FSN's High-Definition Telecasts to Skyrocket in 2009 as Nation's Largest Group of Regional Sports Networks Transition to 24 / 7 HD

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today at the annual NCTA conference in New Orleans, FSN Networks President Randy Freer announced that FSN, the industry’s largest group of regional sports networks, will begin transitioning to round-the-clock HD telecasts in the first quarter of 2009.

“This is the next step in the evolution of FSN’s commitment to being the leaders in HD sports production. It’s one of the best ways we can serve the local sports fans throughout the country, and it also allows us to offer tremendous value to our team partners and distributors.”

This ambitious initiative means that FSN will have the capability to produce its entire slate of more than 3,000 Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and NCAA Football and Basketball events in HD—far and away more than any other sports TV provider in the U.S.

Said Freer: “This is the next step in the evolution of FSN’s commitment to being the leaders in HD sports production. It’s one of the best ways we can serve the local sports fans throughout the country, and it also allows us to offer tremendous value to our team partners and distributors.”

Added Mike Hopkins, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Affiliate Sales & Marketing for Fox Cable Networks: “HD is one of our distributors’ and their customers’ highest priorities, so it’s incumbent upon us to offer them our most popular services in HD. We have consistently found that sports drives the adaptation of new technologies, and the deep emotional commitment local fans have to their teams will accelerate the HD and digital transition.”

The 16 owned-and-operated FSN regional sports networks are already the most prolific producers of HD sports programming in the country with more than 1,700 live high-definition telecasts of the MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA Football and Basketball. Since debuting its HD telecasts nearly five years ago with approximately 200 games, FSN has essentially doubled its HD schedule every year, making its RSNs the largest providers of local HD events in America.

FSN’s transition to full-time HD in 2009 will be made possible by Fox Networks Group investment and construction of the nation’s largest and most technically state-of-the-art television transmissions center, Fox Network Center Houston. The 184,000-square-foot facility will be able to handle more signal traffic than any other similar facility, including as many as 40 live games in a single day.

FSN will determine HD roll-out plans for each of its individual regional sports networks based on several factors including team telecast rights and distribution agreements.

Besides its regional sports network events, Fox Networks Group already provides HD versions of its flagship FOX and FX networks, National Geographic Channel, SPEED and its most recent new service, Big Ten Network, which produces more events in HD than any new network in television history.

Fox Networks Group, a primary operating unit of News Corporation (NYSE:NWS), consists of Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Cable Networks, FOX Sports and Fox Networks Engineering & Operations. These units produce, program and transmit much of America’s most popular entertainment, sports and informative content via 34 owned-and-operated TV networks, video on demand and other media platforms. FOX is America’s most-watched network, and Fox Cable Networks span FX, FX HD, National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Fox Reality Channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fuel TV, FSN and 16 regional cable sports networks, SPEED, SPEED HD, Big Ten Network, Big Ten Network HD, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox College Sports and Fox Sports en Espanol. FOX Sports represents the industry standard for production innovation and excellence across its NFL, MLB, NASCAR and other coverage; and Fox Networks Engineering & Operations is equally recognized as a leader in physical production, transmission and facilities expertise.