ESPN
The extraordinary and always-captivating career of legendary college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale is chronicled in ESPN’s newest documentary, “Dickie V.”
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The documentary will premiere on ESPN+ on Wednesday, July 20, and it will then make its cable debut on Saturday, July 23, at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Here’s a full rundown of all the different ways you can watch “Dickie V” online:
ESPN+
The only way to watch “Dickie V” before Saturday is on ESPN+:
ESPN+ includes every 30-for-30 documentary, dozens of different live sports and additional original content (both video and written) all for $6.99 per month (or $20.97 for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch “Dickie V” on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
DirecTV Stream
If you can wait until the cable premiere on Saturday, DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “Dickie V” live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
FuboTV
Another option for the cable premiere on Saturday, you can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch “Dickie V” live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
‘Dickie V’ Preview
“Dickie V” is a new film that chronicles ” the remarkable life and career of Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale, ESPN’s voice of college basketball for more than four decades.” In recent years, Vitale has been battling cancer, which is a focus of the film, according to the ESPN press release.
The press release reads:
Weaving through the present and the past as it chronicles Vitale’s struggle against melanoma, lymphoma, and ulcerated lesions on his vocal cords with raw, revealing scenes of the broadcaster in the hospital and recovering at home, the documentary also offers a history of ESPN, considering Vitale’s time at the network goes back to its origins. He called the first-ever college basketball game the network aired, Wisconsin at DePaul on December 5, 1979.
Since then, he’s done more than a thousand games, his thorough knowledge of the sport brought forth in an enthusiastic, passionate, and never boring style. His “Vitale-isms” have taken on a life of their own, with “Awesome, baby!,” “Get a T.O., baby!”, “PTP’er” (primetime player), M&M’er (a mismatch), “Diaper Dandy” (freshman star), and many more all becoming part of the vernacular.
Along with so many tremendous moments on camera, there’s also been Vitale’s devotion to fighting cancer, well before he was stricken with the disease, a passion originally ignited by his dear friend, college basketball coach Jim Valvano. Vitale’s focus has long been fighting pediatric cancer in particular, and he has helped raise tens of millions of dollars for the cause. The timing of the film is especially poignant considering the 83-year-old Vitale’s recent battle with cancer, and his upcoming honor at the ESPYs as the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
The film features more than 40 original interviews including Magic Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski, Charles Barkley, John Calipari, Robin Roberts, Chris Berman and Mike Tirico, among many other leading voices from college basketball, sports broadcasting, and beyond, “Dickie V” is a fun, unforgettable, moving, inspirational ride through an incredible life still being lived, and a poignant tribute to a man still spreading love and joy wherever he goes.
“Everyone knows the Dick Vitale that shows up with an energetic smile and enthusiastic conversation, but there is so much more to his character beyond his ‘Vitale-isms’,” said director Nick Nanton, who produced the film under his Astonish Entertainment label in association with The Montag Group, in a statement. “In the process of making this film, I realized that his tenacity and heartfelt personality came from a place of deep hurt and a desire to help anyone who had felt the depths of loss he had felt.
“From childhood bullying by his peers due to the loss of his left eye, to a meteoric rise in coaching, only to be unceremoniously ousted from his dream job as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, to a ‘second career’ in broadcasting that turned out to be his true calling, Vitale’s journey of resilience is one that I know will resonate universally. His is a story of loss, triumph, giving and humanity. It’s one I simply had to tell.”