In a move that "should win over -- or back -- more fans
than any free-agent signing," the Blazers announced "the end
(probably) of the unpopular BlazerVision pay-per-view
system," according to John Hunt of the Portland OREGONIAN.
The Blazers, who were the last NBA team to employ PPV for
regular-season games, announced a deal with AT&T Broadband
that will put "at least 25 games on basic cable in the
Portland market." Hunt: "For free. Finally." The team said
that the new arrangement "should reach more than 400,000
Portland-area households" and will be part of AT&T's
standard cable package. Blazers Senior VP/Marketing Harry
Hutt said of the move, "It's not a financial decision, but
it's the best business decision." Hunt added that one
"downside" to the deal is that it is "only a one-year
agreement" (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/13). The AP's Landon
Hall reported the team will televise 24 of the 82 regular-
season games on AT&T Broadband. The team operated
Blazervision for more than a decade, and last season, single
games cost $9.95 and $7.95 "as part of a package." Hutt
said that the system "actually was a huge hit with viewers,
although he never has revealed how many people actually
ordered any games." Hutt: "There was a mixed message there.
This was something people said they hated, but they turned
around and gobbled it up" (AP, 10/13).
AT&T NIXES SOME HEAT GAMES: AT&T has decided "not to
carry eight" Heat games on the Sunshine Network. Company
execs said that the decision was made due to the cost and
the fact that the eight games were "not included in initial
contract negotiations" with the Sunshine Network. The move
impacts about 600,000 homes in parts of Broward and Miami-
Dade counties (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 10/14).
