AT&T to Carry Fox Sports Digi-Nets

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

Anaheim, Calif. -- Fox Cable Networks Group will launch its Fox Sports
Digital Nets services on AT&T Broadband systems as part of an agreement
reached Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and AT&T Broadband would not commit
a specific number of subscribers to Fox Sports.

The three-channel Fox Sports Digital Nets service -- which offers live event
programming and regional sports-news coverage from Fox Sports Net's 22 regional
sports networks -- now has agreements with four of the top eight MSOs, including
Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications Inc., Fox Cable Networks Group
executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing Lindsay Gardner
said.

The digi-nets will also launch on AT&T's Headend in the Sky
digital-distribution platform later this month.

Gardner said he expects the services -- launched to help cable operators
compete against the direct-broadcast satellite services' sports offerings -- to
be in about 2.5 million homes by the end of 2002.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.