of a WEEI weekday morning sports talk show hosted by John Dennis and Gerry Callahan.
• NESN's Comedy All Stars – A half-hour series featuring various stand-up comics; most of the jokes are geared towards Boston sports.
• NESN Daily – A nightly half-hour sports news program that debuted on August 6, 2010, replacing SportsDesk; the program ended on June 10, 2013.
• NESN Sports Today - A nightly half-hour sports news program that replaced NESN Daily in June 2013 and was replaced by NESN After Hours in December 2019
• Pocket Money – A half-hour game show, hosted by Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald (played by Nick Stevens), that took place on the streets of Boston, in which fans were asked sports trivia questions. SportsTime Ohio and SportsNet New York air a similar program called Beer Money.
• Red Sox Hot Stove – A Red Sox program airing during the Major League Baseball offseason; hosted by Tom Caron, the program also features appearances from many guest stars such as Gordon Edes, Nick Cafardo and Jerry Remy.
• Sox Appeal – A Red Sox-themed reality dating show that debuted in August 2007, which followed a man or woman during three, two-inning-long blind dates that take place over the course of one of the team's games.
• SportsDesk – A twice-daily half-hour program that featured reports on teams of importance to New England viewers and their players. It was generally shown during the evening after Red Sox or Bruins game coverage. NESN also reran the program in half-hour blocks from 5:00 to 8:00 a.m. (or 9:00 a.m. on mornings when the Bruins or Red Sox did not play). Jade McCarthy and Cole Wright were the lead anchors; Jayme Parker served as a reporter. Regular contributors included Tony Massarotti, former Celtic Dana Barros, former Patriot Ted Johnson, Mike Adams and James Murphy.
• SportsDesk Lights Out – A weekly wrap-up program that aired Sundays at 10:00 p.m. with a rebroadcast at 11:00 p.m. It was hosted by Cole Wright or Jade McCarthy, and generally covered the top sports stories of the week.
• UFC Wired

• Kim Adams — Connecticut Sun color commentator
• Dale Arnold – Bruins studio host
• Guerin Austin – Bruins rinkside reporter and Red Sox field reporter
• Andy Brickley – Bruins color commentator and host of On Course with Andy Brickley
• Robyn Brown – Connecticut Sun sideline reporter
• Tom Caron – Red Sox studio host and Hockey East play-by-play
• Matt Chatham – NESN Sports Today football insider
• Lenny DiNardo – Red Sox studio analyst
• Dennis Eckersley – Red Sox studio analyst and fill-in color analyst
• Jack Edwards – Bruins play-by-play
• Jonny Gomes – Red Sox studio analyst and fill-in color analyst
• Cealey Godwin - Co-host of NESN After Hours
• Bob Heussler – Connecticut Sun play-by-play
• Billy Jaffe – Bruins studio analyst
• Sophia Jurksztowicz - Bruins rinkside reporter
• Sarah Kustok – Connecticut Sun color commentator
• Emerson Lotzia, Jr. - Co-host of NESN After Hours
• Rebecca Lobo – Connecticut Sun color commentator
• Steve Lyons – Red Sox studio analyst and fill-in color commentator
• Carolyn Manno - fill-in anchor/reporter
• Charlie Moore – host of Charlie Moore Outdoors and Bruins Academy
• Barry Pederson – Bruins studio analyst
• Jerry Remy – Red Sox color commentator
• LaChina Robinson – Connecticut Sun color commentator
• Jim Rice – Red Sox studio analyst
• Tim Wakefield – Red Sox studio analyst
• Dave O'Brien – Red Sox play by play

NESN HD is a high definition simulcast feed of NESN that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format. It is available to cable providers throughout New England, AT&T U-verse (in Connecticut), Comcast (in most of New England), Verizon FiOS and nationally on DirecTV and Dish Network. When the HD feed launched in April 2006, promotions for NESN's Red Sox game telecasts used the tagline "Red Sox Tradition in High Definition" to promote its high definition broadcasts. The feed broadcasts Red Sox and Bruins games, and other original programming in HD.

NESNPlus is a gametime-only overflow feed of NESN that operates in the event that two sports events NESN has the rights to are subject to scheduling conflicts. Originally, Comcast systems in the region utilized New England Cable News or CN8 to carry the NESNPlus broadcasts, while other systems placed NESNPlus on an otherwise unused or local public access channel. DirecTV added NESNPlus in both standard definition and high definition on April 11, 2009.

Some Atlantic Coast Conference telecasts may also be moved to NESNPlus in the event of a conflict with NESN's Red Sox or Bruins coverage, especially when a televised Boston College sports event takes place. NESN posts updated channel listings on its website, nesn.com/nesnplus, for the majority of events airing on the channel.

NESNgo is a TV Everywhere service offering live streaming of NESN programming to subscribers on participating service providers. It launched in May 2017.[21]

NESN National is a separate feed of NESN for cable systems located outside of New England. It carries alternate programming during Red Sox and Bruins games, but does air the network's pre-game and post-game shows. Launched in September 2010, Time Warner Cable became the first provider to carry the national feed, initially on its systems in North and South Carolina.[22] Bright House Networks added NESN National on its Michigan systems on November 1, 2010.[23] NESN National differs from the national feed of NESN that is available on DirecTV and Dish Network, in which Red Sox and/or Bruins games are viewable outside of New England with a subscription to MLB Extra Innings and/or NHL Center Ice.

NESN.com generally contains sportswriting, with a minimum of video content, compiling general Boston team and national sports news, along with other sections involving professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, automotive, fantasy sports and sports betting.[24] The site is affiliate with the Fox Sports website, and syndicates some content.[25]

The site's set up is in a focused manner that divides it into separate sections where different sports writers cover each scene. In this way, NESN reporters produce original content that develops in their field areas. Some reporters are full time exclusively to NESN.com while other stories are contributed by NESN reporters from other fields of NESN, such as broadcasting.

The content and construction of the articles themselves vary drastically. Some provide in-depth analysis of current events happening with Boston teams, while others provide quick updates with videos. A majority of the articles, however, are purely factual and present interviews with players and coaches. Some articles also focus on new trade rumors or free agent pick ups. The primary subscriber and reader of NESN.com is male.[26] NESN.com is the most recently added product that contributed to NESN being "the eighth-most valuable sports brand in the world in 2013."[27]