| Comcast Looking To Launch HD Sports Network? |
|
|
| Home Theater News What Is On In HD News | |
| Written by Jerry Del Colliano | |
| Friday, 10 November 2006 | |
|
TVPredictions.com
is reporting that Comcast is looking at creating an HD sports network
that would feature NHL hockey and professional golf. The Outdoor Life
Network, which recently changed its name to Versus, has the rights to
some NHL games, as well as a variety of other sporting events, but the
channel isn’t available in HD to most viewers.
Comcast, which owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, broadcasts not just Flyers games in HD, but also many other teams in other markets and on other cable systems. These channels are available locally, but are rarely if ever picked up as part of the national feed for DirecTV’s NHL Center Ice Package. Comcast produces localized sports reports not unlike those of Fox. Comcast has the money, the contracts and the ability to make such a sports channel work, which would be a great relief to Gary Bettman and the NHL. After a very dark period during their lockout, the league was forced to enter a somewhat unprecedented revenue-sharing agreement with NBC for national broadcasts, as well as smaller TV deals with OLN and HDNET. Even with HDNET in the fold, the NHL’s coverage can’t compare to that of other sports on the four major TV networks in terms of volume of games in HD, and in order to lure new viewers to the game, HDTV is less a luxury than a necessity. The wider screen size allows the viewer to see more of the action. The better resolution allows for new fans to follow the movement of the puck more easily. Overall, the experience of watching an NHL game in HDTV is as good as it gets for any sports or even movies, when you consider the effect of the bright white ice and the colorful jerseys flying about. It is a sight to behold, assuming you will be able to get such a channel on your provider. Historically, Comcast would keep a channel like this to lure subscribers to the cable system, but in order to do right by the NHL, which doesn’t have a TV deal with ESPN (which now has not one but two HD channels with mass distribution), they need to be on every provider in HD. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
|
