Encore-HD coming on 2nd Quarter of 2004 on VOOM

[Sean Mota]

Encore-HD coming on 2nd Quarter of 2004 and it might show on VOOM?

Ken H has posted the following at AVSforum

From an interview with Bob Clasen, President of Sales and Marketing for Starz Encore Group.

CW: Have you modified your high-definition plans?
Clasen: High resolution is on the back burner, and Sharper Movies has been set aside for the time being. Encore HD will launch in the second quarter. And the Voom deal will make that service available as well. Operators clearly didn't want the high-res product. We were offering them an alternative to better manage their bandwidth. But the decision to go full HD has been made de facto.

Here's the entire article

 

[butlers]

EncoreHD,BUT no ESPN or INHD



I have seen on the updated website that they have Encore HD listed as coming soon in the Starz Plus Pack, but no mention of ESPN or INHD. Come on Voom, get off the movies and get some sports. I mean once ESPN HD and INHD are there, you will have the biggest surge in new subs, what is the hold up?

 

[Sean Mota]

See above. I merged your thread with this one. ESPN & INHD is still in negotiations. Enocore-HD deal was already done when VOOM added Starz-HD

 

[hd_SDI_1080i]

The delay is simple. ESPN by far is the most expensive of all basic cable channels. While I was at the last NAB I heard some smaller cable companies complain that ESPN accounted for at least 1/3 of overall of the end-users cable bill.

It appears that ESPN's position in negotiating is for cable/satellite companies to bundle its service into basic tiered packaging. My guess is that VOOM/Cablevision is standing firm on separating ESPN into a package much like Showtime and HBO so they will not have to raise the basic 39.95 package to something like 49.95. As ESPN has several channels and now HD a very good package could be created along with a regional sports channel at the $10 dollar amount. If anyone can beat ESPN up however - I'm sure its Cablevision so perhaps they might be able to squeeze it into a basic lineup.

I'm sure program licensing is going through the roof - however - after a tour of ESPN HQ in CT last month I can attest that the 10 bucks per subscriber a month is also paying for some serious glass and marblel