ESPN Classic
May 29th, 2008
Launched in 1995 as Classic Sports Network by Brian Bedol and Steve Greenberg, it was purchased and renamed by ESPN (80% owned by Disney, 20% owned by Hearst) in 1997. The current logo incorporates the "boxer" logo that Classic Sports Network used. (Bedol and Greenberg went on to found CSTV (now CBS College Sports Network.)
In a cost-cutting move, the schedule (as of July 31, 2007) is largely composed of ESPN original programming, highlighting sports such as poker, bowling, and bass fishing, with less emphasis on re-airing classic games of major-league sports such as National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, NASCAR, Major League Baseball, and National Collegiate Athletic Association games. (Arena Football was added in March 2007 as part of the new TV contract between the league and ESPN, but was dropped by the time of the 2008 season.)
Many of the pro sports games once aired on ESPN Classic are available on NBA TV, NFL Network, MSG Network, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, New England Sports Network, SportsNet New York, YES Network, NHL Network and Versus, among other channels. However, most of the broadcasts on regional sports networks are subject to blackout away from the home team's territory.
In addition, the network presents some original programs (see below).
Despite the old-time feel of the network, ESPN Classic airs the network's standard "Bottom Line" with updates of current sports scores and news.
It is the only U.S.-based ESPN network (and one of two Disney-owned cable channels in the U.S.; ABC Family being the other) to air infomercials; they air from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. ET, seven days a week.
It has also changed from an emphasis on games of the distant past to games of the recent past. On many occasions, an event will have taken place within the current year.
The first live event to be shown on ESPN Classic was the implosion of the Seattle Kingdome in March 2000. More live sporting events have started appearing on the network as of 2005, including early-round grand slam tennis action and college football games due to either ESPN or ESPN2 scheduling conflicts. During ESPN's 25th anniversary, the network debuted ESPN Classic Live, special airings of College Basketball games complete with veteran commentators and old-style graphics. After late 2005 however, all live events on ESPN Classic began using the standard ESPN graphics package, and all graphics began using only the ESPN branding in February 2007.
In September 2006, ESPN Classic began broadcasting same-day taped coverage of UEFA Champions League soccer matches. These games air at 5 p.m. ET, shortly after a live game airs on ESPN2 at 2:45 p.m.
During September 2007, ESPN Classic aired the inaugural Champ Car World Series race at the Assen race course in the Netherlands live. Later that year, it showed the inaugural race at the Zolder Circuit in Belgium, and the annual event at Surfers Paradise, Australia.
Also in September, ESPN Classic began broadcasting live Saturday afternoon college football games on a weekly basis. The games are simlucast on broadcast television on stations affiliated with the teams involved with the game. There is also the "ESPN Classic Game of the Week, a rebroadcast of an ESPN/ESPN2/ABC live game, which shows every Sunday. Mike And Mike in the Morning was also seen on ESPN Classic during September, 2007 and again in January, 2008.
Starting on January 5, 2008, the network showed a weekly college basketball contest. The games are extensions of contracts ESPN has with various conferences, like the Big East, Big 12, and Mid-American.
Also in 2008, ESPN Classsic began re-airing the most up-to-date NHRA and IRL races on Monday Mornings.
ESPN Classic is the exclusive live television home of the annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
ESPNC will also continue to show sports events moved from ESPN or ESPN2 due to time overruns or other prior commitments. Examples include the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl and a number of NASCAR Countdown pre-race shows.
So, if you want to refresh your memorie with the best sports events in the world - ESPN Classic is the channel for you!
ESPN
April 24th, 2008
ESPN, which stands for for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day. It was founded by Scott Rasmussen and his father Bill Rasmussen and launched on September 7, 1979, under the direction of Chet Simmons, who was the network's first President and CEO (and later became the United States Football League's first commissioner). George Bodenheimer is ESPN's current president, a position he has held since November 19, 1998; since March 3, 2003, he has been the head of ABC Sports as well, which has since been rebranded as ESPN on ABC (though ABC Sports still legally has a separate existence). ESPN's signature telecast, SportsCenter, debuted with the network and aired its 30,000th episode on February 11, 2007. ESPN broadcasts primarily out of its studios in Bristol, Connecticut; it also operates offices out of Charlotte, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles office will open at L.A. Live in 2009. The network is available in over 100 million homes in the United States and over 150 countries and territories via ESPN International. The name of the sport company was lengthened to "ESPN Inc." in February 1985.
