ESPN… 2000

Because you asked for it, ESPN is launching another channel.  What?  You didn’t ask for it?  Hmm…

Let’s go over things here:

  1. ESPN
  2. ESPN 2
  3. ESPNEWS
  4. ESPN Classic
  5. ESPN Desportes - Although I’m not sure how much the programming is different from normal ESPN in the states; and I don’t know what systems carry it

Throw in ESPN HD and you have another channel possibly on your cable box channel listing.  While I don’t have it (yet), HD is the way to go, and to me - this big annoucement was hidden in this article:

Also Tuesday, ESPN announced that ESPN2 HD, the company’s second high-definition service, will launch in January.

Nice.  Very nice.  More HD never hurt anyone.

To pull another quote from it:

The highest-profile facet of the new initiative will be the ESPNU television network, which will carry approximately 300 games live—primarily Division I football and men’s and women’s basketball—in the first year. The network will also cover baseball, softball, volleyball, lacrosse, hockey, wrestling, spring football and select high school football games.

Perhaps the New Yorker in me calls out - but high school?  People out there actually want to watch high school sports on television?  Nationally?  Hey, if your kid is in the game, or your friend, or some distant relative - cool, but on a national network?  That’s just silly.

Hey, I’m not even too big of a college sports fan.  I like seeing some football here and there, and I can watch some basketball tourney games, but I do hope, really hope, that they show a good number of hockey games.  I doubt it, but I can hope.

I like pro sports.  The best of the best.  I wonder (read: more hoping) if they’ll move some of their high profile college games off of their main ESPN channels to the ESPNU channel to try and make more cable systems carry it (or perhaps the weight they carry has already forced many cable systems to agree to carry it).  I wouldn’t mind less college sports and a bit more pro stuff on ESPN.

Oh, and people need to get together and please ask ESPN to stop becoming the “MTV of sports” (and that’s in no way a compliment).

(raise glasses) So, here’s to the hope that we get at least a little bump up in some quality sports programming. (drink now)

Posted by David M Singer on Sep 08, 2004 at 05:09 PM

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