ESPN SportCenter HD Debuts June 7

[Youth Minister]

All-sports network ESPN announced that its new ESPN Digital Center, a 120,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, all digital high-definition facility in Bristol, CT, will begin operation June 7, 2004 with the premiere HD telecast of the company's signature news program "SportsCenter".

The digital infrastructure inside the 120,000 sq. ft. ESPN Digital Center - that uses seven million feet of cable - is so complex that the all-sports broadcaster selected Thomson to design and implement one of the largest signal routing systems on the east coast. The center also boasts three HDTV studios (9000, 5000 and 3000 square feet, respectively) and that will be home to all ESPN Bristol-based studio shows. Like sister company ABC (both are owned by Disney), programs will be shot in 720p, ESPN's preferred digital HD format.

When the new building is completed in 2005, ESPN HD viewers will see 3500 hours of originally produced HD studio programming each year. After delivering more originally produced telecasts than expected in its first year, ESPN HD said it plans to deliver over 185 originally produced events in HD in 2004. The HD telecast schedule continues to include games from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the National Football League, and college football and basketball games, as well as movies from ESPN's Original Entertainment (EOE) division.

For more information visit //www.espn.com.