ESPN unofficially considers itself "The Worldwide Leader in Sports," a slogan that appears on nearly all company media but whose origin is unknown.
ESPN (along with the USA Network) was among the earliest cable-based broadcast partners for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lasting from 1982-84, the network's relationship with the association marked its initial foray into the American professional sports sector. After an eighteen-year hiatus, ESPN (by then, under the auspices of the ABC network), secured a $2.4 billion/six-year broadcast contract with the NBA, thereby revitalizing its historic compact with U.S. professional basketball.
In 1983, The United States Football League (USFL) made its debut on ESPN and ABC. The league (which lasted for three seasons and featured a New Jersey-based team, the Generals, owned by Donald Trump), enjoyed ephemeral success, some portion of which was a byproduct of the exposure afforded through ESPN's coverage.
In 1987, ESPN gained partial rights to the National Football League. The league agreed to the deal as long as ESPN agreed to simulcast the games on local television stations in the participating markets, which continues today. ESPN Sunday Night Football would last for 19 years and symbolize ESPN's rise from novelty network to American pop culture institution. In the 2006 NFL season ABC's Monday Night Football, long considered the showcase game of the NFL's week, began to be broadcast on ESPN. This was done to increase viewership of the Sunday night game and make it the "showcase" game.
In 1990, ESPN added Major League Baseball to its lineup with a $400 million contract. MLB games are still on ESPN today and are scheduled to continue through 2011. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were named as the broadcasters, and that team also continues to this day.
ESPN at one time has broadcast each of the four major professional sports leagues in North America until deciding not to renew the deal with the National Hockey League after the 2004-2005 lockout, citing ratings for original programming was comparable to those of NHL broadcasts.
Today, ESPN broadcasts 65 sports, 24 hours a day in 14 languages in more than 150 countries.
The 1990s and early 2000s saw considerable growth within the company. In 1993, ESPN2 was founded, with Keith Olbermann and Suzy Kolber launching the network with SportsNite. Three years later, ESPNEWS was born, with Mike Tirico as the first anchor. (Today, Tirico is the play-by-play announcer on Monday Night Football.) In 1997, ESPN purchased Classic Sports Network and renamed it ESPN Classic. The latest ESPN network in the U.S., ESPNU, began on March 4, 2005.
ESPN International began in the early 1990s to take advantage of the growing satellite markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In Canada, ESPN, Inc. purchased a minority share of TSN and RDS (in fact, the current corporate logo of both looks similar to that of ESPN). In 2004, ESPN finally entered the European market by launching a version of ESPN Classic, and in December 2006, it agreed to purchase North American Sports Network. SportsCenter's primary three broadcasts each day are at 1 a.m. ET (which re-airs usually until about noon ET), 6 p.m. ET, and 11 p.m. ET.
In 1994, ESPN set the standard for understanding the role of sports in America with the creation of The ESPN Sports Poll by Dr. Richard Luker. The Sports Poll was the first ongoing national daily study of sports fan activities and interests in the United States. Sporting News acknowledged the accomplishments of The ESPN Sports Poll and Dr. Luker in 1996.
With the increasing costs of live sports entertainment, such as the U.S.$8.8 billion costs for NFL football broadcasts rights for eight years, "scripted entertainment has become a luxury item for ESPN," said David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California.
From 1996 onward, ESPN was closely integrated with ABC Sports. That year, Steve Bornstein, president of ESPN since 1990, was made president of ABC Sports as well. This integration culminated in the 2006 decision to merge ABC Sports' operations with ESPN. As a result, all of ABC's sports programming now uses ESPN on ABC. However, ABC Sports is still legally separate from ESPN (see below).
