On Thursday, NBCSN did a little something different during their 10 AM coverage window of the Barclays Premier League. Instead of airing one feature match and dumping the rest of the matches on Extra Time/Live Extra, NBCSN aired Premier League Breakaway, designed to be a RedZone style program bouncing around between the eight matches. All eight matches were available on Extra Time and Live Extra, meaning that if any fans simply wanted to watch a full match like usual, they could have their choice.
The debut effort of the program smashed the ball into the back of the net. Rebecca Lowe played the Scott Hanson/Andrew Siciliano role, guiding viewers through the cut-ins. She almost sounded exhausted as the show went on, especially as the cutaways grew more and more frequent. One common gripe about Lowe is that in the first half, she would essentially spoil the highlight before it. For example, she’d say “this goal just happened at the Etihad”, removing all suspense as to what the end result of the highlight between Manchester City and Sunderland. NBC apparently heard the complaints – in the second half, Lowe made her teasers more vague, saying (for example) “check out what just happened at the Etihad”. It added some suspense to the proceedings – in the first half, we knew what we were getting. In the second, we could be seeing a goal, a save, a card, a free kick, or whatever.
There was no analysis from Robbie Mustoe and Kyle Martino during Breakaway – their analysis came at the half and post-game, as usual. And while some up to the minute analysis would have been lovely, it could have put NBCSN behind the eight-ball when it came to recapping live action. There were four goals in a seven minute period during the Manchester City-Sunderland match – how could Mustoe and Martino been able to break any of those four goals down with any details at all? The replays provided by each match’s feed were sufficient, considering the format of the show.
I can understand why soccer fans wouldn’t like Breakaway. It’s chaotic, and there’s no nuance about it. Fans of 16 clubs were also missing the match they wanted to see in full, but in reality, fans of 14 of those clubs would have been forced to watch on Extra Time/Live Extra anyway. There also seemed to be some confusion about what was going on among some fans, and maybe emphasizing that the full matches could be viewed on the streaming platforms would help quell some complaints. I also wouldn’t mind seeing the RedZone-style double/triple box make an appearance instead of staggering the highlights that occur simultaneously. I’d imagine that when/if NBCSN rolls out Breakaway again, it’ll be more fine-tuned.
Breakaway isn’t something that can work every weekend for NBCSN. There are only three days each season where all 20 Premier League teams play on the same day – Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, and the final day of the regular season. Imagine one of those weekends where there are only five or six matches in the 10 AM window. Instead of cutting away between eight matches, you’re cutting away between six. That’s more time to stick around with downtime during matches, and while that’s fine if you’re focused on watching a full match, it can be a bit of a downer when you’re watching a show that’s nothing but live highlights. It’s like watching RedZone during the 4 PM window on a mid-year Sunday and there are only three or four games happening. Hey, enjoy the Raiders!
All in all, Breakaway was a success, but NBCSN shouldn’t overuse it. During those three days a year when every team is active, it would be great to see the feature return. I’d expect it comes back in four months on the season’s last day, and imagine the drama if the final day of the season will determine the champion, the teams advancing to the Champions League, and the relegated clubs. It would be pretty wild, and if NBCSN did that along with the “ten matches on ten networks” deal that they rolled out next year, Premier League fans would be in their glory.
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