By By Chris Vaccaro
The New York Mets will join a list of teams to have their own television network starting in March 2006.
Sportsnet New York, owned by Time Warner, Comcast and Sterling Entertainment Enterprises will broadcast 125 Mets games and will also be involved with coverage of college football and basketball from the The Big East and Big Ten conferences. This YES Network-like station will be one of the most watched stations in the area, and should spark a resurgence of sports broadcasting in the New York-Metro area.
“It’s going to be challenging for us,” said Sportsnet Vice President and Executive Producer Curt Gowdy Jr., who spent over 25-years with ABC sports and has a wealth of knowledge about the business. “We’ll give the team a look, feel and have the faces to bring it all together.”
This new look, something the Mets tried desparelty to achieve last year will be important in keeping some fans around. If they keep adding big name talent (Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner) to go along with their big name television network, then Mets fans will be partying all season long.
The station will not only be the television home of the Mets, but will also have regular sports news programs similar to those on the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network and Fox Sports New York.
“Our news and information will distinguish us,” Gowdy said. “It’s a new destination point for our viewers if they want sports news, and we’ll be more comprehensive and have more fire power than our competitors.”
The New York station will be similar to that of Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia, where three daily SportsNite shows and a SportsRise morning show are broadcasted daily.
Last week, Sportsnet announced the addition of the New York Jets to their programming, airing 240 hours of specialized coverage, including coaching previews and in-depth shows. While it can’t broadcast in-season games because of licensing restrictions with the National Football League, Sportsnet will still be able to provide the Jets with a home as well.
Jets fans will also be able to enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at Gang Green, and take in the same love and affection, which Mets fans can now do.
It’s about time.
If the New York Islanders landed on there-which can’t happen because of long-term contracts- then almost every New York sports fan would be satisfied in some way or another. The Yankees and Giants have shows on Yes, while the Knicks are usually broadcasted on MSG. For Islanders and Mets fans, the programming is all over the place. The channel surfing is finally over for most of that bunch.
Sportsnet, which will be available to about nine million viewers during the first month, is working out deals with Cablevision and direct-broadcast satellite distributors DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. The network has inked a deal to supply at least threemillion basic Cablevision subscribers with coverage thus far.
Sportsnet will also use something similar to ESPN’s Regional Television (ERT), which provides coverage for 30 college football and 85 college basketball games.
Sportsnet plans to broadcast many games in high-definition at 1080i, the highest lines of resolution. Gowdy said they have to keep up with technology and think ahead. He also mentioned Sportsnet plans to play a big role in broadcasting The Big East, whose contract with MSG runs out in two years.
“We hope to in 10 years not just be a regional sports network,” said Gowdy, who feels the network’s biggest challenge is gaining identity. “We want to be an all out entertainment source and move forward with other brand names and event programming.”
There hasn’t been a mainstay of one major college conference to air games on a single network. If Sportsnet can grab The Big East, then its revenue will skyrocket and possibly become an even better station than Yes.
“It’s going to take a lot of work and coordination and hit a home run with it,” Gowdy said. “We’ll speak to the passion and voice of all New York fans and teams.”
Chris Vaccaro is Sports Editor for The Chronicle. He is a contributing writer for New York Sportscene, and a staff writer for Long Island’s Ultimate Athlete magazines. You can reach him at [email protected]