Teen Spirit: Cablevision Launching Dedicated HS Sports Channel

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Cablevision will launch a cable channel dedicated to high school sports in two weeks that will be exclusive to Cablevision customers. The N.Y.-area MSO officially will take the wraps off MSG Varsity on September 24 when the channel launches to about 3 million Cablevision homes. The channel, which has been hiring execs to staff it for the past several months, will feature four separate feeds to localize programming for various parts of Cablevision's footprint: Long Island, Brooklyn/Bronx, Connecticut/Westchester/Hudson Valley and New Jersey. The channel will be available to Cablevision subs in the N.Y. market on channel 14. Longtime Cablevision executive Theresa Chillianis will serve as the channel's GM.
The channel will look a lot like an RSN, with a line-up that includes taped games, a daily news program ("High School SportsDesk") and a weekly live call-in show ("A Quick :60"). Other planned shows include a quiz show ("The Challenge"), footage of halftime shows ("The Marching Bands") and a weekly reality series ("The Cheering Life"). The channel will feature three-to-four taped football games per region per week. Cablevision opted to tape them rather than show them live because it figured much of the targeted audience will be attending the games. In addition to sports, the channel is committed to covering other student activities, including debate, drama, band and student government. Cablevision seems most excited about MSG Varsity's interactive features, which will allow high schools to upload programming that Cablevision's iO TV subs will be able to access on channel 614. The channel allows viewers to search and select the content they want to watch on the interactive channel. Cablevision also is planning a robust Web site at MSGVarsity.com, which will feature video (games and highlights), news stories and features, photo and statistics on the local teams. Cablevision is not paying the schools a rights fee for the programming, but describes its relationship as "an unprecedented partnership" that will see the New York media company donate video equipment, Web templates, training and scholarships to schools that participate.