NBA TV
| NBA TV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | 1999 |
| Owned by | National Basketball Association |
| Country |  United States |
| Website | http://nba.com/nba_tv |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 601 |
| Dish Network | Channel 402 |
| Cable | |
| Cablevision | Channels Vary |
| Comcast | Channels Vary |
| Cox Communications | Channels Vary |
| Time Warner Cable | Channels Vary |
NBA TV is a television network that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), which also used NBA TV as a way of advertising their Pay Per View programming. Like The Golf Channel, The Tennis Channel, and, during the 1980s, The Boxing Channel, NBA TV dedicates all of its programming to the sport it showcases. At houses with DirecTV and most cable television companies, the channel can be viewed twenty-four hours a day.
Early years
Started in 1999 as nba.com tv, the channel, which has its studios at NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey, began a multi-year deal with American television companies Cox Communications, Cablevision, and Time Warner on June 28, 2003, allowing the network to expand to 45 million American homes, and 30 different countries. NBA TV replaced Time Warner's CNN/SI on many cable systems after that network shut down a year earlier.
Programming
NBA TV offers basketball news every day, as well as programming showcasing basketball players' individual lifestyles, life as a basketball team during an NBA season, famous games of the past, and, mostly four days a week (occasionally 5, 6, or even 7 days a week, but no less than 4 days a week), live NBA basketball games (unlike ESPN and TNT, due to its contractual restrictions, games available on the local channel are blacked out on NBA TV at the local area, while ESPN and TNT does not have this restriction. The restriction does not apply on preseason games.).
The channel also shows international games, typically on Saturday evenings, with special emphasis on the Euroleague and the Maccabi Tel Aviv team from Israel. In April 2005, the channel televised the Chinese Basketball Association finals for the first time. [1] NBA TV has 90 regular season games on their schedule for the 2007-08 NBA season, about half of which are also available in high definition. NBA TV also broadcasts WNBA games nationally (with contractual restrictions), along with ESPN2.
The channel has also broadcast some first round playoff games (contractual restrictions apply).
NBATV Shows
- GameNight
- NBA TV Fantasy Hoops
- Making the Call With Ronnie Nunn
- Tuesday Night With Ahmad
- The Run
- NBA TV News
Personalities
NBA TV broadcasters include Andre Aldridge, Alaa Abdelnaby, Rick Kamla, Gary Apple, Fred "Mad Dog" Carter, Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich, Angela Tsai and Bruce Beck, as well as New York area journalists Peter Vecsey and Frank Isola. Spero Dedes left NBA TV to become the radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers. On the production side, NBA TV[2] has veteran statisticians Dave Katz & Andy Renga.
Ownership
The National Basketball Association said it offered buyouts to staff at its television network as it prepares for an unidentified media company to assume operations.
The league offered 68 full-time employees at NBA TV buyouts based on service time, according to a person who received the offer. Packages range from two weeks pay per year for those with five years or less experience, to four weeks salary per year for those with 16 or more, said the person, who wouldn't be identified because the league hasn't authorized employees to speak specifically about the buyouts.
NBA TV, the 24-hour cable network started by the league in 1999, shows a mix of live and historic games, as well as biographies of past and present players. The network is carried by cable-service providers Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc., and Time Warner Inc. as well as satellite-provider DirecTV Group Inc. It's in 12 million U.S. homes and available in 73 countries.
The NBA's entertainment division offered producers buyouts ``in preparation of the transition of the operation of NBA TV to an outside media partner, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
He wouldn't identify the new media partner.
The NBA signed eight-year contract extensions in June with Time Warner's Turner Sports and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and ESPN to broadcast games and expand digital services.
``We have nothing to announce at this time, said Turner spokesman Jeff Pomeroy.
ABC and ESPN spokesman Mark Mandel didn't immediately return a message.
The person said the league wants to complete the buyouts by the end of September.
As of August 21st, Time Warner and Comcast are viewed as the top runners to take over NBA TV.
As of October 8th, Turner appears to be the media partner that is taking over according to Hoopsworld: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=5541 "NBATV: Surprisingly there has been little said about the NBA's decision to sell off NBATV to one of its media partners. Talks had gone on for sometime as ESPN/ABC and Turner both explored scenarios with the league. Ultimately it seems Turner has won out, and will take over operation of the league's flagship cable channel, that reaches some 12 million subscribers. The exact change over date is not clear, but several months ago a Bloomberg report sighted sources saying senior level producers were offered contract buyouts in September."
International presence
In 2001, Raptors NBA TV begin airing in Canada. Although quite similar to NBA TV, there is a larger focus on the Toronto Raptors basketball team, mainly due to Canadian content requirements.
In 2004, NBA TV began to be seen in Venezuela. Hungry to see American basketball players in action, many Venezuelans asked for the channel, and President Hugo Chávez obliged. Venezuelans receive the NBA TV signal on Saturday nights, and Chávez allows for one recorded game to be shown, although he has chosen two sports broadcasters to do the game's coverage, and he advised them to speak well about his presidential campaign during the transmissions of these recorded games.
As of 2006, NBA TV coverage can be seen in 40 countries via the following partners:
- Hong Kong Cable (Hong Kong)
- Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network (Pan-Middle East)
- CanalSatellite (France)
- Basketball TV (Philippines)
- NTV (Turkey)
- Raptors NBA TV (Canada)
- NTV Plus (Russia)
See also
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
