FSN EXPANDS HIGH-DEF DISTRIBUTION,
WILL DELIVER 10 TRAIL BLAZERS GAMES THIS SEASON IN HD
HD Package for Comcast, BendBroadband, DirecTV and Dish Network Customers Debuts December 27
FSN has secured agreements with Comcast, BendBroadband, DirecTV and Dish Network to present ten Trail Blazers basketball games during the course of the 2006-07 season in high-definition television (HDTV). The first HD game will air on Wednesday, December 27th at 7pm when the Trail Blazers take on the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, live from the Rose Garden.
FSN Northwest is the leading provider of sports programming and production in the Northwest, including a new package of games on FSN HD that provides viewers a minimum of 120 live events per year in high-definition featuring the Trail Blazers, Seattle Sonics, Seattle Mariners and NCAA football and basketball. With carriage on cable and satellite providers throughout the network’s five-state region, high-definition events may now reach as many as 2.2 million homes of the more than 3.4 million homes that FSN Northwest services.
“The Northwest is proud to be known as the nation’s leader in taking new technologies and applying them to our daily routines, so local sports television can’t afford to be any different,” said Mark Shuken, Vice President and General Manager at FSN Northwest. “We’re fortunate to work with some of the most progressive teams and conferences in the nation and are proud to partner with them in meeting the evolving needs of our local community by producing our most popular events in this exciting format.”
Sports fans and television experts alike argue that game action is the absolute best application of the high-definition technology. With a clearer, sharper and more vibrant image, HD delivers a game into your home with the kind of detail that isn’t even available from the closest seat in the stadium. You’ll see the sweat on the pitcher’s forehead, the point guard’s eyes look up the court for an alley-oop, the receiver’s fingertip stretching out to make the touchdown grab with a clarity that won’t allow you to take your eyes off the television screen.
"We are pleased that Trail Blazers fans in Portland will now have an option to take in the games in this dynamic format," said Dick Vardanega, Trail Blazers’ Vice President, Broadcasting and Production. "The Trail Blazers are one of the original pioneering teams to debut this technology, and we are thankful that the partnership with FSN Northwest will allow us to serve those who are already enjoying the benefits of high-definition television."
The 10-game HDTV schedule features some of the most compelling matchups on the Trail Blazers home schedule, including:
12/27/06 vs. NO/Okla City 7:00 PM
12/29/06 vs. Philadelphia 7:00 PM
1/24/07 vs. Minnesota 7:00 PM
2/06/07 vs. Phoenix 7:00 PM
2/26/07 vs. Seattle 7:00 PM
3/03/07 vs. Sacramento 7:00 PM
3/11/07 vs. Golden State 6:00 PM
3/14/07 vs. Detroit 7:00 PM
3/18/07 vs. Seattle 6:00 PM
3/29/07 vs. Memphis 7:00 PM
Trail Blazers games in FSN HD are available on alternate channels on each of the following carriers:
Comcast Channel 788
DirecTV Channel 95
BendBroadband Channel 628
Over the course of the 2006-07 seasons, the 18 Fox-owned and operated regional sports networks are planning to produce nearly 900 live HD events, featuring more than 2,500 hours of programming, making them one of the nation’s most significant producers of local HD sports programming.
