CBS Sports And DirecTV Join To Present ""The NFL On CBS"" In HDTV

7-Aug-03

CBS Sports and DirecTV, Inc. will join to present CBS's primary game each week of the 17-week 2003 ""NFL On CBS"" regular-season schedule in high-definition television, live on the CBS Television Network. The announcement was made by Sean McManus, President, CBS Sports and Roxanne Austin, President & COO, DirecTV, Inc.The ""NFL On CBS"" primary game broadcast will be in 1080i, and also will be made available to subscribers of DirecTV's exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package throughout the 17-week regular-season schedule. Both over-the-air and DirecTVÆ customers must have appropriate HD-enabled equipment to be able to view the games. The HD games will be regionalized on the CBS Television Network, but on NFL Sunday Ticket will be subject to the NFL's hometown blackout rule only when the hometown stadium is not sold out. The designation of the HD game will be determined on a week-to-week basis. These games are being offered as part of a five-year agreement with the National Football League for exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket. The agreement between CBS and DirecTV is for the 2003 regular-season only and will be evaluated for renewal after the 2003 season.The unified productions for the standard-definition and HD telecasts will feature the same game announcers, camera angles, replays, and graphics. Each HD game also will be broadcast in 5.1 DolbyÆ Digital sound. Coupled with the clarity of 1080 lines of picture resolution, the HD broadcast will bring the stadium experience to the viewers' home.""There is no better sports property than the NFL to showcase what HDTV can mean for viewers,"" said McManus. ""CBS is the undisputed leader in HDTV programming, and we are proud to partner with DirecTV in furthering our commitment to something that is making sports programming more enjoyable everyday.""""Avid football fans turn to DirecTV for the most comprehensive football coverage every Sunday during the regular season, and our agreement with CBS to offer NFL games in HDTV for the first time makes our exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package even more appealing,"" said Austin. ""Only DirecTV has NFL Sunday Ticket and only DirecTV will offer NFL games in HDTV nationwide. Try as it might, cable just can't match us.""CBS Sports was the first ever to broadcast a professional football game in high-definition format on Sunday, November 8, 1998 when the historic broadcast featured the AFC East Division co-leaders, Buffalo Bills against the New York Jets live on the CBS Television Network. The game was the first of four high-definition games presented by CBS Sports during the 1998 season. The initial game, which served as a test of CBS's HDTV capabilities, was transmitted in high-definition only from WCBS-TV New York. The three subsequent high-definition match ups were transmitted nationally to all CBS-owned stations and affiliates with digital capability. The live HDTV telecasts were produced and transmitted independent of the regularly scheduled CBS Sports National Football League coverage that was broadcast on the traditional analog network. CBS also had an agreement with DirecTV to give these games national distribution in HD.CBS Sports kicks off its 44th season broadcasting the NFL, highlighted by Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, on Sunday, September 7 (12:00 noon) with ""The NFL Today,"" the network's pre-game studio show, followed by a full slate of seven games in week 1.Last month, DirecTV launched a new high-definition programming package for $10.99 per month that includes ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theaterô, HDNet, and HDNet Movies. DirecTV also offers HBOÆ HDTV and SHOWTIME HDTVÆ as part of their premium packages, as well as HD PPV movies for $4.99 each. To access HDTV channels, consumers may purchase a DirecTV-enabled high-definition set-top receiver, and a single 18 x 20- or 18 x 24-inch multi-satellite dish with three LNBs. DirecTV-enabled HD receivers and triple-LNB satellite dishes are available from authorized DirecTV retailers nationwide.For more information about DirecTV, visit www.directv.com.

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