Posted: July 20, 2007
Phoenix Suns President & COO, Rick Welts announced today that all Suns games for the 2007-08 season will be telecast in High Definition (HD).
“The Phoenix Suns will be the first NBA team and first sports team in Arizona to broadcast an entire season in HD. We want to take a leadership position in providing the highest quality television broadcasts possible for our viewers,” said Welts.
“Today’s announcement represents a cooperative effort between our partners KUTP My45 and FSN Arizona, and demonstrates each organization’s commitment to providing the best television experience for Suns fans,” Welts added. “With our current sellout streak of 71 consecutive games and season tickets for the Suns 2007-08 season already sold out, it was important that we do everything possible to make every telecast next season a special event. Watching NBA basketball in HD is breathtaking and our viewers will have that experience every game.”
The Suns are unusual in that all games on local television are produced by the team itself, rather than the more common practice of a team’s television partners having that responsibility. The Suns broadcasting team of Dan Siekmann, Bob Adlhoch and David Hughes will continue to produce every Suns telecast.
“The Phoenix Suns have a long history of providing a tremendous viewing experience, both in arena and on television. KUTP My45 (cable 9), will broadcast 41 Phoenix Suns games in crystal clear high definition for the 2007-08 season,” said Pat Nevin, Vice President & General Manager - KSAZ Fox10, KUTP My45. “This is yet another example of the Suns commitment to excellence, on and off the court.”
“Having all of our Phoenix Suns telecasts available on High Definition will add even more value to FSN Arizona for our viewers and affiliates,” said Mike Connelly, FSN Arizona Senior Vice President & General Manger. “In becoming the first FSN region to offer a full-time HD package, it marks yet another accomplishment in our commitment to provide the best local sports television coverage in Arizona. It will make an already exciting Suns team that much more entertaining to watch in 2007-08.”
“We are excited to add more HD channels to the Cox Arizona lineup and we know Cox customers will appreciate the HD launch of the local My45, since it means more Suns games can be seen in the highest possible quality," said Tammy Heitkamp, director of product management for Cox Arizona. "We made a commitment to our customers to continue adding value to our products and services and to bring them the HDTV channels that they want to watch - we are keeping that commitment."
"Qwest is thrilled to add Phoenix Suns basketball in high-definition to our already great HD lineup and give Qwest Choice TV customers an even more exciting basketball experience,” said Pat Quinn, Qwest Arizona president. “Thanks to our partnership with the Suns and FSN AZ, Qwest’s programming packages are more robust than ever.”
All Suns games not selected for exclusive national telecast are broadcast locally. NBA partners ABC/ESPN and TNT televise all NBA games in HD.
“The Suns commitment to enhancing the experience of being a Suns fan through adoption of the most advanced technology continues to be a top priority for our organization,” said Welts. “Whether through our communication with fans on Suns.com and text messaging; our extensive database marketing; ticket innovations such as Ticketexchange, Ticket Fast (ticket forwarding) and online purchase and payment systems; or bringing HD into US Airways Center event presentation, the Suns continue to look for applications where technology improves the experience of being a fan.”
Suns HD games on FSN Arizona will be offered on these systems and channels:
- Cox (Phoenix and Tucson) – Channel 721
- Qwest (Phoenix) – Channel 329Comcast (Tucson) – Channel 226
- DirecTV – Channel 96*, 97*, 94** or 95**
* Customers in Phoenix with HD/DVR Receiver and Ka-Ku Dish (or 5LNB Dish) REQUIRED.
** Select HD games. Please check your on screen guide. - DISH Network – Channel 365
- Western Broadband (Sun Lakes, Robson Ranch, Saddlebrooke) – Channel 726
Suns HD games on KUTP My45 will be offered on these systems and channels:
- Cox (Phoenix) – Channel 709
- Qwest (Phoenix) – Channel 309
- DirecTV, DISH Network and over the air HD games- Channel 45.1
Suns HD games on KTTU MyTucson will be offered on this system and channel:
- Cox (Tucson) – Channel 702