DIRECT Satellite

Cox Communications has announced the broadcast schedule the Annual Eastern Region Tournament. This basketball Tournament will decide the girls and boys teams to represent the region in the VHSL State Tournament held in March.

Cox 11 will cover the Semi-Finals to be held on Saturday, February 27, as well as the tournament Finals, to be held on Monday, March 1.

Cox 11 will exclusively cover the Semi-Finals to be held on Saturday, February 27, as well as the tournament Finals, to be held on Monday, March 1.

Cox 11 broadcast schedule is as follows:

Broadcast schedule of Saturday’s February 27 Semi-finals:
Girls – 1 p.m.
Boys – 3 p.m.
Girls – 5 p.m.
Boys – 7 p.m.
Cox 11 will also broadcast Monday’s March 1 Finals is as follows:
Girls – 6 p.m.
Boys – 8 p.m.
Leigh Woisard, Cox Vice President Public Affairs, said “Cox is pleased to serve as the presenting sponsor for the Eastern Region tournament. It’s an important sporting event for area high schools in the region, and Cox 11’s team will deliver the absolute best in coverage.”

MexicoTV is the only network to bring Mexico’s Liga de Ascenso to the Mexican soccer audiences in the U.S. Mexico TV is available on DirecTV Mas programming package and also on Comcast, Time Warner Cable.

Necaxa is the team with a reputation in Mexico, fighting for a comeback longed for by its many thousands of fans, but also the teams blocking its way who are also determined to get there first, at all cost, come what may.

Like Veracruz, in years past the First Division pace-setter, famed for the passion and loyalty of its fans, which has hired a player who is now without question Mexico’s hottest soccer icon: Cuauhtemoc Blanco. He is hated by a heavy majority of Mexican fandom when he plays for the Club America team, or any other rival – but when he plays for Mexico’s national team, that hate turns into boundless love.

Another team committed to winning is Irapuato, current leader of the 2010 League, tied with Necaxa and separated only by a difference of goals scored. These teams have been battling each other in one of the most exciting finals in the League’s recent history, going to the terminal stage of penalty kicks to decide who will come out the winner.

Necaxa, Veracruz, Irapuato, Leon, Orizaba, Pumas Morelos, Tijuana, Correcaminos, Durango and Atlante UTN are the most popular teams to paly for Mexico’s 2010 Liga de Ascenso.

Charter Communications has entered an agreement with NBC Universal to offer multiplatform content of NBC Universal’s 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Charter will present the NBC’s Opening Ceremony of 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on Friday, Feb. 12.

Charter subscribers will be presented with Vancouver Winter Olympic Games with extensive coverage on NBC Universal including:

• CNBC
• MSNBC
• NBC
• NBCOlympics.com
• Universal HD
• USA Network

Charter will deliver more than 835 hours of unprecedented Winter Olympic programming, representing the most total hours ever for a Winter Olympics, and the most live hours ever for a Winter Games.

Charter will showcase advanced technology as well as cable’s broad digital offerings and deep and rich content across multiple digital platforms, including HD, VOD and high-speed Internet. The world’s premier winter event will be the first Winter Olympics available entirely in high definition.

Charter will present entire 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on HD. NBC Universal is making gravity-defying highlights and full event rewinds available On Demand.

Charter subscribers can access more than 20 5-7 minute clips available in SD and HD. NBCU will offer more than 100 highlight clips, approximately 10 per day, in addition to up to five full-length daily event replays. Additionally, NBCU will offer more than 30% of In-Games VOD in HD.

Dish Network has launched two Malayalam channels on Malayalam Mega Pack on South Asian programming to international programming subscribers. V-Kairali and People TV are the popular Malayalam channels India launched on Malayalam Mega Pack.

People TV, available on DISH Network Ch. 786, is a 24-hour news channel that keeps Malayalam viewers in the U.S. informed of the latest happenings in Kerala, India and other Gulf nations. Known for its sting operations and fearless journalism, People TV covers a full spectrum of news ranging from politics, investigative reports and business to sports, the film industry and interviews.

V-Kairali, available on DISH Network Ch. 785, is a 24-hour youth-oriented entertainment channel featuring shows across a range of entertainment genres that reflect the lifestyle, tastes and attitudes of new generation Malayalees in India and abroad. V-Kairali broadcasts movies, game shows, music, dance and fashion programming, and more including trend-setting programs such as “Golden Hits,” “We Music Station,” “Fun Times” and “Dew Drops.”

SureWest Communications announced the launch of Advanced Digital TV service in Sacramento area. Advanced Digital TV is powered by Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol television (IPTV) software, which brings Home DVR and many other advanced features.

SureWest Communications Advanced Digital TV service delivers crystal-clear high definition and extremely fast channel surfing.

Steve Oldham, SureWest’s president and chief executive officer, said “We are extremely excited about the enthusiasm this new TV service is creating among residential customers. Just two weeks into our soft sales launch, and with the marketing campaign still forthcoming, initial demand is already sizable. Our sales team is reporting a high level of excitement and sales results that are exceeding our expectations.”

