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Ink Deal to Provide Live Olympic and Lifestyle Sports Coverage
24/7 WCSN Feed Added To ESPN360.com Programming; Highlights on ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES - October 1, 2007 - ESPN and World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) announced an agreement to bring exclusive live Olympic and lifestyle sports event coverage to ESPN360.com, the recently relaunched live sports broadband network. Additionally, ESPN.com will feature highlights and the two sites will collaborate to share sports news and information content across WCSN.com and ESPN.com's Olympic Sports section.
WCSN will be a featured channel on ESPN360.com, providing exclusive live and on-demand coverage of swimming, gymnastics and track and field as U.S. and international athletes prepare for the highly-anticipated Beijing Olympic Games. The programming adds to the broad array of live sports programming offered by ESPN360.com.
"This agreement is a showcase of how the new digital age of sports can deliver an enormous selection of sports for fans," said John Zehr, Senior Vice President, ESPN Digital Media Production. "WCSN programming will add yet another new dimension to ESPN360.com's global programming lineup and deliver additional value to fans and affiliates."
"It's a big win for sports fans everywhere when WCSN teams up with ESPN," said Carlos Silva, president and COO, WCSN. "We are proud to deliver world championships to fans just as everyone has their eyes and ears on the upcoming Games in Beijing."
ESPN360.com is ESPN's signature broadband digital sports network. It is the online home for live sports, giving fans a 24/7 online destination delivering more than 2,000 live, global sports events a year. The service is available at no additional charge to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. Currently, nearly 17 million homes nationwide have access to ESPN360.com via more than 25 Internet service providers around the country, including: AT&T, Verizon, RCN, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more. It has more than doubled its distribution since August 2006.
With more than 60 World Championships, 300 World Cup and 50 Grand Prix events available, fans can go to www.wcsn.com and watch as athletes qualify to represent their country at the 2008 Olympic Games. For a subscription of just $4.95 a month, fans can view both live and on-demand video footage anytime, anywhere, including Olympic and lifestyle sports such as cycling, skiing, swimming, track and field, fencing and wrestling.
About ESPN360.com
ESPN360.com features thousands of hours of live online coverage from a broad array of global games and events including (but not limited to): NBA; NASCAR (Nextel Cup and Busch Series); college football, basketball, baseball and softball, hockey and lacrosse; global and U.S. soccer (UEFA, FIFA, MLS, EURO 2008, more); global track and field, swimming and skiing and other Olympic sports via a branded WCSN Channel; global rugby, cricket and tennis; open-wheel racing (IRL, Champ Car); Arena Football League; Major League Lacrosse; global baseball (Mexican, Venezuelan, Dominican, Israeli, more); Mexican college football (ONEFA); polo and sports press conferences.
Through a sleek, simple interface ESPN360.com gives consumers control over up to 10 simultaneous live events. Fans are able to view the event of their choice in a main viewing window, while other events continue to play in smaller, live-action thumbnails. It provides fans reliable, television-quality video, as well as an ability to pause live events, rewind and fast-forward - similar to digital video recorder functionality. A single click returns the fan to live action. Video can be expanded to be viewed full screen or reduced to a compact size, and recently completed events are also available for replay.
Consumers wanting more information about ESPN360.com, which Internet services currently provide it, and how they can get it should go to ESPN360.com.
About World Championship Sports Network (WCSN)
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on-demand coverage of world-class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in-depth access to sports news and information year round.
WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of more than 60 sports disciplines, through exclusive long term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies. Major championship events in sports ranging from track & field, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling to Volleyball, Karate and Taekwondo are featured online at www.wcsn.com and on television via WCSN's 24/7 cable sports network. WCSN also markets Olympic sports in partnership with International Federations, National Governing Bodies, local organizations, clubs, sponsors, and through related websites and publications.
WCSN has a strategic partnership agreement with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet Company of Major League Baseball, for its website WCSN.com. WCSN's lead investor is InterMedia Partners, a private equity investment fund that makes investments in providers of media content to audiences which are currently underserved by the largest media companies. InterMedia serves the content wants of these diverse communities of interest across all platforms, including broadcast, publishing, broadband and direct marketing. For more information, please visit WCSN.com.
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