Zenith To Sponsor CBS And UPN HDTV Primetime Programming

16-Oct-03

CBS and UPN announced that they have partnered with Zenith to broadcast scripted primetime television programming in high-definition. The partnership marks CBS's fifth consecutive year of offering its primetime programming in HDTV and the first year for UPN, which will kick off HDTV broadcasts with ""Star Trek: Enterprise"" and ""Jake 2.0"" starting Wednesday, October 15 (8-10pm ET/PT).""We've very pleased Zenith is partnering with CBS for the third year in a row to sponsor our primetime comedies and dramas in high-def, and we are very excited to be working with them on UPN's first ever HDTV broadcasts, which serves as a giant step toward a sharper, clearer future,"" said Leslie Moonves, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, who also oversees UPN. ""CBS was the first network to broadcast HDTV primetime, daytime and major sports, and now those same CBS executives are lending their expertise and leadership to launching UPN's high-definition efforts.""""'Star Trek: Enterprise' and 'Jake 2.0' are the perfect shows for UPN to make its high-definition television debut as we showcase the spectacular special visual effects of these shows with the richness and clarity of HDTV images,"" said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, UPN. ""This is just the beginning, and we're looking forward to expanding our high-definition broadcast to other nights of our schedule.""""Zenith is proud to be CBS's exclusive primetime HDTV sponsor for the 2003-2004 season, and especially proud this year to participate in UPN's exciting HDTV launch. This alliance builds on CBS's leading role in HDTV programming and Zenith's HDTV technology leadership as a primary developer of the U.S. digital television broadcast standard,"" said T.J. Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith, a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Electronics Inc.""Star Trek: Enterprise"" and ""Jake 2.0"" will be produced in 1080i. This season, UPN will also broadcast select feature films presented on the UPN Movie Friday in HDTV beginning with the broadcast network premiere of ""Double Take"" on Friday, October 24 (8-10pm ET/PT). CBS is currently the industry leader in HDTV programming, broadcasting, on average, 25 hours per week of high-definition television, more than any other broadcast network, and more original HD programming per week than any other network. One hundred and fifty-one of CBS's owned and affiliated stations are currently broadcasting in digital, covering approximately 91.5 percent of the nation and by the end of the year will reach 95 percent. This year, CBS is presenting in HD its leading Sunday NFL game each of the 17 Sundays of the regular NFL season. For the last four years, CBS also has broadcast HD productions of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and Championship Games, as well as The MastersÆ Golf tournament. CBS also broadcast the 2001 Super Bowl and all of the 2003 AFC Playoffs in HDTV. In June 2001, CBS became the first to broadcast HD in daytime when it commenced daily weekday HD broadcasts of ""The Young And The Restless.""