ESPN is currently building a full-fledged broadcast production facility in downtown Los Angeles, as a part of the L.A. Live complex across from the Staples Center. The five-story facility will house an ESPN Zone restaurant on the first two floors and two television production studios with digital control rooms on upper floors. It is scheduled to open in spring 2009. One of the studios will host late-night editions of SportsCenter.
As of January 15th, 2008, ESPN has signed a multi-million dollar contract with professional gaming circuit Major League Gaming or MLG for short. Although some have argued that professional gaming is not a physical sport, ESPN has gone ahead with this collaboration.
As mentioned, William Rasmussen founded the network. Just before ESPN launched, Getty Oil Company (later purchased by Texaco, which in turn was acquired by Chevron) agreed to buy a majority stake in the network. Nabisco and Anheuser-Busch also bought minority stakes.
In 1984, ABC made a deal with Getty Oil to acquire ESPN. ABC retained an 80% share, and sold 20% to Nabisco. The Nabisco shares were later sold to Hearst Corporation, which still holds a 20% stake today. In 1986, ABC was purchased for $3.5 billion by Capital Cities Communications. In 1995, The Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion and picked up an 80% stake in ESPN at that time. According to an analysis published by Barron's magazine in February 2008, ESPN "is probably worth more than 40% of Disney's entire value... based on prevailing cash-flow multiples in the industry."
Although ESPN has been operated as a Disney subsidiary since 1996, it is still technically a joint venture between Disney and Hearst.
Now, this channel is extremly popular all over the world. Thanks to live broadcasts for many of world sports touraments and championships, ESPN has high ratings and great reputation. Most famous commentators dream of working there, and those who already are, became quite recognised people...
Sky Sports
March 31st, 2008
Sky Sports 1, 2, 3, and Xtra are available as a premium package on top of the basic package. These channels are also available as options on nearly every satellite and cable system in the UK and Ireland. Unlike the other channels, Sky Sports News is provided as part of the basic package and also broadcasts on Freeview. Sky Sports is perhaps best known for its football coverage, due to this it suffers a loss of viewers in the summer when no football is played.
Sky Sports originally began broadcasting of sports events as The Sports Channel in March 1990, as part of the British Satellite Broadcasting service on cable, becoming available on the Marcopolo satellite the following month. Sky Television did not originally launch with a sports channel of their own - though sports programmes were occasionally broadcast on Sky Channel - but instead chose to invest in Eurosport instead, which was marketed as one of Sky's four channels upon its launch on 5 February 1989.
On 2 November 1990, British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky Television announced that they would be merging. At first the Sports Channel gained a "British Sky Broadcasting" suffix on its logo, however from 6 April 1991 - when the channel debuted on the SES Astra 1B satellite - it was rebranded as Sky Sports. Sky and Eurosport discontinued their partnership upon the launch of Sky Sports, even though Eurosport continued to be available on the Astra platform.
The channel was sold as one of the major draws of the Sky system. Sky Sports was sold as a subscription channel and encrypted using the VideoCrypt system. It was the second Sky channel to be encrypted (following Sky Movies in 1990). It initially aired sports such as rugby and golf in 1990, before acquiring rights to German and Italian league football in 1990.
However, it was following formation of the FA Premier League for the 1992/1993 football season, believed to have been assisted by the promise of higher TV payments, that Sky Sports became well known. By bidding £305m, BSkyB beat the BBC and ITV to acquire the live and exclusive FA Premier League football broadcasting rights for the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland for a five-year period. In doing so, they had taken live top-flight English league football from terrestrial and free-to-air television for the first time in its history.
