Sports in HD, Why no ESPN? (1 Viewer)

[John Berggren]

Although I'm not a sports fanatic (there is little I follow, and none on television), I have to imagine that HD sports would sell televisions. Why haven't the television manufacturers encouraged ESPN to make HD feeds of their current broadcasts?

I had guests over last night who were utterly transfixed by HD Tennis on CBS, but dismayed when I informed them that I do not get ESPN in HD.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Check out HDNet on DriectTV. Latest brainchild of Ron Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavs. This is mostly sports.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

I don't understand this either. ESPN certainly has the finances and the clout, so why has there not been a single peep about HD? Strange.

Check out HDNet on DriectTV

That's a great alternative, but even so, it's no ESPN. ESPN is the Microsoft of sports broadcasting-it has no equal.

Bruce

 

[Michael St. Clair]

For ESPN to launch an HD channel would cost about 1000X as much as HBO and Showtime spend on their HD channels.

Showing HD movies is cheap, doesn't cost much more than showing regular movies.

Producing dozens of sporting events a week (trucks, cameras, crew, infrastructure) would be REALLY, REALLY expensive.

Advertisers are not yet willing to pay a premium for this.

Primetime network shows are largely underwritten, and still really cheap to produce (that is, not much more than their regular productions)...almost every drama and sitcom was already being shot on film anyway!

ESPN is taking a 'wait and see' approach and frankly I don't blame them.

 

[John Berggren]

I certainly agree that their outlay would be more sigificant than that of Showtime or HBO. However, they could start out with an outlay not too much more significant than WRAL in NC, where they do HD newscasts. Or CBS where they do HD sporting events. They don't need o start with every event, but if they started with their biggest events and worked their way towards full HD, I think it would be very successful.
Keep in mind this is coming from someone who won't necessarily watch ESPN (though I'm sure I'd host others doing so) but who would benefit from MORE channels following in ESPN's footsteps because ESPN will sell televisions.
For this, I wonder that Sony, or other manufacturers that stand to gain, could enter into an agreement to encourage such ESPN programming. Cameras for ad spots, transmitters for sponsorship. Everyone wins in the end.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

However, they could start out with an outlay not too much more significant than WRAL in NC, where they do HD newscasts. Or CBS where they do HD sporting events.

A 24-hour-a-day sports network with two channels launches a new HD channel that could realistically produce 1 or 2 events a week?

 

[John Berggren]

It would broadcast more than 1 or 2 events a week, but at the outset, 1 or 2 could be HD, and the rest a duplication of it's regular feed, upconverted if possible.

They then add more hours of HD programming as resources allow, faster than they anticipated, I would bet.

Most of these HD channels start off with 1 or 2 hours of HD and the rest SD content. Very few of them have 24x7 HD. It's a process, and it has to start somewhere.

 

[gregstaten]

I have a bit of inside info on ESPN's HD plans.

They are not currently producing anything in HD but have begun looking into HD production and post-production equipment. That said, I expect it will be at least a year or two until they do any HD product.

-greg

 

[DaveBB]

I thought I had read over at avsforum.com that ESPN had started construction this late spring/early summer on new buildings that will house HDTV capable studios and production facilities.

 

[David Hicks]

I would GLADLY pay a monthly premium for ESPN HD! DirecTV charges $12/mo for the HBO package...ESPN in HD would easily be worth that to most sports fans.

 

[John Tillman]

Check out HDNet on DriectTV. Latest brainchild of Ron Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavs. This is mostly sports.

Mark Cuban, not Ron... Whoever he is, I wish he'd get HDNET on Dishnetwork!

 

[Paul W]

I wish he'd get HDNET on Dishnetwork!

Not gonna happen (unless perhaps the merger between Dish and DTV is approved).

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Not gonna happen (unless perhaps the merger between Dish and DTV is approved).

The exclusivity deal with DTV is for a limited period and in fact HDNet is now shopping around to cable companies, something that they couldn't do until recently due to that same exclusivity deal.

IF the merger doesn't go through, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see DISH pick up HDNet if it matches both parties financial objectives.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Mark Cuban, not Ron...

I sit corrected. :b And, what’s worse I live in Dallas. :b :b And follow the Mavs.