Dish Network to carry ALTITUDE Network

[Scott Greczkowski]

DISH Network First Major Distributor to Broadcast Altitude's Network of NHL's Avalanche, NBA's Nuggets

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 2004--EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) and Altitude Sports & Entertainment, a regional sports and entertainment network from Denver-based Kroenke Sports Enterprises, announced a multi-year carriage agreement to deliver Altitude, with its coverage of regional NHL, NBA and other games, to sports fans in 10 states via DISH Network satellite TV. The announcement was made today in Denver by EchoStar Vice President of Programming Eric Sahl and David Ehrlich, Chief Operating Officer of Kroenke Sports Enterprises.

Beginning in September, fans of the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Rapids can watch their teams on DISH Network channel 410 as part of its basic America's Top 60 Plus programming package and above.

Altitude will feature more than 130 live Avalanche and Nuggets regular-season games, plus other local and regional professional sporting events such as National Lacrosse League's Colorado Mammoth and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Altitude will also feature the best in regional amateur athletics, including both collegiate and high school contests, as well as entertainment and community programming.

DISH Network will broadcast Altitude to customers in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, western South Dakota, northeastern Nevada and northern New Mexico.

"This is a great week for KSE," said Ehrlich. "We introduce All-Star Kenyon Martin to the Nuggets fans and get a major distribution agreement for Altitude with our friends at EchoStar. Now anyone who has DISH Network satellite TV will have the opportunity to see the 2004-05 Nuggets, the Avalanche and other great programming."

As a marketing component of the agreement, Altitude will paint DISH Network's logo and Altitude's channel number on the Pepsi Center roof in Denver to make it visible to air traffic and high-rise buildings.

"For the very passionate Denver sports fans, DISH Network is now the first place they will look for all their professional hockey and basketball action," said EchoStar's Sahl. "Through satellite TV, we're broadcasting high caliber teams like the Nuggets and Avalanche to every square inch of Altitude's territory in a 10-state region."

"EchoStar once again has demonstrated its dedication and commitment to serving its customers by ensuring that Altitude will be available to fans and viewers throughout our region," said Jim Martin, Altitude Chief Executive Officer. "We truly appreciate the faith that EchoStar has shown in Altitude by becoming our first major distribution partner, and we intend, through our strength of programming and our marketing efforts, to make them very pleased that they have."

For more information on DISH Network and any of its products or services, call 800-333-DISH (3474), visit www.dishnetwork.com or contact your local DISH Network retailer. For information on Altitude, visit www.altitude.tv.

About Altitude

Altitude is scheduled for debut in September 2004 with programming from the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Colorado Eagles, the Big Sky Conference, Air Force Academy, Metro State, ESPN Syndication (including Big 12 Conference, Mountain West Conference and Western Athletic Conference events) and the RMAC, as well as other local and regional sports and entertainment programming. A full list of Altitude programming and other information can be found at www.altitude.tv.

About EchoStar Communications Corporation

EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) serves 10 million satellite TV customers through its DISH Network(TM), and is a leading U.S. provider of advanced digital television services. DISH Network's services include hundreds of video and audio channels, Interactive TV, HDTV, sports and international programming, together with professional installation and 24-hour customer service. DISH Network is the leader in the sale of digital video recorders (DVRs).

Visit EchoStar's DISH Network at www.dishnetwork.com or call 800-333-DISH (3474).

CONTACT: EchoStar's DISH Network

Marc Lumpkin, 303-723-2020

marc.lumpkin@echostar.com

or

Altitude

Tom Philand, 303-405-1199

tphiland@altitude.tv

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Yea the people in Denver can see their team....

Now how about the Yankees.... (Not that I want to see the Yankees)

Sometimes I feel that Dish Network is run out of the back of someones garage.

 

[GaryPen]

Sometimes I feel that Dish Network is run out of the back of someones garage.

I've heard that before.

 

[Dustin]

WOOHOO!!!

See it pays to live where Charlie lives!

Yankees? Who are the Yankees?

Cities with Passionate Sports Fans? DirecTV Knows

DirecTV and the Center for Sports Psychology think they know which city and its sports fans got game.

The satellite TV provider said Denver may have the most passionate sports fans, followed by Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York. DirecTV said it came to that conclusion after analyzing sporting event attendance and sales of its sports subscriptions as well as surveying sports reporters and sports fans nationwide.

The findings are in the first-ever Sports Fan Passion Index, a ranking of the most passionate sports fan markets. The index is a joint effort between the Center for Sports Psychology, a Philadelphia-based network of professionals that work with athletes, coaches, parents and fans nationwide, and the satellite TV company.

The index, which also ranks "sports sales" for DirecTV and other factors, can be found at: http://www.directv.com/sportspassion .

 

[GaryPen]

Yankees? Who are the Yankees?

They were the ones in the blue uniforms.

 

[kwajr]

of course its denver

 

[Carl B]

I'm shocked that Scott and others have viewed this event with such negativity. This was a major win for E* as the PIG (Comcast) was trying for an exclusive rights deal with Altitude Sports. That would have dis-enfranchised the DBS user NHL and NBA fans in the Rocky Mountain West. It also would have been and "in-your-face" to Charlie as Colorado is his "back-yard".

