Notre Dame marathon on NBC Sports Network on New Year's Day

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/ FROM KEITH GROLLER NBC Sports Network kicks off the New Year with 10 hours of Notre Dame Football programming this Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, at noon. With no NHL Winter Classic to build around, the NBC Sports Network is looking for programming to compete with bowl games and who better than the BCS Championship game-bound Fightin' Irish. Here's the release: With No. 1 Notre Dame heading to the BCS National Championship, NBC Sports Network will re-air the team’s Sept. 22, 13-6 win against rival Michigan, followed by an encore showing of Onward Notre Dame: South Bend to Soldier Field, a special NFL Films-produced behind-the-scenes look at Notre Dame Football. Onward, which debuted in October, features the Fighting Irish and head coach Brian Kelly as they prepare to face Miami at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, a game Notre Dame won, 41-3. At 3 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network presents Notre Dame’s 20-13 overtime victory over Stanford, followed by the team’s thrilling triple overtime victory, 29-26, over Pittsburgh at 5 p.m. ET. Coverage continues with Senior Day and the Fighting Irish’s 38-0 shutout win over Wake Forest at 7 p.m. ET. The programming block concludes with an encore showing of Undefeated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Season in Review, a look back at the Fighting Irish’s magical season and look ahead to the team’s upcoming appearance in the BCS National Championship. Undefeated premiered on NBC on Sat., Dec. 22. NBC Sports Network’s Jan. 1 Notre Dame Football Programming (subject to change): Date Time (ET) Programming Tues., Jan. 1 Noon Michigan at Notre Dame Re-Air 2 p.m. Onward Notre Dame: South Bend to Soldier Field 3 p.m. Stanford at Notre Dame Re-Air 5 p.m. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame Re-Air 7 p.m. Wake Forest at Notre Dame Re-Air 9 p.m. Undefeated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Season in Review Notre Dame Football on NBC scored its most-watched season in seven years. The Fighting Irish averaged 4.4 million viewers and a 2.8 household rating for their seven games on NBC, up 69% and 67%, respectively, versus last year (2.6 million viewers and a 1.7 household rating). The 4.4 million average viewers this year is the best for Notre Dame Football on NBC since 2005 (5.2 million), while the 2.8 rating is the best since 2006 (3.0). ABOUT NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL ON NBC The NBC Sports Group and the University of Notre Dame began their landmark Notre Dame Football relationship in 1991, and have renewed their partnership numerous times, the latest in June of 2008 through 2015. NBC has the media rights for up to eight Notre Dame home games annually, including one off-site home game airing in primetime each year. Since 2010, NBC’s Notre Dame games have been streamed live on NBCSports.com and, beginning in 2012, on the NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets. During the 2012 season, NBC experienced its most-watched season since 2005 with viewership of Notre Dame Football averaging 4.4 million viewers and a 2.8 household rating, up 69% and 67%, respectively, over 2011.