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Sinclair Launches American Sports Network

J

JayR

From Broadcasting & Cable:

Sinclair Launches American Sports Network

Sinclair Broadcast Group will launch American Sports Network, a college sports channel broadcast on Sinclair’s stations. The collegiate conferences represented on the network include Conference USA, the Colonial Athletic Association, Big South Conference, Southern Conference, and Patriot League.
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Sinclair stations will carry the games on the primary channels or on subchannels depending on market.
 
We can pretty much say adios to Zuus Country once their current agreement with Sinclair ends. For all that Sinclair does wrong, this is actually a good move, though like all the college sports networks they might want to find a plan B to fill time during the summer. Fox College Sports and ESPNU can get away with repeat after repeat at that time; I'm not sure a broadcast subchannel can pull the same thing.
 
These are all afterthought conferences so far as general interest goes. Nobody but diehard fans of the schools in those conferences will listen to those games.
 
I agree it's definitely an afterthought, but as a Sinclair station, what would you rather have filling your Saturday afternoons if you don't have an ESPN+ conference; the 2,939th airing of Red Heat or Byron Allen's junket time-filler, or live sports? Even low-prestige sports coverage still gets ratings from someone.
 
Those conferences have a lot of alumni spread across the country. If Sinclair can get this carried on the cable systems where it has stations it could be a success for them. It's certainly a innovative move.
 
This is going to be a "programming service," a la MyNetworkTV, for Sinclair stations and not a full-time 24/7 sports network, right?
 
The Sinclair station in Portland ME runs infomercials all weekend long, unless CBS supplies network programming. So if CBS has a golf or tennis game on the weekend, WGME 13 will air it. If not, it's infomercials except for late Sat. & Sun nights. (They run Judge Judy late on Sundays, since I guess they already paid for it for weekday afternoons.)

Of course, mentioned above, these college sports are intended for My and CW stations. So maybe WGME will stay with infomercials?

BTW, WGME never ran Zuus on its 13.2 subchannel. They ran The Cool TV (pop music videos) when that was available but these days with Cool TV gone, WGME is just CBS and local programming on 13.1. 13.2 is not broadcasting.
 
I was under the impression that this would be a Digital Subnet. Even so, I think it will drive viewers to those stations where the programming airs. Certainly more than the infomercials they are likely replacing.
 
what is interesting is i saw a commercial on WUCW CW23 in Minneapolis saying "catch ACC football this fall on the CW Twin Cities" yet that isnt on the list
 
So will this air on the CW Plus? We have a Sinclair owned CBS (KIMA/KEPR) that has CW Plus on DT-2, Charter cable 9. Would be interesting to have no infomercials and cheap E/I filler and just east coast football to watch on the CW.

-crainbebo
 
unclehonkey said:
what is interesting is i saw a commercial on WUCW CW23 in Minneapolis saying "catch ACC football this fall on the CW Twin Cities" yet that isnt on the list
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Many of their Upper Midwest stations are a part of the ACC network already under an existing deal; I'm guessing there the ASN programming will fill their Get or Zuus subchannels.
 
mrschimpf said:
Many of their Upper Midwest stations are a part of the ACC network already under an existing deal; I'm guessing there the ASN programming will fill their Get or Zuus subchannels.
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for basketball yes. Every now and then they would show ACC B-Ball games
but for football it was the SEC under the old syndicated SEC TV
 
They added the ACC Network for basketball and football on my station in Milwaukee a few years back (I think the FSN North stations had the SEC Net deal).
 
mrschimpf said:
They added the ACC Network for basketball and football on my station in Milwaukee a few years back (I think the FSN North stations had the SEC Net deal).
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looking at past schedules the My Network has ACC but WMLW (Independent) had the SEC games
 
You're right...it was a split of the SEC games between WMLW and FS Wisconsin, though last year WMLW went exclusively with the Big 12's syndicated network while FS Wisconsin mainly took whatever games weren't grabbed by FS1/2.
 
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