In 1995, the channel launched Soccer AM, a slapstick morning chat show, talking mostly about football events around the world, along with many gags in the world of soccer and the media. This show has proved highly successful, and is still airing as of today. The current presenters are Andy Goldstein and Helen Chamberlain. (Goldstein replacing former presenter Tim Lovejoy just before the start of the 2007-08 season.) It became a media phenomenon for a short period of time in the early 2000s when they lead a campaign to save a man from his non-football tolerating wife. The Save Chip! campaign was mentioned on non-Sky news channels, and even made its way into the title sequences of a number of football simulation computer games. It was also given notable fame for the word bouncebackability which was entered into the Collins Dictionary, and for the Easy Chant which has been used at football matches around the country and even the world. Following the success of the show a spin-off show launched in 2002, Soccer AM's All-Sports Show. The show dealt with all sports, and was also presented by Andy Goldstein and Helen Chamberlain . However in 2007 when presenter Tim Lovejoy left Soccer A.M to continue his career elsewhere this left the future of the All-Sports Show in doubt as Andy Goldstein took over the vacant Soccer A.M position. It was then confirmed just before the start of the 2007-08 season that the All-Sports show would not be returning along with its sister brand as neither Andy Goldstien nor Helen Chamberlin agreed to present both shows each week.
Prior to the start of the 1996-97 season Sky Sports 3 was launched. The launch promotion involved many top sporting figures such as Dennis Bergkamp and Ryan Giggs to help the launch of the channel. Sky Sports had also acquired the rights to Scottish football and the Coca-Cola Cup.
Sky Sports Gold started on 1 November 1995 and ended as a separate channel by 1997 but only really petered out (as a filler slot on the other Sky Sports channels) by 2001.
October 1998 saw BSkyB launch Sky Digital. The move to Sky Digital saw the launch of two new sports channels in quick succession. First Sky Sports News, a 24-hour rolling sports news channel launched. This was followed by Sky Sports Xtra, in March 1999. The channel was initially available exclusively on Sky Digital. However, by summer 2003, the channel had launched on Virgin Media.
On 22 August 1999, Sky utilised a feature of, the then new, Sky Digital system to allow an interactive football match to be shown. Viewers were given the ability to choose the things such as which camera they viewed during the Arsenal vs. Manchester United. The concept proved popular and soon Sky used the new interactive service, known as Sky Sports Active, for other sports.
Around 2001, a cross-branding deal ensured that a quiz version of Championship Manager would be produced with the Sky Sports name on it. Kirsty Gallacher was the host of the PlayStation 2 quiz.
In 2004, Sky signed an exclusive deal to broadcast live English cricket matches for four seasons from 2006 to 2009 for a fee of £55 million a year. As with other of their exclusive deals this has caused some controversy, as the matches would no longer be available on terrestrial TV. Sky also signed an exclusive deal with the BCCI to televise the tour of India, worth around £352m.
Following its earlier collapse, Sky purchased the majority of Channel 4's stake in horse racing channel, At The Races (the remainder of the stake went to Arena Leisure, the other partner in the channel and owner of Ascot Racecourse). At The Races was insolvent, and despite being promoted as part of the Sky Sports line up, had failed to turn a profit. It remains a provider of live coverage to betting shops, however.
Prior to the start of the 2004-05 season, Football First, an interactive football programme was launched. The show typically airs at 8.25pm and replays full coverage of the day's featured Premier League match, followed through the night by highlights from every Premier League match played on the day, which gives the viewer a choice to see a match of their choice. Sky Sports won the rights to air 'near-live' coverage of the Barclays Premier League, permitting Football First to air for another three years.
Sky Sports also snapped up the rights for the A1 Grand Prix and has won the rights to Speedway, for the next five years. The channel also has the rights to American sports, including NFL and WWE.
In 2007 a rival pay television operator, the Irish network Setanta Sports, acquired a share in the British rights to live Premier League matches, breaking Sky's long-standing monopoly. Setanta is expanding its range of high profile live events, for example offering PGA Tour golf and some top boxing matches, giving Sky a significant rival in the pay television sports market for the first time, but Sky remains the market leader by a wide margin.
In 2007 Sky secured a licence for 'Sky Sports 4' from TV regulator Ofcom which is planned to launch in 2008 to cater for the demand of live sporting rights Sky have.
