EchoStar Communications and its Dish Network have ramped up seven Regional Sports Networks that are designed to strengthen the DBS firm's HD profile, as Dish and competitor DirecTV battle it out to see which satellite service can out-HD each other in the race for new subscribers.
Sports has been one of the key factors in driving consumers to HD services in recent years, and apart from its own intra-DBS rivalry, Dish and DirecTV are also heavily competing with cable, and now fiber, for the hearts and minds of sports viewers.
The seven HD RSNs launched in recent days include:
• Fox Sports Network Florida (Channel 373)
• Fox Sports Network Midwest (Channel 368)
• Fox Sports Network West (Channel 367)
• Fox Sports Network Prime Ticket (Channel 361)
• Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain (Channel 364)
• Fox Sports Network South (Channel 370)
• Fox Sports Network Southwest (Channel 366)
Dish also indicated it has at least three more regional HD sports venues on tap between now and next fall.
