DISH Network Also Signs Agreement With NBC Universal To Offer 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in HD
DISH Network took almost three weeks time to sign an agreement with NBC Universal (NBCU) after DirecTV’s agreement with NBCU to bring 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. DISH Network announced that its agreement with NBCU will allow DISH to deliver two high-definition specialty channels to its HD line-up solely dedicated to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and
NBC Olympic Basketball Channel
Both these channels will offer high-definition coverage of Soccer and Basketball games 24 hours a day during Beijing Olympic Games. Apart from these channels, DISH Network is also planning to offer many Video On Demand (VOD) titles supplied by NBC Olympics. The satcaster will offer more than 800 hours of Olympic game content through two dedicated Olympic channels, VOD and NBCU network of channels. These Olympic channels could be called with “OLYMPB” on program guide and the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel are available on Channel 99 and NBC Olympic Basketball Channel 98.
Following are the broadcast plans of DISH Networks on different channels:
NBC HD - 225 hours
USA HD - 165 hours
CNBC HD - 95.5 hours and
Universal HD - 379 hours (available to subscribers with Platinum HD Package)
“We are excited to utilize the full-extent of our services to offer the best of NBCU’s coverage of the Olympic Games for our subscribers,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network. “DISH Network is a leader in sports and HD; our more than 800 hours of NBC’s Olympic coverage demonstrates our ability to use our services to deliver live HD and recorded content, as well as daily highlights and recaps, to ensure our subscribers enjoy comprehensive coverage of the Games.”