Today's High-Def Headlines

MLB Network to Launch in 2009 - NY Times
Major League Baseball does not believe there is enough baseball on television. Not on local and regional TV. Not on Fox, ESPN, TBS or MLB.com. It wants ubiquity, a 24/7 home, so it is building its own cable channel, the MLB Network, in Secaucus, N.J., with opening day scheduled for Jan. 1.

DirecTV's Chang Dishes Out the High-Def - MCN
Satellite-TV provider DirecTV roiled the high-definition market in early 2007 when it disclosed plans to offer over 100 HDTV channels, touching off an arms race to add new content. More recently, it has continued to raise the competitive bar by launching a VOD service with HD content and setting plans to offer Blu-ray quality 1080p movies. DirecTV executive vice president of content strategy Derek Chang recently talked with HD Update’s George Winslow about the operator’s plans for HD and the role it plays in the competition between satellite, cable and the telcos for new subscribers.

Bright House Uses Switched Digital to Expand HD Content - MCN
Cable operator Bright House Networks has completed the switched-digital rollout in its Orlando, Fla., system and is now installing it in Tampa, Fla., and Indianapolis, with BigBand Networks providing the products and services for the upgrade. By using the bandwidth-saving technique, Bright House will be able to significantly increase its HD lineup and better compete against the telco video offerings available in various parts of its Florida footprint.

Comcast SportsNet Northwest Launches in Seattle Area (press release)
Comcast Cable and Comcast SportsNet Northwest, home of the most comprehensive local sports content, today announces the network is launching to sports fans in the Seattle region with coverage including 55 Portland Trail Blazers NBA games and 60 NHL games featuring the Vancouver Canucks or the San Jose Sharks. Comcast SportsNet is the 24/7 home of Northwest sports featuring live game coverage of 55 exclusive Trail Blazers games, including 33 in HDTV; approximately 60 NHL games, including 50 featuring the Canucks or Sharks; and college sports including the University of Washington, University of Oregon, and more.