ESPN Launches ESPNU HD Thursday, August 28

24-Hour College Sports Network Will Kickoff High Definition Format with Vanderbilt vs. Miami (Ohio) Football Game at 7:30 p.m.

There is no better way to watch the pageantry and spectacle of college football than in the 16 x 9 high definition format, which is precisely what ESPNU will do starting on Thursday, August 28, when the network launches in HD.  ESPNU HD’s first live event will be a college football match-up featuring the SEC’s Vanderbilt at the MAC’s Miami (Ohio) in primetime at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

In its first year, ESPNU HD is projected to air more than 200 HD events, including all of its Thursday and Saturday college football games (LIVE only) as well as exclusive coverage of college basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, hockey and more.  This will be the fifth HD service ESPN has launched amongst its family of networks. The shift to HD not only provides the ultimate viewing experience for fans, but also gives advertisers new opportunities to engage with a passionate college sports fan base. 

ESPNU HD has carriage agreements in place with Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV, RCN, Atlantic Broadband and Broadstripe customers.  ESPN is currently working on distribution deals with additional cable, satellite and telecommunications operators.

 “ESPNU going HD is a natural progression of this robust brand and we look forward to serving all of our college sports fans this season and for seasons to come with this high-quality service,” said Rosalyn Durant, vice president and general manager, ESPNU.  “Since the advent of HD, fans have told us that nothing beats the HD viewing experience – especially when it comes to their favorite sports and teams.”

About ESPNU

ESPNU launched on March 4, 2005.  The 24-hour college sports television network features more than 550 live events annually, including college football, college basketball and Olympic sports from more than 25 Division I conferences, as well as premier high school content.  The network also has a wide-ranging, long-term agreement with the NCAA for enhanced coverage of 22 NCAA Championships.  In addition, ESPNU offers comprehensive studio programming and replays the best games of the week from ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Regional Television.

ESPNU currently reaches more than 21 million homes through long-term carriage agreements with Time Warner, Charter, Cox, DIRECTV (Channel 609), EchoStar’s DISH Network (Channel 148), Verizon, AT&T, Insight Communications, Mediacom, and various other affiliates. 

ESPNU is also available in high definition on ESPNU HD and online at ESPNU.com.  In August 2007, it launched ESPNU Campus Connection, a multi-platform student-generated content initiative.

About ESPN HD:

Currently, ESPN HD reaches more than 20 million subscribers and is available to more than 96 million homes and ESPN2 HD reaches more than 19 million subscribers and is available to more than 86 million homes.

In 2008, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will deliver more than 12,000 hours in high definition including all of ESPN’s NASCAR coverage, NBA telecasts, MLS telecasts, MLB telecasts, college football telecasts, National Hot Rod Association races and coverage of NFL Monday Night Football.  100 percent of ESPN and ESPN2’s Bristol-based studio programming originates in high definition, including SportsCenter, NFL Countdown, NFL Monday Night Countdown, NFL Live, Monday Night Countdown, Baseball Tonight, Mike & Mike in the Morning and First Take.  In addition to live sports programming, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD produce individual programs, movies and series. 

This year ESPN launched three new HD services: ESPN HD Australia (mid 2008), ESPNEWS HD (Mar. 30) and ESPNU HD (Aug. 28).

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