Michigan High School Athletic Association - Promoting Educational Athletics
Michigan High School Athletic Association - Promoting Educational Athletics |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Aug. 27, 2008 MHSAA & Comcast to Launch MHSAA Network EAST LANSING, Mich. – Aug. 27 – The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) and Comcast today announced the launch of the MHSAA Network, a new cross-platform endeavor which will deliver Comcast digital cable customers unprecedented coverage of local high school sports on TV, On Demand and online. When We Were Young Productions will be responsible for the production of the content for the MHSAA Network, which will include over 400 hours of programming during the fall sports season alone. The addition of the MHSAA Network’s sporting events to Comcast’s offerings is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to offer customers the most exciting and comprehensive menu of local and regional sports coverage available. “This is a partnership that will capture the true flavor of high school sports, providing coverage of all MHSAA tournament sports, from all sizes of schools from all parts of the state,” said MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts. “The MHSAA Network will offer fans the opportunity to view all of this content on different delivery platforms, responding to how technology is changing the way people get information about high school sports. We’re excited that Comcast is joining us to help bring recognition to our schools, teams, student-athletes and communities.” “Comcast is committed to constantly enhancing the value we provide our customers and our partnership with the MHSAA is just the latest example of how we are delivering on that promise in Michigan,” said Dave Buhl, Senior Vice President for Comcast’s Michigan Region. “With our unique On Demand technology, we’re ensuring that Comcast remains the number one destination for sports fans to catch all the hometown action.” Starting Sept. 3, Comcast customers across Michigan will have access to more than 400 hours of MHSAA programming, including statewide games of the week in select sports, such as football and volleyball, and pre-final rounds of a variety of MHSAA Tournaments that will air on a delayed basis. Programs will receive their first airings Wednesday evenings, with replays on the following Saturdays and Sundays during the midday and evening time periods. The schedule for the first week of games, with coverage of tomorrow’s Blissfield at Sand Creek football game and Friday’s Big Day Prep Showdown contests in Ypsilanti, can be found on the TV-Radio page of the MHSAA Website. Those match-ups and additional games will also be available through Comcast’s signature On Demand service, allowing fans to tune in whenever it’s convenient for them with the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind their selections to catch the best action again and again. Viewers can watch the MHSAA Network On Demand programming by accessing the On Demand menu, choosing the “Get Local” category and clicking the “MHSAA” folder. . Like the majority of Comcast’s 10,000 On Demand programs, the MHSAA Network is available to digital cable customers at no additional cost. The coverage will also be distributed via the Internet on MHSAA.TV, a brand which originally launched during the 2007-08 school year, showing live Semifinal contests in Girls and Boys Basketball, and Final games in Baseball and Softball. All of the content distributed on cable will also be available on MHSAA.TV, with a number of Final and Semifinal events being streamed live. The MHSAA.TV website will debut in mid to late September. FSN Detroit will continue its tradition of carrying MHSAA Finals in girls and boys basketball in addition to football as it has for the past decade. Additional cable clearances will be announced as they are secured. The MHSAA will partner with When We Were Young Productions to produce the various events that will be available, which will include an ongoing series of MHSAA Classic programs dating back to the 1950s, which will also be available on Comcast. Fans will also be able to purchase copies of all programs through the MHSAA Website. When We Were Young Productions will also assist the MHSAA in the development of additional broadband strategies to help promote high school sports and its values as well as to provide recognition and services to schools, teams and student-athletes. It will also provide video production services to the MHSAA for public service announcements and other purposes. While We Were Young Productions will have production facilities in mid-Michigan, hiring a full-time and part-time staff. “We are very excited to enter into this new relationship with the MHSAA and Comcast,” said Tim Eichorst, president of When We Were Young Productions. “High school sports play a critical and important role in the ongoing educational development of our young adults. It is our hope that through this new partnership we can support this effort and demonstrate to a broader audience the excitement and simple purity that is high school sports.” About Comcast Corporation Comcast’s Michigan Region serves more than 1.2 million customers in the state and employs more than 4,300 individuals. Comcast operates three major call centers in the state and houses its Michigan Region headquarters in Southfield. About When We Were Young Productions About MHSAA -0- MEDIA ADVISORY – For a list of playback times from this week’s games, click here. For an MHSAA Network logo, click here. For a Comcast logo, contact Patrick Paterno at the phone number or e-mail listed at the beginning of this release. RL09-008 Farm Bureau Insurance and MEEMIC Insurance are year-round MHSAA Corporate Partners |
