In Demand Launching HD Channels For NBA, NHL Games

Two new In Demand channels -- GameHD and TeamHD -- launched earlier this month and will air HD games from the NHL Center Ice package and NBA League Pass package, respectively, at “no cost to sports package affiliates,” according to CABLEFAX DAILY.  The channels are running on “undisclosed systems.” In Demand VP/Business Development Jason Patton said that “because of bandwidth constraints and other cable headend snags, … few operators have offered the HD games through the NHL Center Ice package.” To “help manage the operators’ bandwidth, the nets aren’t available simultaneously.” So when the NBA season begins, In Demand will “program a chosen NBA game every other night,” with hockey games in between. Future plans for the nets include HD games from the MLB Extra Innings package in ’08 and the availability of more than one sports contest per night (CABLEFAX DAILY, 10/19).