UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK EXPANDS TO MORE THAN 30 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS
Encore of NBC's Olympic Games Coverage Kicks Off New Distribution in Nine Top-Tier Markets Including Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington DC
Los Angeles - September 15, 2008 - Universal Sports, the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming, announced today the addition of nine new television markets, boosting its distribution to more than 30 million television households.
"Significantly adding to our market reach is a key component of our plan for Universal Sports Network to be seen on a widespread national scale," said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. "There is a considerable appetite for coverage of Olympic-related sports and the incredible athletes that compete as they progress toward the next Olympic Games."
The Universal Sports Network will now be available in the following markets, which includes coverage on the digital tiers of nine NBC Universal owned-and-operated television stations:
· New York
· Los Angeles
· Chicago
· Philadelphia
· San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
· Washington, D.C.
· San Diego
· Dallas-Ft. Worth
· Hartford & New Haven
· Omaha
· Las Vegas
"We’re delighted to add top quality content to our stations’ digital tiers that significantly enhances the entertainment experience for our local viewers and brings even greater value to our advertisers," added John Wallace, President of NBC Local Media.
ENCORE PRESENTATION OF BEIJING GAMES:
To kick off the distribution in these new markets, Universal Sports Network will deliver encore presentations of NBC Universal’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games available through the end of September.
"Expanding our distribution while providing a second chance to watch the historic moments from the Beijing Olympic Games makes Universal Sports Network the place where athletes and fans can truly immerse themselves in the sports they love," said Claude Ruibal, CEO of Universal Sports.
NBC Universal made U.S. television history with 214 million viewers tuning into its presentation of the Beijing Olympic Games (over the course of 17 days), and Universal Sports will let fans relive the excitement with encore coverage of NBC Universal's 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As part of the encore, Universal Sports Network will create special theme nights catering to fans of particular sports, such as swimming and gymnastics, where fans will be able to catch the excitement of Beijing again.
Universal Sports Network will provide spotlights of Beijing’s big moments including Michael Phelps’ unprecedented 8 gold medals, stellar performances from U.S. beach volleyball champions Misty
May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, as well as Nastia Liukin winning the all-around gold in women's gymnastics among others. More highlights include the U.S. men's volleyball team capturing an emotional gold medal and Usain Bolt’s epic sprint toward world records in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4X100 meter relay.
Prime time highlights of Beijing Games Encore programming on Universal Sports Network this week includes:
* all start times ET
Wednesday, Sept 17
8:00 p.m. Men’s Gymnastics All Around
10:00 p.m. Men’s Water Polo
11:00 p.m. Women’s Track & Field
Thursday, Sept 18
8:00 p.m. Men’s Gymnastics Individual
9:30 p.m. Men’s Trampoline
10:00 p.m. Women’s Water Polo
11:00 p.m. Women’s Track & Field
Friday, Sept 19
8:00 p.m. Men’s Basketball Gold Medal
10:00 p.m. Sync. Swimming - Duet Women
10:30 p.m. Sync. Swimming - Team Women
11:00 p.m. Women’s Track & Field
Saturday, Sept 20
8:00 p.m. Women’s Soccer Gold Medal
10:00 p.m. Men’s Marathon
11:00 p.m. Women’s Track & Field
Sunday, Sept 21
8:00 p.m. Michael Phelps Special
9:30 p.m. Rowing - Single Sculls
10:00 p.m. Gold Medal Moments
11:00 p.m. Men’s Track & Field
For more information on current encore programming schedules and channel listings please visit .
http://www.universalsports.