Press Release Provided by FoxSports
LOS ANGELES – Today, FOX Sports announced the premiere of the PBA Clash on Sunday, Dec. 23, (2:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. ET), a 90-minute special showcase event featuring eight of the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour’s top stars, a preview of the 2019 FOX PBA series, and the debut of the unique Specto StrikeTrack ball-tracking analysis, which becomes a mainstay of FOX Sports’ coverage of PBA competition in 2019.
FOX and the PBA have entered into a multi-year contract with Kegel for the use of its Specto technology to provide real-time ball tracking during all events. Using Specto’s technology, StrikeTrack provides a completely new experience to the viewer with visual examples to support the action on screen. Viewers will see a live trace of the ball as it rolls down the lane, as well as ball speed, location and RPM, to name a few of the features.
“We are extremely excited about this new technology to debut on our PBA events,” said Zac Fields, FOX Sports Senior Vice President, Graphic Technology & Integration. “StrikeTrack is able to give insight into a match like never before to tell the story of exactly what’s happening. We believe this will take bowling coverage to another level. Designed specifically for bowling, StrikeTrack compares to FlightTrack for golf, which FOX introduced in 2015 and it’s now a standard in golf broadcasts.”
FOX PBA analyst Randy Pedersen is impressed by the StrikeTrack technology.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. This lets the viewers see where the ball is going down the lane, the speed, power, and how it impacts the pins and why that resulted in a strike or not,” he said. “It really helps quantify my analysis.”
Held at the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla., the PBA Clash is hosted by Rob Stone, with longtime PBA analyst Pedersen and reporter Kimberly Pressler. The telecast includes a $25,000 winner-take-all single-elimination competition with eight of the 2018 season’s leading money winners including Jason Belmonte, Anthony Simonsen, Dom Barrett, Andrew Anderson, EJ Tackett, Marshall Kent, Stuart Williams and Jakob Butturff.
The telecast also features profiles of the eight players, the announcement of the 2018 Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year and the Harry Golden PBA Rookie of the Year, and a preview of the historic 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule of FOX and FS1 telecasts.
The PBA on FOX makes its 2019 debut on FS1 on Sunday, Jan. 6 (11:00 a.m. ET), with live coverage of the PBA Hall of Fame Classic finals on from the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas.
During the 2019 season, viewers can live stream the PBA shows on the FOX Sports app, through the FOX and FS1 streams. The shows will be available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store or on connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku. In addition, all programs will be available on FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 on satellite radios and on the SiriusXM app.
For more information, visit FOX Sports Press Pass.
# # #
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century Fox’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FS1, FS2; FOX Sports Regional Networks, their affiliated regional web sites and national programming; FOX Soccer Plus; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App and FOX Sports GO. Also included in the Group are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network.
About PBA
Entering its 61st season in 2019, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is an organization of more than 3,000 of the best bowlers from 27 countries who compete in Go Bowling! PBA Tour, PBA International Tour, PBA50 Tour, and PBA, PBA50 and PBA-PWBA Women’s Regional events. In 2018, the PBA celebrated its 59th consecutive year of nationally-televised competition, reaching bowling fans around the world who follow PBA activities through the PBA Network which includes Xtra Frame on FloBowling, the PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, FOX Sports, FS1 and CBS Sports Network, and the PBA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. PBA sponsors include Barbasol, Brunswick, Ebonite International, FloBowling.com, GoBowling.com, MOTIV, 900 Global, PBA Bowling Challenge Mobile Game, Storm Products and the United States Bowling Congress, among others. Learn more at www.pba.com.