Altitude Sports is Kroneke's (Walmart fortune heir and owner of the NBA Nuggets, NHL Avalanche, Denver's Pepsi Center arena; as well as the NHL Rams) own broadcasting distribution company, formed after he yanked the Nuggets/Avalanche rights from Fox sports net. Kroneke is a major league player with very deep pockets. There is even talk here that Altitude Sports may be doing some HD in the near future. I wonder if that content would be compelling enough for Charlie to add it to the HD package?

I know those on the coasts don't think anybody lives in "fly-over country" or "lost time zone country", but Denver/Colorado professional sports have a wide regional following. Thus the 10 state coverage by E*. This is a big deal for E* and a lost, symbolic battle for Comcast.

 

[GaryPen]

This is a big deal for E* .

It certainly is. I think they oughta give away another 750 HDTV-in-a-box pacakges to celebrate.

 

[hancox]

I'm shocked that Scott and others have viewed this event with such negativity. This was a major win for E* as the PIG (Comcast) was trying for an exclusive rights deal with Altitude Sports. That would have dis-enfranchised the DBS user NHL and NBA fans in the Rocky Mountain West. It also would have been and "in-your-face" to Charlie as Colorado is his "back-yard".

Altitude Sports is Kroneke's (Walmart fortune heir and owner of the NBA Nuggets, NHL Avalanche, Denver's Pepsi Center arena; as well as the NHL Rams) own broadcasting distribution company, formed after he yanked the Nuggets/Avalanche rights from Fox sports net. Kroneke is a major league player with very deep pockets. There is even talk here that Altitude Sports may be doing some HD in the near future. I wonder if that content would be compelling enough for Charlie to add it to the HD package?

I know those on the coasts don't think anybody lives in "fly-over country" or "lost time zone country", but Denver/Colorado professional sports have a wide regional following. Thus the 10 state coverage by E*. This is a big deal for E* and a lost, symbolic battle for Comcast.

I think the negativity of this can be directed more at the RSN movement in general, rather than Altitude. Anyone who is a Yankee fan will tell you - YES has been an unqualified distribution disaster. Sure D* has it, but the fact that Steinbrenner and Charles Dolan (prez of Cablevision) had a pissing contest that locked out a fair majority of NYC missing out on Yankees games illustrates this. Being a Met fan, this is going to happen with them soon, and I'm not happy about it. Sure E* going to bat for their customers in the Denver area is good (albeit self-serving, esp. if you ask someone who wants YES), but do we REALLY need yet another RSN eatig bandwidth, esp when almost all of that programming is available from League Pass/Center Ice? Why not just pay them a royalty and open those feeds per zip code?

 

[bpasker8]

I feel the negativity is that it only gives something more to Charlie and those in his area. What about us that live outside those ten states? If I'm not important enough to get the new channel too, then maybe my money isn't important enough either.

 

[Dustin]

It's a regional sports network.

I live in Denver.

I don't want to watch Milwaukee, New York, Florida, sports here.

 

[hancox]

It's a regional sports network.

I live in Denver.

I don't want to watch Milwaukee, New York, Florida, sports here.

understood, but tell that to a Yankees fan who can't watch them on E*. Why should Denver get their RSN, and not NY, Milwaukee, etc?

 

[Dustin]

understood, but tell that to a Yankees fan who can't watch them on E*. Why should Denver get their RSN, and not NY, Milwaukee, etc?

Because Stan Kronke Is not as Greedy as George Stienbrenner?

 

[dlsnyder]

...Sure E* going to bat for their customers in the Denver area is good (albeit self-serving, esp. if you ask someone who wants YES), but do we REALLY need yet another RSN eatig bandwidth, esp when almost all of that programming is available from League Pass/Center Ice? Why not just pay them a royalty and open those feeds per zip code?

Unless I am mistaken those sports packages do not eat any additional bandwidth. You pay the extra money for the package then you watch the games from the RSNs on the remapped sports package channels. What will be eating extra bandwidth is having two RSNs for the inter-mountain West. What is Fox going to broadcast while there is an Avalanche or Nuggets game on? That's like half a year's worth of sports wrapup shows that few people will watch.

 

[bcshields]

How do you add channels without using bandwidth? Spotbeam?

 

[mwgiii]

Will it be available in the Sports Pack?

With the usual blackout restrictions of course.

 

[Carl B]

The Fox RSN for the mountain west has exclusive rights to the Colorado Rockies, now that their attendance and season ticket sales have tanked. I don't have a clue what they will broadcast during the 3 months that there isn't some form of MLB on-going.

BTW, my praise for Charlie on this one is now tempered by the fact that Altitude Sports offered him an HD startup deal for the Nuggets and Avalanche, but apparently it wasn't compelling, so no HD on the local NBA and NHL teams for at least another year. Oh, and the Avalanche games that get broadcast by HDNET will be blacked-out in metro-Denver.

 

[nhs510]

these networks are popping up everywhere...

http://www.c-set.com/