Comcast SportsNet Northwest and OSN-IMG have
reached an unprecedented agreement to televise University of Oregon sports,
including comprehensive live coverage of Oregon football, basketball, track and
field and baseball. Comcast SportsNet
will begin their partnership by televising the OSN broadcasts of three live
football games; Sept. 6 vs. Utah State at 12:30, Sept. 20 vs. Boise State at 12:30 p.m., and the Sept. 27 contest at Washington State at 3:15 p.m. In addition, Comcast SportsNet has agreed to
have FOX TV KLSR EUGENE simulcast these three live football games in order to
fully serve the Ducks’ home market.
Comcast SportsNet will also air replays of
Oregon football games (as Pac-10 agreements allow) Saturdays at 11:00 p.m. and
Sundays at 7:00 p.m. as well as a comprehensive slate of other Ducks sports
programming.
The long-term relationship keeps all current
OSN produced programming in place, and adds new shows and contests accounting
for a record minimum of 35 live games to be aired on Comcast SportsNet. Included
in that total are 14 exclusive live Oregon basketball games-the most ever
televised by OSN, selected live women’s basketball games, track and field, and
15 live Oregon baseball games. It also
provides coverage of women’s soccer, volleyball, softball, women’s lacrosse,
men’s and women’s golf, as well as men’s and women’s tennis.
“We know being a Ducks fan is a year-round
passion,” said Comcast Executive Vice President of Sports Programming David
Manougian. “Comcast SportsNet is proud to deliver the most in-depth coverage of
Ducks athletics, including live football, basketball, baseball and track and
field available anywhere on television.”
“This landmark agreement represents a new
chapter in the televising of Oregon athletics, and takes us to an entirely new
level in programming, reach and revenue,” said Director of Athletics Pat
Kilkenny. “We are thrilled at the chance
to partner with national sports media experts to help us remain innovative and
exciting, while at the same time expanding our offerings on a traditional,
northwest local level. Comcast
SportsNet’s northwest footprint and growing distribution opportunities are also
extremely exciting and in our view will give us the most comprehensive television
agreement of any college athletics program in the country. With the strength of Comcast SportsNet and
their incredible leadership this is now possible.”
Comcast SportsNet will air a multitude of
additional OSN programming, including coaches shows for football, men’s and
women’s basketball, track and field and baseball. They will also air other
specials and series related to University of Oregon Sports, and provide regular
updates and exclusive interviews on Comcast SportsNet’s daily sports news shows
SportsNite and SportsRise.
"We are pleased to partner with the
fastest growing sports outlet in the country, providing unlimited opportunity
and exposure to Oregon fans that did not exist before,” said OSN President Tim
Roberts. “This agreement allows us to build on our 20-year programming
foundation with new and exciting programming for Duck fans everywhere. Through
this new agreement, combined with the growth of Comcast SportNet, we expect
that hundreds of thousands of Duck fans who didn't receive any programming at
all will now be able to be a part of the OSN family."
Joe Giansante will serve as the play by play
announcer for OSN broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet. Former Duck player and NFL
star Anthony Newman serves as analyst for football. Rob Closs will serve as analyst for
basketball and the inaugural baseball telecasts. Closs is a former Oregon
letterman in both basketball and baseball.
In addition to game coverage, Comcast SportsNet’s
comprehensive University of Oregon football programming will include:
Ducks Pre-Game Show – Before every Ducks
regular season game, join this live show straight from the broadcast booth for
in-depth opponent analysis, game expectations, and up-to-the-minute coverage of
game-changing developments like injury reports, game-day strategy changes, and
roster updates. Ducks Pre-Game Show
will air for 30 minutes immediately before every game, live and delayed.
Ducks Post-Game Show – Tune into
Comcast SportsNet for highlights,
reaction and analysis following every live game produced on Comcast SportsNet
by OSN.
Sunday Night with Mike Bellotti – A weekly 30-minute
interactive coaches interview show featuring Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti
reviewing the Ducks’ latest game, with never before seen and heard elements
straight from the Oregon sideline and locker room. The show premieres on September
1st and airs every Sunday night from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 through the
end of the season. It will re-air
Sunday’s at 10:00 p.m., and throughout the week on Comcast SportsNet
Sunday Night Live – A weekly 30 minute live show from Taylor’s Bar and Grill
in Eugene featuring a live audience and a breakdown of the previous Duck game,
plus a look at the upcoming opponent and the Pac-10. It will air at Sunday’s at
6:30 p.m. and will re-air at 10:30 p.m., and throughout the week on Comcast
SportsNet.
Special Coverage – Comcast SportsNet
will air four Ducks’ specials, marking milestones of the football calendar: a
preseason special, the Civil War, a bowl game special, and 2009 signing day.
In addition to being carried by Comcast
Cable, Verizon, Ashland TV and Scio Cablevision, Comcast SportsNet continues to
negotiate with other cable and satellite carriers to carry the network to sports
fans across the Northwest. Viewers with cable and satellite providers that
don’t currently carry Comcast SportsNet are encouraged to call their cable and
satellite providers. Limited programming
will also continue to be available on goducks.com.
In addition to the television agreement, OSN
will soon introduce two new services; OSN Online, and OSN Mobile. These
services will be available on Comcast SportsNet including daily interviews,
videos and breaking Duck sports news straight to computers and mobile phones.
Also, the new OSN In-Game experience will feature state-of-the art productions
for new video boards purchased by OSN-IMG for football and baseball.
IMG College is the leader in developing
integrated licensing, marketing, and multi-media opportunities for the nation’s
top collegiate brands across local, regional, and national platforms. IMG
College partners include the NCAA and its 88 championships, NCAA Football,
leading conferences, and some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that cover more
than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news
and analysis to nearly 40 million cable and satellite homes. Comcast
Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet
Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Comcast
SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Comcast SportsNet West,
SportsNet New York, The Mtn. – MountainWest Sports Network, and CSS.
These networks provide live game coverage of 18 professional teams as well as
college, minor league and other sports. For more information see
ComcastSportsNet.com.






