Comcast SportsNet New England

Comcast SportsNet New England
Launched November 6, 1981 (1981-11-06)[1]
Network Comcast SportsNet
Owned by Spectacor (1981–1983)
Cablevision (1983–2007)
Comcast (2007–present; NBCUniversal since 2011)
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Slogan Network of Champions
Country United States
Language English
Broadcast area Massachusetts
eastern and central Connecticut
Vermont
Maine
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Nationwide (via satellite)
Headquarters Burlington, Massachusetts
Formerly called PRISM New England (1981–1983)
SportsChannel New England (1983–1998)
Fox Sports New England (1998–2000)
Fox Sports Net New England (2000–2004)
FSN New England (2004–2007)
Sister channel(s) New England Cable News
NBCSN
Website www.csnne.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV 630 (SD/HD)
Cable
Available on most cable systems in designated broadcast area Consult your local cable provider or program listings source for channel availability

Comcast SportsNet New England (sometimes abbreviated as CSN New England) is an American regional sports network that is owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, and operates as an affiliate of Comcast SportsNet. Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, the channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports events throughout the New England region, with a major focus on Boston area teams, as well as several original analysis, magazine and entertainment programs.

Comcast SportsNet New England is available on cable providers throughout Massachusetts, eastern and central Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

History

Early history

Comcast SportsNet New England originally launched on November 6, 1981 as PRISM New England. A spin-off of the Philadelphia-based film and sports-oriented premium service PRISM, it was founded by that channel's parent company, Spectacor. Along with carrying entertainment programming, the network also served as the cable television home for the NHL's Hartford Whalers and the NBA's Boston Celtics, as well as various college sports teams.

In late 1982, Spetacor sold PRISM New England to Cablevision Systems Corporation. On January 1, 1983, the network was rebranded as SportsChannel New England, becoming the second network of what would become the SportsChannel group (after SportsChannel New York).

As a Fox Sports Net outlet

On June 30, 1997, News Corporation and Liberty Media – which had created a new group of regional sports networks, branded as Fox Sports Net, in November 1996, through News Corporation's partial acquisition of the Liberty-owned Prime Network – purchased a 40% interest in Cablevision's sports properties including the SportsChannel networks (as part of a deal that included partial ownership of Madison Square Garden and its NBA and NHL team tenants, the New York Knicks and New York Rangers).[2][3] Cablevision, News Corporation and Liberty Media formed the venture National Sports Partners to run the owned-and-operated regional networks.

As part of a gradual rebranding of most of the SportsChannel networks that began that month (the lone exception being SportsChannel Florida, which did not become an owned-and-operated outlet until 2000), SportsChannel New England joined Fox Sports Net on January 28, 1998, officially rebranding as Fox Sports New England.[4] The channel was then rebranded as Fox Sports Net New England in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner.

In 2001, Comcast purchased a 50% interest in Fox Sports Net New England. The network's name was shortened to FSN New England in 2004, through the de-emphasis of the "Fox Sports Net" brand by the regional networks. In later years, the network carried selected New York Mets games in parts of Connecticut that were not served by MSG or FSN New York (now MSG Plus), which then produced the games.

As a Comcast SportsNet outlet

In February 2005, Cablevision acquired News Corporation's 50% ownership interest in Fox Sports New England (with Comcast retaining its existing 50% stake) and its controlling stakes in FSN Chicago and FSN New York, in a trade deal in which Fox sold its interest in Madison Square Garden and the arena's NBA and NHL team tenants in exchange for acquiring sole ownership of FSN Florida and FSN Florida.

In the summer of 2007, Cablevision sold its remaining 50% share of the network to Comcast. The network was subsequently integrated into the Comcast SportsNet group of regional sports networks, rebranding as Comcast SportsNet New England on October 1, 2007. CSN New England, along with the other Comcast SportsNet-branded networks, was revamped with a new logo and graphics package (similar to that first used by sister network Comcast SportsNet Bay Area) in August 2008.

With Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, Comcast SportsNet was also integrated into the new NBC Sports Group, culminating with the addition of the peacock logo and an updated graphics package to mirror that of its parent network. On August 6, 2014, satellite provider Dish Network dropped Comcast SportsNet New England in a dispute over a proposed increase in retransmission consent fees during carriage agreement negotiations.[5]

Programming

Sports coverage

Comcast SportsNet New England holds the regional cable television rights to the NBA's Boston Celtics (the only remaining sports property that has aired its games on the network since its launch in 1981), the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (which first broadcast its games on the network from 1996 to 2007, before returning to the network in 2010),[6] the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse and the Maine Red Claws of the National Basketball Development League (which have aired its games on the network since the team's formation in 2011).

Comcast SportsNet New England also carries programming distributed nationally by Fox Sports Networks in lieu of a regional FSN affiliate. This includes access to a variety of college sports, notably Pac-12 Conference basketball games on various nights, as well as Saturday telecasts of football games from the Pac-12 and Big 12 Conferences during their respective seasons. The channel also aired studio shows produced by Fox Sports Networks (such as The Best Damn Sports Show Period and FSN Final Score), prior to the premiere of the network's own sports news program, SportsNet Central, in December 2009.

The network formerly carried games from the NHL's Hartford Whalers from its launch in 1981 until the team's relocation to North Carolina (as the Carolina Hurricanes) in 1997. The network also served as the television home of the Boston Breakers of the United States Football League, broadcasting the team's games for one season in 1983.

Original programming

Notable on-air staff

Current on-air staff

Former on-air staff

Other services

Comcast SportsNet New England HD

Comcast SportsNet New England HD is a high definition simulcast feed of Comcast SportsNet New England, which transmits in the 1080i resolution format. The simulcast feed broadcasts live Boston Celtics games, studio shows and original programming in high definition.

References

  1. "On the air". Bangor Daily News (Bangor Publishing Company). November 13, 2001. pp. C4, C8. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  2. "Fox putting together national Sports Net // Changes ahead for SportsChannel". Chicago Sun-Times (Sun-Times Media Group). June 24, 1997. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  3. John M. Higgins (June 30, 1997). "National net keys regional deal. (Fox Sports, Liberty Media Corp. challenge ESPN with stake in SportsChannel)". Broadcasting & Cable (Reed Business Information). Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  4. Jim Greenidge (January 23, 1998). "WELCOME TO NEW ENGLAND, FOX; BYE, SPORTSCHANNEL". Boston Globe (The New York Times Company). Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  5. "Dish Network drops CSNNE, Celtics’ broadcast home". Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. August 6, 2014.
  6. "CSN New England to televise Revs games". NECN.com. March 15, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 18, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.