CBS Sports Weekly Hi-Definition NFL

[Gregg Lengling]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - CBS Sports said Tuesday it will broadcast each of its primary NFL games in high definition during the 2003 regular season, a weekly offering that will be available in its entirety to subscribers of the DirecTV satellite service.

   

Until now, only select NFL games have been carried in the high-resolution HDTV format by Viacom Inc.'s CBS.


Also, over-the-air availability of the HDTV broadcasts on the CBS Television Network may be limited by hometown blackout rules, and cable access will be limited to those systems that carry CBS' digital feed.


Meanwhile, subscribers to DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package will receive each of the 17 regular-season primary games, according to a joint announcement by CBS Sports and DirecTV.


The games to be produced in HDTV will be determined on a week-to-week basis.


The agreement between CBS and DirecTV only covers the 2003 regular season and will be evaluated for renewal after the season.


Since it was the first to broadcast a professional football game in HDTV in 1998, CBS Sports has expanded its HDTV coverage to several other major sporting events, including the NCAA (news - web sites) men's basketball Final Four (news - web sites), the Masters golf tournament and U.S. Open (news - web sites) tennis championship.


CBS said 142 of its owned and affiliated stations currently broadcast in digital, covering about 90% of the United States.


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter