What Time and What Channel is the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers Game on in Hartford, Connecticut?

The New York Giants open the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday as they host the Carolina Panthers; in Hartford, Connecticut, long a Giants stronghold, many are wondering what television channel and what time the Giants game will be broadcast on.

The Hartford area serves as the dividing line between New York City and Boston sports fans. While the New England Patriots have plenty of fans in the area, there are at least as many fans of the Giants in the so-called insurance capital of the world. Hartford doesn't have a professional sports team of its own. Even as many in the area hope for a return of the Hartford Whalers NHL team, the region is really partially part of both Boston and New York City.

Hartford is largely split, roughly half and half, between rooting for the Yankees and the Red Sox and the Giants and Patriots. The New York Mets and New York Jets generally do not have the same type of fan bases that the older and more established Yankees and Giants franchises do.

As Boston and New York City are first and foremost baseball towns, Hartford tends to follow their lead. As far as professional sports go, baseball, particularly Yankee and Red Sox baseball, is king in the region. But there are huge numbers of professional football fans in every city in the country, and Hartford is certainly no exception.

For the Giants kickoff, there will be plenty of excitement in the Hartford area. Hartford has some great sports bars and they will undoubtedly be full for the game.

The Giants this year seem to be New York's forgotten team, which is ironic given that the Giants will probably always be the number one team in the New York City area. But their 'roommates', the New York Jets, are getting the buzz this year as their braggadocios head coach, Rex Ryan, their young quarterback, Mark Sanchez, and their appearance on HBO's hard knocks have combined to make them the 'it' team in the NFL. While the Jets did make the AFC Championship last year, they didn't win their division and were the recipient of many good breaks along the way on their journey.

For their part, the Giants are only two seasons removed from a Super Bowl championship, but their buttoned down nature, which extends from their owners to their head coach, Tom Coughlin, to their understated quarterback Eli Manning, has resulted in being the 'forgotten team' this year.

But the Giants are still a good team and are expected to challenge for the NFC East. Their sizeable fandom in the Hartford area will surely be cheering them on, and are likely wondering what channel and time the Giants and Panthers game is on. It will be shown on the local Fox affiliate, Channel 61, at 1:00PM Eastern Daylight Time.

Source: FOX-61 Hartford Website