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Facilities Venues

FLOORING NEWS: COMCAST ADDS NAMING RIGHTS TO MD ARENA DEAL

          Comcast Corp., which previously acquired naming rights
     to the Univ. of MD's (UM) new $101M basketball arena for
     $20M (see THE DAILY, 1/5), announced yesterday that it "has
     exercised an option to pay an additional" $5M for the naming
     rights to the arena floor, according to Josh Barr of the
     WASHINGTON POST.  The arena, to be called Comcast Center, is
     scheduled to open in the summer of 2002.  Earlier this week,
     Comcast also purchased DC-based RSN HTS, which "has an
     agreement" with Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom to air "several" ACC
     men's basketball games in the 2000-01 season.  Barr: "Given
     Comcast's stake in Washington-Baltimore area cable systems
     as well as in the arena, it appears likely Comcast could try
     to have more Maryland games included in the HTS package." 
     Comcast spokesperson Mitchell Schmale said, "I don't think
     there are any plans for that as of now.  But I think that,
     moving forward, Comcast will look to see what is possible to
     get as many games as possible on the air."  Through the deal
     with the state government, UM's share of the cost of the
     arena is $45M, with the remaining $20M of the univ.'s share
     being raised "primarily through the sale of tax-deductible
     donations for preferred seating" in 1,800 seats, "an
     arrangement that is similar" to a PSL (WASHINGTON POST,
     7/13).  The deal becomes the largest known corporate naming
     gift in the U.S. for a collegiate athletic facility and is
     the largest single donation to UM (Comcast).

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