ESPN’s 34th PBA Season Begins December 1

ESPN will begin its 34th season of PBA coverage with the PBA Cheetah Championship on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. ET. The 2013-14 schedule will feature seven two-hour events from the PBA World Series of Bowling V and the return of the PBA League, now in its second year. In all, ESPN will air 36 hours of PBA action through April 13 – up from 29.5 hours in 2012-13 – as part of its new five-year agreement with the PBA, announced earlier this summer.
Other highlights include:
- A live telecast of the opening round of PBA League competition Sunday, Jan. 26, at noon, from Thunderbowl Lanes in suburban Detroit;
- Seven PBA League telecasts, culminating with the Elias Cup Finals;
- The live presentation of the sixth annual Chris Paul PBA League All-Stars charity event from Lucky Strike-L.A. LIVE, airing Feb. 2;
- Live coverage of the USBC Masters on Feb. 23, and the PBA Tournament of Champions on April 6;
- A doubleheader telecast on January 19 at 3 p.m. that showcases the Round1 Japan Cup at 3 p.m., followed by the finals of the Teen Masters Grand Championship presented by the PBA, which will make its ESPN debut.
Mike Jakubowski is ESPN’s new PBA play-by-play voice. He has previously worked the PBA Summer Series on ESPN and for five years has been the “voice of the PBA” on its Xtra Frame streaming platform. Jakubowski will pair with longtime ESPN bowling analyst and PBA Hall of Famer Randy Pedersen, now in his 13th season. Former Miss USA Kimberly Pressler will serve as the sideline reporter, marking her fourth World Series of Bowling tour.
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network(s) |
| Sun, Dec 1 | 1 p.m. | Cheetah Championship | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Dec 8 | 1 p.m. | Viper Championship | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Dec 15 | 1 p.m. | Chameleon Championship | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Dec 22 | 1 p.m. | Scorpion Championship | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Jan 5 | 1 p.m. | World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by PBA | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Jan 12 | 1 p.m. | PBA50 Tour Finals and PBA Regional Players Invitational Finals | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Jan 19 | 3 p.m. | Round1 Japan Cup | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| 5 p.m. | Teen Masters Grand Championship | ESPN/WatchESPN | |
| Sun, Jan 26 | Noon | PBA League | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Feb 2 | 4 p.m. | Chris Paul PBA League All-Stars | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Feb 9 | 3 p.m. | PBA League | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Feb 16 | 3 p.m. | PBA League | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Feb 23 | 3 p.m. | USBC Masters | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Mar 2 | 3 p.m. | PBA League | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Mar 23 | 1 p.m. | PBA League Position Round | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Mar 30 | 4:30 p.m. | PBA League Wild Card Round | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Apr 6 | 1p.m. | PBA Tournament of Champions | ESPN/WatchESPN |
| Sun, Apr 13 | 2 p.m. | PBA League Elias Cup Finals | ESPN/WatchESPN |
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