On Wednesday, ESPN announced MegaCast plans for the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament’s Final Four and National Championship, including the return of The Bird & Taurasi Show.
All three games feature several MultiCast options. The Bird & Taurasi Show airs on ESPN2 during the two Final Four games, airing at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET. The standard broadcast will air on ESPN for those two games. For the title game, The Bird & Taurasi Show moves over to ESPN, with the standard broadcast airing on ABC at 3 p.m. ET. Both The Bird & Taurasi Show and the standard broadcast can also be streamed via ESPN+.
Additionally, a pair of alternate broadcasts will be available on ESPN+.
One is the Beyond the Rim broadcast, an aerial angle with the standard commentary and extra stats. The other is the On the Rail broadcast, featuring natural sound and a full-length, end-to-end floor angle. The games will also have VR highlights available on Meta Xtadium and volumetric 3D highlights for studio coverage, social and digital outlets, and Meta Xtadium.
Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, and Holly Rowe, along with rules analysts Lisa Mattingly and Denny Meyer, will call the standard broadcast for all three games.
In the studio, Elle Duncan hosts alongside analysts Carolyn Peck, Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike, and newly-announced guest analyst Aliyah Boston.
The Bird & Taurasi Show has received critical acclaim since its 2022 debut. It returned last year, and even expanded to an NBA game on Christmas Day. It’s no surprise that ESPN is bringing it back again this year.
[ESPN]
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.