AFC Playoffs in HD!!!

[RRP]

Read it and weep. NFC gets stuck with "Enhanced Widescreen" from FOX
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Press Release Source: CBS Television

CBS and RCA Join Forces to Present AFC Divisional Playoffs and AFC Championship Game in HDTV

Friday December 20, 9:58 am ET

Three January HD AFC Playoff Games are Post-Season Holiday Gift to America's Football Fans

NEW YORK and INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CBS Television and Thomson's RCA brand have entered into an advertising agreement for Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453) (NYSE: TMS - News) to sponsor high-definition coverage of the AFC Divisional Playoff games on January 11 and 12, 2003, and the AFC Championship game on January 19, 2003.

Produced by CBS, the three live HDTV telecasts will be unified productions with the analog broadcasts and will, therefore, include commentary and analysis from the same broadcast teams as the analog audience. As with all of CBS Sports' HD productions, these three games will be broadcast in 1920X1080i, the highest definition widescreen digital television format.

"CBS Sports is pleased to partner with Thomson and further the network's position as a leader in the digital sports television arena," said Sean McManus, President, CBS Sports. "From primetime to the best in sports television, CBS continues to create more opportunities than other networks for viewers to enjoy high-definition television in all dayparts."

"As the official consumer electronics sponsor of the NFL, Thomson is especially pleased to join CBS in making these high-profile playoff games available in the most realistic HDTV format, both to the national television audience and to the entire consumer electronics industry which will be assembled in Las Vegas on January 11 for the annual International Consumer Electronics Show," said Thomson's Mike O'Hara, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing & Sales. "Thomson, through its RCA brand, has been among the leading contributors to the development of HDTV, and today's announcement further demonstrates the extent of our support for this exciting new advancement in home entertainment."

CBS presents the overwhelming majority of its primetime lineup in high definition. In June 2001, CBS commenced daily weekday HD broadcasts of television's leading daytime drama "The Young and the Restless." For the last three years CBS has also produced the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and Championship Games in HD as well as The Masters® Golf tournament in HDTV. RCA was also instrumental in this year's sign-on to sign-off HD coverage of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the fourth year CBS has offered the Open in HD.

Eighty-three of CBS's owned and affiliated stations are currently broadcasting in digital, covering approximately 72 percent of the nation. By kick-off, CBS expects to be transmitting digital programming across more than 100 owned and affiliated stations, reaching well over 83 percent of the country.

The consumer electronics industry's most comprehensive selection of digital television products is available from RCA, the brand that introduced commercial television service, and RCA Scenium, Thomson's premier digital television brand. RCA Scenium digital products include three integrated rear-projection HDTVs and four rear-projection and direct-view HDTV Monitors including the industry's first rear-projection HDTV Monitors with built-in DVD players. Three additional digital televisions carrying the RCA brand include two rear-projection and one direct-view HDTV monitor.

Certain statements in this press release, including any discussion of management expectations for future periods, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed of implied by the forward-looking statements due to changes in global economic and business conditions, competitive market and regulatory factors. More detailed information on the potential factors that could affect the financial results of Thomson is contained in Thomson's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Thomson

With sales of 10.5 billion Euros (U.S. $9.3 billion) in 2001, Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453) (NYSE: TMS - News) provides a wide range of video (and enabling) technologies, systems, finished products and services to consumers and professionals in the entertainment and media industries. To advance and enable the digital media transition, Thomson has five principal divisions: Digital Media Solutions, Displays and Components, Consumer Products, Patents and Licensing, and New Media Services. The company distributes its products under the Technicolor, Grass Valley, THOMSON and RCA brand names. For more information: http://www.thomson.net  

Thomson's Consumer Products division is represented by a broad range of home entertainment products, marketed primarily under the RCA brand in the Americas and under the THOMSON brand in Europe. Thomson is a leader in high-definition digital television, mp3 digital audio, and DVD disc products. The company's most advanced consumer products are sold under the RCA Scenium banner, emphasizing superior technology and elegant design. For more information: http://www.rca.com.  

CBS Television is comprised of the CBS Television Network -- with over 200 owned and affiliated stations reaching virtually every television home in the United States; the Network's programming arms CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports; and CBS Enterprises, a global leader in distribution.


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[kermtfrg]

Time to start emailing TW about getting CBS on before the playoffs start.  

Oh well, at least we get the Super Bowl.

[neomaxi]

WOW!! That's great.  BUT IT SUCKS FOR ME!!!
I have TWC!!!  Does anyone have an idea of when CBS will be on TWC?  Are the chances good that this will be in place by the playoffs???

