For every fan who wants more NBA in high-definition at one time o...
For every fan who wants more NBA in high-definition at one time or another, “there are others who want more of their particular sports interest” in HD, Bryan Burns, ESPN vp- strategic business planning & development, told our affiliate…
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Consumer Electronics Daily. Through ESPN HD and the soon-to- be-launched ESPN2 HD, “we work to accommodate all interests based on our knowledge of viewer preferences, time of the season and facilities availability,” Burns said. He was responding to Internet reports of fan complaints alleging there has been a dearth of NBA games on ESPN HD compared with other networks, such as TNT. Burns said TNT’s situation “is dramatically different” from ESPN HD’s, “with only the NBA to consider.” ESPN HD will “start to strip” its Fri. night NBA telecasts after Jan. 1, but will “place more focus” on the NBA in the spring when interest is at its highest after the conclusion of the NCAA season, Burns said. ESPN will likely telecast the NBA Playoffs in HD through to the Western Conference Finals, and will produce the NBA Finals in HD “for our friends at ABC,” Burns said. He said “the NBA is handled very appropriately within our overall schedule of ESPN HD and soon to be ESPN2 HD telecasts.” He said there will be an increase in NBA telecasts next year to 300 across ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD from the 180 in 2004, not to mention an overall HD program lineup encompassing over 2,000 programs and 6,000 hours. That’s “well ahead of the demand curve charted by HDTV set sales to this point,” Burns said. “And we'll try to stay ahead of that curve in the coming months and years.”