Time Warner, Comcast, Sterling Entertainment Unveil New York's New Regional Sports Network

Time Warner, Comcast, Sterling Entertainment Unveil New York's New Regional Sports Network

SportsNet New York To Telecast Mets Games and Emphasize Sports News

NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- SportsNet New York (SNY), New York's new regional sports network, backed by Time Warner, Comcast and Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, was introduced today by Jon Litner, president of the network. SNY will telecast up to 125 regular season games of the New York Mets in 2006. Litner unveiled the logo, location and studio designs at the new SportsNet New York studios (the former CNN studios) located in the heart of midtown Manhattan in the TimeLife building at Avenue of the Americas and 51st Street. Time Warner Cable, Comcast Corporation and Sterling Entertainment Enterprises are the owners of SNY.

The network will be launched in Spring 2006. In addition to telecasting 125 regular season games of the New York Mets, SNY will also telecast pre-season games and have a full winter schedule. Starting in the fall of 2006, SNY will be the home for up to 30 college football games and up to 85 college basketball games featuring teams from the nation's leading conferences, including The Big East and Big Ten.

SportsNet New York will offer a full sports news and information operation. The heart of the operation will be in a state-of-the-art multiple studio facility in midtown Manhattan. The network will broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In making the announcement, Mr. Litner said, "We are committed to becoming the first place that New Yorkers go for their sports news. SportsNet New York will be the destination network for sports fans in New York and the Tri-State area. The network will reach out to all New Yorkers and we will cover all of their teams and the events that are important to them." Mr. Litner emphasized, "We are fortunate to have some very strong partners in our network -- Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, as well as Time Warner and Comcast, two premier media and technology companies who bring us outstanding leadership, operational expertise and very strong distribution."

The program lineup will include three nightly "SportsNite" shows, followed by a daily "SportsRise" show throughout the morning with each show originating from the studio. Mr. Litner stated he expects the network to take full advantage of the news-gathering resources available through other Comcast Sportsnet affiliates to give New York sports fan in-depth, objective news coverage that they can count on.

All programming from the studio will be shot exclusively in high definition (HDTV). All home games of the Mets, and select away games, will be shot in HD with the highest picture resolution in the industry. For the 125 regular season Mets games, game productions will include dedicated pre and post-game shows and a "baseball central" studio with in-game updates from around the league. The network will emphasize player access and personalities and incorporate fan interaction, as well as cover breaking news.

SportsNet New York will be available throughout the Tri-State area and parts of Pennsylvania, as well as upstate New York.

Members of the SNY management team were introduced at a press conference at SportsNet New York's studios. Curt Gowdy, Jr., Vice President of Production and Executive Producer, is a 15-time Emmy Award Winner during a 27-year career at ABC Sports. Steve Raab, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, had been a longtime executive at Turner Broadcasting where he helped launch the Turner South regional network. Gary Morgenstern, Director of Programming, is a 16-year veteran of ESPN where he managed several of ESPN's marquee properties and was part of the launch team for ESPN 2, and most recently ESPN Outdoors.

Mr. Litner indicated that announcements regarding talent, including broadcasters as well as production assignments, will be made over the next few months.

Source: SportsNet New York

CONTACT: Richard C. Auletta, rca@auletta.com, or Kimberlee Auletta, kimberlee@auletta.com, both of R.C. Auletta & Company, +1-212-355-0400, for SportsNet New York

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