“Our voice and data customers have been excited about adding this new service and we are also capturing brand new customers due to its reliability and ease of use. Combined with our symmetrical 50 Mbps high-speed Internet capability and interactive digital phone service, Advanced Digital TV creates what we believe is the best triple-play package in both quality and value in the Sacramento market” added Oldham.

Roseville’s Brian Lopez, a new SureWest triple-play customer with Advanced Digital TV, said “My previous providers just don’t compare to my experience with SureWest. The first time I turned to an HD channel, I felt like I had a brand new TV – the picture quality is amazing! There’s no lag when I change channels, it’s instantaneous. The flexibility of the whole home DVR is awesome; I can start a show in one room, pause it, and pick it up in any other room in the house. After having the service for a week, I’m in love with my TV.”

Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Spring Training schedule for 2010 season. MLB Spring Training will start on Tuesday, March 2nd in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Grapefruit and Cactus League Spring Training play will conclude by Saturday, April 3rd.

The final exhibition game will be played on Sunday, April 4th, when the Giants welcome the Seattle Mariners to AT&T Park in San Francisco. Later that night, Major League Baseball’s 2010 regular season will begin as the Boston Red Sox host the Yankees at Fenway Park at 8:00 p.m. (ET) before a national audience on ESPN2.

2010 Spring Training broadcast schedule on ESPN is as follows:

Former National Football League head coach, and the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team Pete Carroll will join ESPN’s SportsCenter and College GameDay Built by The Home Depot team to provide analysis about the Citi BCS National Championship on January 6 and 7.

Pete Carroll will be available on the sports network evening editions of ESPN SportsCenter Wednesday, Jan. 6 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and also on special one-hour College GameDay Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. National Championship pre-game and halftime shows on ABC beginning at 8 p.m.; and for ESPN’s SportsCenter post-game coverage following the game.

Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production, said “Coach Carroll’s experience in games of this magnitude will provide fans with invaluable insight on the thoughts going through the mind of a coach and the preparation involved to be in a position to win, adding a new element in the analysis of the matchup.”

“I’m not only looking forward to seeing this great matchup between Alabama and Texas, but joining with the ESPN crew to offer my thoughts and perspectives after having played in the BCS Championship Game in the Rose Bowl” said Carroll.

Charter Communications has launched six new high-definition channels to West Michigan subscribers. Charter subscribers in Ottawa County, Whitehall, Hart, Pentwater and Ludington receive following new HD channels:

• Fox News Channel HD – channel 697
• FX entertainment HD – channel 698
• MLB Network HD – channel 694
• National Geographic HD – channel 699
• SPEED HD – channel 696
• USA Network HD – channel 695

Charter has also added MGTV, Michigan government television on channel 995 and C-SPAN3 on channel 996.

TVGUIDE channel will be moved from channel 98 to channel 17.

Tim Ransberger, vice president at Charter Communications said “The difference is if you have a high definition TV, the picture is noticeably better.”

The leading live mobile TV service provider FLO TV has signed a distribution agreement with The Walt Disney Company. This agreement will allow FLO TV to carry ABC Television Network and Disney Channel contents on its programming line-up.

FLO TV delivers following popular primetime shows:

• Grey’s Anatomy
• Desperate Housewives
• FlashForward
• Ugly Betty
• Lost
• Hannah Montana
• Wizards of Waverly Place
• The Suite Life on Deck
• JONAS
• Handy Manny
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Jonathan Barzilay, senior vice president of programming and advertising, FLO TV said “ABC Mobile and Disney Channel offer some of the most iconic and popular programming on television. FLO TV is thrilled to add ABC Mobile and the Disney Channel to the lineup of leading brands enjoyed by our subscribers.”

Matt Murphy, senior vice president, digital video distribution, Disney and ESPN Media Networks, said “We are excited to expand our relationship with FLO TV and now offer a comprehensive array of world-class programming to their subscribers. We are dedicated to connecting viewers to the content they want and brands they love on the platforms they choose and are pleased that in addition to having access to high-quality, popular sports programming from ESPN, users of the FLO TV service will now be able to see their favorite shows from ABC and Disney Channel.”

The leading Spanish language media company Univision Communications announced that its Univision Interactive Media has signed an agreement with YouTube.com website.

This agreement will allow YouTube to launch short-length and long-form Univision videos of extensive archive of Spanish library programs. YouTube.com website will also feature Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision television programs.

Kevin Conroy, president of Univision Interactive Media, Inc, said “This is a very exciting milestone, as it represents the first time that any Univision programming is available on the Web outside our own properties in both a short- and long-form format. This partnership uniquely extends our reach to our audience and solidifies our position as the leading Spanish-language video provider for U.S. Hispanics with unparalleled programming in all respects.”

Chris Maxcy, head of Content Partnerships at YouTube, said “Clearly, Univision has established itself as a premier provider of Spanish-language television content here in the U.S. This deal is a big win for us and marks one of the most comprehensive partnerships for full-length programming signed to date. There is a huge demand to watch Spanish-language content on YouTube. With this new partnership, our community here in the U.S. can watch and enjoy both full-length and short-form programming from Univision’s three major networks on our platform.”