[mr_yeti]

Here is a copy of the email I sent to TWC's customer service department:

It is my understanding that your company is currently in negotiations with the local CBS affiliate to carry their high definition feed on your cable system.

It was announced today that CBS is planning on producing the AFC NFL playoff games in high-definition. Myself and others at milwaukeehdtv.org feel that this is a wonderful opportunity for your service to establish itself as a leader in the transistion to HDTV, and would very much like to know what the timeline is for the inclusion of this channel in your lineup.

As you may or may not be aware, Tim Cuprisin, the television columnist for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recently wrote a four-part column detailing his recent acquisition of an HDTV set. The means he has chosen of receiving his HD signals is through your company. Providing all available local HDTV channels in an expedient fashion (including CBS and FOX) is in the best interest of your company and the progressive-minded HDTV viewers you serve, and NFL football is, by far, the most popular sport in the nation. By offering digital broadcasts of NFL playoff games, Time Warner Cable would potentially achieve a nice public-relations boost as well as setting itself up for future success in this area.

Please forward this email to someone in a position to answer my question and take action on this opportunity to (1) better serve your customers, (2) receive potentially very positive publicity, and (3) set yourself up for future success in the field of HDTV.

Thank you very much for your time.

[neomaxi]

Very well written letter.  You should get an intelligent response back.  

Does anyone even know if CBS and FOX have fiber feeds going into TWC???

If this is not done yet, I  don't think the playoffs are a reality.  

[Gregg Lengling]

Fox6 already has a fiber feed to TWC for their analog channel..so once they are ready to go (January is the rumor).  Fox6-DT should be an easy on line operation....of course you guys will probably have all the audio problems that TWC is having on the HD channels.


------------------
Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
(Built in DTC100 w/Directv)
HiDTV Pro 2 computer reciever card
glengling@ameritech.net

[mr_yeti]

Good point. If the infrastructure is not in place now, it probably won't be in time for the playoffs. I suppose they could get the signal OTA, but that would be an expense in addition to setting up the fiber feed, which would render any OTA setup unnecessary, making it wasted money.

I would also imagine that "in negotiations" does not mean "setting up a fiber feed."

Perhaps what I can do is buy an OTA box from a different Best Buy every Friday night for the duration of the playoffs, then return it on Monday. This would have the added benefit of creating several open-box STBs for purchase at a discount. I am, of course, only joking about this. Kind of.

[mr_yeti]

Lummox:

Would this also mean that 58 has a fiber feed already set up? It would stand to reason, but what's reason got to do with it?

[neomaxi]

funny that you mention that.

I was thinking of buying a STB and retuning it within the 14 day return policy at best buy.

Only cost to me is the $15 indoor antenna.
of course, i would not do such a thing....
then again......HD playoffs.... mmmmmm.. .tempting.......

[mr_yeti]

So, by providing us with CBS 58 and, to a lesser extent, FOX 6 digital feeds, Time Warner would actually be preventing us from engaging in morally questionable behavior.

I think it's their duty to keep us on the straight and narrow by feeding both our football and HDTV addictions simultaneously.

From a utilitarian standpoint, they have little choice.

Then again, utilitarianism is not exactly a hallmark of titanic corporations, nor is any philosopy aside from profit maximization.

Oh, well.

[Tom Snyder]

58 and TW have been "in negotiations" since last Spring.

TW says "contact 58."
58 says "contact TW."

No one appears to be budging.

[mr_yeti]

So "in negotiations" is actually just a means of placating those who care enough to ask? That's great. It's good to see these children playing nicely with their new toys, and showing so much concern for their customers. We should offer ourselves for arbitration purposes.

[neomaxi]

I just emailed TWC customer service.  Let's see if I get a response:

I have recently heard CBS 58 will be broadcasting their NFL playoff games in HDTV.  Will you be carrying CBS 58 HDTV for the playoffs? If not, when will CBS 58 be added to you HDTV lineup.  Also, what is time frame to add FOX 6 HDTV.  Thanks in advance for your response.

[mr_yeti]

You'll get an automated confirmation of receipt email, and then probably not a response from an actual person until monday. I would encourage as many people as are willing to start up a dialogue with their customer service department in the hopes of irritating them into submission.

[This message has been edited by mr_yeti (edited 12-20-2002).]

[kjnorman]

When writing to TW about additional HDTV coverage, it is probably good to write to Bev Greenberg as well as the customer service department.

Bev Greenberg
Vice President, Community/Gov't. Relations
TIME WARNER CABLE
1320 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: (414) 277-4190
FAX: (414) 224-6155
Email: bev.Greenberg@twcable.com