UNIVERSAL SPORTS ANNOUNCES NEW MARKET LAUNCHES BRINGING
ITS REACH TO 56 MILLION BROADCAST HOMES
Recent Additions Include Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa and Orlando Markets
LOS ANGELES – July 15, 2009 – Universal Sports, the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming, announced today it has increased its distribution to more than 56 million broadcast homes and 29 million digital cable homes, an increase of more than 75 percent since January 1, 2009. Contributing to the growth is the recent expansion into Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa, Orlando, Puerto Rico, Columbus, Buffalo, Fresno and Charleston markets. Earlier this year, the network announced launches in the major markets of Houston, Seattle, Miami, Denver, Portland, Indianapolis, Raleigh and Jacksonville.
Since June 2008, when NBC officially announced its partnership with Universal Sports (formerly the World Championship Sports Network), distribution has grown from two million to today’s more than 56 million television households.
“The network’s record growth is a testament to the appeal of these sports as we deliver on our vision of providing consistent access to millions of fans on a daily basis,” said Claude Ruibal, CEO of Universal Sports. “We are committed to these sports in a way that no one has before. In 2009, we will show more than 2,000 hours of live programming, more than 15 World Championships, entire World Cup seasons, and key qualifying events leading to the Vancouver Olympic Games.”
Gary Zenkel, President of NBC Olympics added, “Together, NBC Sports and Universal Sports have made tremendous strides with network distribution on all fronts. Obviously, our distribution partners around the country continue to confirm the value and quality of Universal Sports as the definitive source for the great competition and storytelling that fans have come to associate with NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games.”
Universal Sports is available in nine of the top 10 markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Houston. The latest expansion includes three top-20 markets: Detroit, Tampa and Orlando, making Universal Sports available in 15 of the top 20 markets.
ABOUT UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming available on television and online. Universal Sports is a 24-hour television channel available in 56 million television households (via DTV antenna), including 29 million digital cable homes and 7 million over-the-air homes to date. The 36 million homes represented are in 43 markets nationwide, including top markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Houston, Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, Denver and Orlando. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.tv.
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Media Contacts:
Melisa Mowry
240.396.1906
mmowry@universalsports.com
Greg Hughes
404.394.3700
ghughes@5425@gmail.com