i know this is old news but intresting neather to say...
Echostar Signs Deal With Kroenke Sports' Network
By Jon Sarche, Associated Press Writer
Jul 23, 2004 10:16 am US/Mountain
DENVER (AP) Don't have a satellite dish? Then watching sports in Colorado will soon be a bit more difficult.
EchoStar Communications Corp. announced a multiyear deal Thursday to air Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth games in conjunction with Altitude Sports & Entertainment, the new television arm of Kroenke Sports Enterprises.
Beginning in September, EchoStar's satellite DISH Network will be the exclusive distributor of most Avalanche hockey, Nuggets basketball and Mammoth lacrosse games. Most of those games had been carried on Fox Sports Network, whose contract with Kroenke Sports expired earlier this year.
The new network also will carry some Colorado Rapids soccer games.
"Our fans, viewers and potential viewers deserve a network of their own which shows coverage of greater breadth and depth than they've ever seen before, and we're committed to providing that," Altitude CEO Jim Martin said.
He said Altitude is in negotiations with other television carriers to air the games along with EchoStar. The games carried by the major networks through contracts with the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association will still appear on non-satellite programming.
"We have every intention of making the programming as widely available as possible," Martin said. "We're in negotiations with everyone."
In the meantime, EchoStar will aggressively advertise the relationship between the Colorado-based companies, hoping to sign new subscribers in the 10-state territory covered by Altitude.
"That's a wonderful marketing tool for DISH Network, but that marketing tool may not be available tomorrow or the next day," said Dean Bonham of the Bonham Group, a sports marketing firm. "The point is, at some point one would assume that Altitude is going to get a deal done with Comcast and when that happens, DISH clearly isn't going to be the exclusive carrier."
Comcast Corp., the dominant cable television carrier in the Denver area, is negotiating carriage possibilities with Altitude, spokeswoman Cindy Parsons said.
EchoStar marketing vice president Larry Larson said EchoStar's subscriber growth in the territory has been strong and is expected to continue.
"This market is sports-crazy and these people love these teams," he said.
There are up to 3.5 million cable and satellite subscribers in the territory, Martin said. Neither he nor EchoStar officials would divulge how many are DISH Network customers now, nor how many years the deal is slated to last.
As part of the deal, EchoStar will paint its DISH Network logo on the roof of the Pepsi Center, where the Avalanche, Mammoth and Nuggets play. Under the 200-by-260-foot logo will be "Altitude Ch. 410," the DISH channel to carry the Altitude programming.
Martin said the deal would cover about 70 Avalanche games, 70 Nuggets games and 10 Mammoth games each year.
Altitude's territory covers Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas, and portions of South Dakota, Nevada and New Mexico.
Altitude also will air some games from the Rocky Mountain Athletic and Big Sky conferences and some NCAA Division I football and basketball games through a syndication deal with ESPN, Martin said. The network also will carry live entertainment events and cultural programming, Martin has said
http://news4colorado.com/topstories/local_story_205121749.html
Echostar Signs Deal With Kroenke Sports' Network
By Jon Sarche, Associated Press Writer
Jul 23, 2004 10:16 am US/Mountain
DENVER (AP) Don't have a satellite dish? Then watching sports in Colorado will soon be a bit more difficult.
EchoStar Communications Corp. announced a multiyear deal Thursday to air Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth games in conjunction with Altitude Sports & Entertainment, the new television arm of Kroenke Sports Enterprises.
Beginning in September, EchoStar's satellite DISH Network will be the exclusive distributor of most Avalanche hockey, Nuggets basketball and Mammoth lacrosse games. Most of those games had been carried on Fox Sports Network, whose contract with Kroenke Sports expired earlier this year.
The new network also will carry some Colorado Rapids soccer games.
"Our fans, viewers and potential viewers deserve a network of their own which shows coverage of greater breadth and depth than they've ever seen before, and we're committed to providing that," Altitude CEO Jim Martin said.
He said Altitude is in negotiations with other television carriers to air the games along with EchoStar. The games carried by the major networks through contracts with the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association will still appear on non-satellite programming.
"We have every intention of making the programming as widely available as possible," Martin said. "We're in negotiations with everyone."
In the meantime, EchoStar will aggressively advertise the relationship between the Colorado-based companies, hoping to sign new subscribers in the 10-state territory covered by Altitude.
"That's a wonderful marketing tool for DISH Network, but that marketing tool may not be available tomorrow or the next day," said Dean Bonham of the Bonham Group, a sports marketing firm. "The point is, at some point one would assume that Altitude is going to get a deal done with Comcast and when that happens, DISH clearly isn't going to be the exclusive carrier."
Comcast Corp., the dominant cable television carrier in the Denver area, is negotiating carriage possibilities with Altitude, spokeswoman Cindy Parsons said.
EchoStar marketing vice president Larry Larson said EchoStar's subscriber growth in the territory has been strong and is expected to continue.
"This market is sports-crazy and these people love these teams," he said.
There are up to 3.5 million cable and satellite subscribers in the territory, Martin said. Neither he nor EchoStar officials would divulge how many are DISH Network customers now, nor how many years the deal is slated to last.
As part of the deal, EchoStar will paint its DISH Network logo on the roof of the Pepsi Center, where the Avalanche, Mammoth and Nuggets play. Under the 200-by-260-foot logo will be "Altitude Ch. 410," the DISH channel to carry the Altitude programming.
Martin said the deal would cover about 70 Avalanche games, 70 Nuggets games and 10 Mammoth games each year.
Altitude's territory covers Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska and Kansas, and portions of South Dakota, Nevada and New Mexico.
Altitude also will air some games from the Rocky Mountain Athletic and Big Sky conferences and some NCAA Division I football and basketball games through a syndication deal with ESPN, Martin said. The network also will carry live entertainment events and cultural programming, Martin has said
http://news4colorado.com/topstories/local_story_205121749.html
