• Loading stock data...
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

MSG Networks Partners With Overtime To Create A Unique Simulcast

msg-overtime-simulcast

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A single basketball game can cater to a wide variety of audiences but rarely will that ring truer than Sunday afternoon’s broadcast between the Knicks and Lakers.

Turn on MSG, and you’ll hear Kenny Albert and Clyde Frazier break down the battle of two of the league’s most storied franchises. Tune into MSG+, though, and the same action will instead be called by talent from Overtime.

The simulcast represents one of the first major collaborations between the legacy brand and the new media upstart after MSG Networks invested in the two-year-old company as part of a Series B funding round last month. It’s also the sort of experiment that could provide a glimpse into the future of sports broadcasting.

READ MORE: GENERATION Z’S IMPACT ON SPORTS CONTENT STRATEGY

“I think people still want to watch the game, they still want to understand what’s going on and those things ring true of traditional broadcasts,” says Zack Weiner, Overtime’s co-founder and president. “But they want the people on screen to maybe be a little bit more relatable, be able to incorporate more things about pop culture and ultimately, too, feel a little more like their friend.”

The melding point between tradition and innovation is a microcosm of MSG and Overtime’s budding partnership. Each has something the other wants. For MSG, it was better access to Generation Z, the elusive demographic that Overtime has been able to connect to like few other sports broadcast entities.

“It was not necessarily, ‘We need to do something for young people,’ but it was, ‘How do we start to engage this audience for the future?’” says Kevin Marotta, MSG Networks senior vice president of marketing and content. “There’s a recognition that there are some brands out there who do it really well. That sort of led us down the path with Overtime.”

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

For Overtime, it was MSG’s cache and assets, as well as the appeal of working with a legacy brand that Weiner credits for adapting well in the face of changes within the industry.

“There’s a lot of traditional media companies where I’ve walked into the room and talked about partnerships and it’s just very clear that the first step in any partnership with them is going to be them understanding that things have changed,” Weiner says. “I would say that’s either sort of inherent to companies or it’s not. And for MSG Networks, it felt very inherent. It felt like they understood that.”

All of that comes to a head on Sunday for game that will also make waves by becoming the first-ever regular season NBA game broadcast via FB Watch in the United States. MSG has prior experience with simulcasts thanks to a 2017 collaboration with Draft Kings that assessed the game through a fantasy-centric lens. They’ve decided to up the ante with this time around. The Overtime broadcast will be exclusively called by their own talent, including former Southern Illinois player Camron Smith, former Georgetown player Monica McNutt, Jesse “Filayyy” Jones and Laurence “Overtime Larry” Marsach. But MSG also has built out a custom graphics package to further differentiate the two broadcasts from one another.

“We really looked at this not as a ‘How do we tweak our broadcast with this new talent for a young audience?’ but, ‘How do we create a broadcast for this audience?’” Marotta says.

Both parties insist that Sunday is a test case, one they won’t judge by raw ratings nearly as much as metrics like watch time and social media engagement. Weiner, in particular, is optimistic about collaboration in a number of spaces moving forward, irrespective of how the simulcast is the start of something new or a one-off.

READ MORE: OVERTIME CAPITALIZES ON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BUZZ WITH OVERTIMEWBB

“Our sort of laboratory to experiment in, I would make the case that it’s extremely unique,” he says. “I think what we’re doing with a younger audience is pretty singular, and I think MSG’s rights portfolio and their established brand is incredible. When you put those things together, you create a really interesting sort of laboratory to play with it.”

Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about the simulcast as a jumping off point for a new sort of sports broadcast, one which finds a common ground that can appeal to any sort of audience.

“Do I think that doing one broadcast between MSG and Overtime is going to completely change everything? No,” Weiner says. “But do I think it’s a huge step in the right direction? Absolutely. I think both parties are going to learn a lot and think that both of our audiences are going to be really pleased with the product and say, ‘Oh, I want to see even more of that.’

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter looks on in the eighth inning between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

NBA Approves Mark Walter As New Lakers Owner

Walter has turned the Dodgers into a powerhouse.
May 20, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers and LA Sparks co-owner Todd Boehly watches during game three of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.
exclusive

Mark Walter’s Lakers Buy Includes Dodgers Co-Owner Todd Boehly

Jeanie Buss will retain a roughly 15% stake and remain team governor.
September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.

Featured Today

Christie's

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
October 18, 2025

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
October 18, 2025

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.
YouTube/ Multiple streaming services appear on a Roku TV.

YouTube in Another Carriage Dispute, This Time With Disney

ESPN and ABC could be dropped from the No. 4 U.S. pay-TV distributor.
May 17, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) shakes hands with New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) after the top of the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium.
October 23, 2025

Mets, Yankees, and the Nielsen Debate That Won’t Go Away

Weeks after the end of the MLB regular season, viewership issues remain.
Oct 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) keeps the ball away from Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half at Paycom Center
October 23, 2025

NBA’s NBC Return Draws 5.9M Viewers, Best Opener Since 2010

Thunder vs. Rockets peaked at 7.1 million viewers.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

TNT Sports is going all-in on college athletics—bringing fans closer and giving brands a powerful new way to connect.
Brian Windhorst
October 23, 2025

Brian Windhorst Details Emergency Landing on Omaha–L.A. Flight

The pilots and flight attendants had a communication issue.
October 22, 2025

YouTube Stars Help Bring Back Golf Channel’s ‘Big Break’

The show will return in 2026 after an 11-year hiatus.
Candace Parker
October 22, 2025

Candace Parker Wants NFL-Style Coverage From NBA Media

Amazon will stream its first NBA doubleheader Friday.
Netflix
October 21, 2025

Netflix Staying on the Sidelines As TNT Sports Parent Seeks Buyer

The streaming giant shows little interest in acquisition possibilities.