NBA TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NBA TV
NBA TV logo
Launched	March 17, 1999
Owned by	National Basketball Association (leased to Turner Broadcasting System, a Time Warner company)
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Country	United States
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Website	http://nba.com/nba_tv
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV	216 (SD/HD)[1]
Dish Network	Channel 402 (SD) 560 (HD)
Orbit Network	Channel 55
Digiturk	Channel 75
NTV Plus
Cable
Available on select cable systems	Check local listings

NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their Pay Per View programming, and Turner Network Television. Like The Golf Channel, Tennis Channel, NHL Network, NFL Network, MLB Network, and, during the 1980s, The Boxing Channel, NBA TV dedicates all of its programming to the sport it showcases.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Programming 3 NBA TV shows 4 Personalities 4.1 Studio hosts 4.2 Studio analysts 5 Ownership 6 International presence 7 NBA TV HD 8 New Carriage Agreements 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Early years

Started in 1999 as nba.com tv, the channel, which had its studios at NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey, began a multi-year deal with American television companies Cox Communications, Cablevision, and Time Warner on June 28, 2003, allowing the network to expand to 45 million American homes, and 30 different countries. NBA TV replaced Time Warner's CNN/SI on many cable systems after that network shut down a year earlier.

[edit] Programming

NBA TV offers basketball news every day, as well as programming showcasing basketball players' individual lifestyles, life as a basketball team during an NBA season, famous games of the past, and live games typically four days a week during the NBA season. Live games on NBA TV are subject to local blackout restrictions, since NBA TV does not have exclusive broadcast rights to any of its games. Games carried by NBA TV are always also carried by each team's local rights holder.

The channel also shows international games, typically on Saturday evenings, with special emphasis on the Euroleague and the Maccabi Tel Aviv team from Israel. In April 2005, the channel televised the Chinese Basketball Association finals for the first time. ^[2] NBA TV carries at least 90 regular-season games per season, all broadcast in high definition, as well as some first-round playoff games. It also broadcasts WNBA games nationally (subject to local blackout).

The channel's flagship program is NBA Gametime Live, a show in which a host and studio analysts go over the latest news, highlights, and look in at games in progress. The show is live six days a week, not airing on most Thursdays due to NBA's coverage of The NBA on TNT. An edited one hour/thirty minute version of the broadcast is repeated throughout the late night/early morning hours.

[edit] NBA TV shows

• NBA Access with Ahmad Rashād
• Basketball International
• FIBA World Basketball
• NBA Action
• NBA Gametime Live
• NBA TV Fantasy Hoops
• NBA TV Hardwood Classics/Greatest Games
• NBA TV News in Review
• NBA Stories
• NBA Vault
• The Run
• This Week in the D-League
• NBA 360
• NBA Roundtable

[edit] Personalities

The studio host and analysts vary every night on NBA Gametime Live.

[edit] Studio hosts

Andre Aldridge (2005-present)
Rick Kamla (2002-present)
Ernie Johnson (2008-present)
Ahmad Rashad (2006-present)
Marc Fein (2008-present)
Bob Fiscella (2009-present)

[edit] Studio analysts

Eric Snow (2008-present)
Kenny Smith (2008-present)
Steve Smith (2008-present)
Gary Payton (2008-present)
Chris Webber (2008-present)
Cheryl Miller (2008-present)
Charles Barkley (2008-present)
David Aldridge (2008-present)
Antonio Davis (2008-present)
Eddie Jordan (2008-present)
Sam Mitchell (2008-present)
Bernard King (2008-present)
Reggie Theus (2008-present)
Mike Fratello (2008-present)
LaPhonso Ellis (2009-present)
Derrick Coleman (2009-present)
Scot Pollard (2009-present)

[edit] Ownership

On October 8, 2007, it was reported that Turner Sports, a division of Time Warner, was to take over the channel's operations, according to Hoopsworld: "NBATV: Surprisingly there has been little said about the NBA's decision to sell off NBATV to one of its media partners. Talks had gone on for sometime [sic] as ESPN/ABC and Turner both explored scenarios with the league. Ultimately it seems Turner has won out, and will take over operation of the league's flagship cable channel, that reaches some 12 million subscribers. The exact changeover date is not clear, but several months ago a Bloomberg report cited sources saying senior level producers were offered contract buyouts in September."

Turner Sports relaunched the channel on October 28, 2008, using analysts carried over from NBA on TNT. ^[3] The studio was also upgraded, and the show now airs live from Studio B at Turner Studios in Atlanta, Georgia; Studio B is adjacent to Studio J, home of Inside the NBA.

[edit] International presence

In 2001, Raptors NBA TV begin airing in Canada. Although quite similar to NBA TV, there is a larger focus on the Toronto Raptors basketball team, due to Canadian content requirements and restrictions on foreign ownership (the channel is owned by Raptors parent company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, not the league).

In 2004, NBA TV began to be seen in Venezuela. Hungry to see American basketball players in action, many Venezuelans asked for the channel, and President Hugo Chávez obliged. Venezuelans receive the NBA TV signal on Saturday nights, and Chávez allows for one recorded game to be shown, although he has chosen two sports broadcasters to do the game's coverage, and he advised them to speak well about his presidential campaign during the transmissions of these recorded games.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2008, NBA TV coverage can be seen in 40 countries via the following partners:

• Hong Kong Cable (Hong Kong)
• Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network (Pan-Middle East)
• CanalSatellite (France)
• Basketball TV (Philippines)
• NTV (Turkey)
• Raptors NBA TV (Canada)
• NTV Plus (Russia)
• Sport+ (Greece)
• Sportitalia (Italy)
• Cablevisión (Argentina)

[edit] NBA TV HD

NBA TV HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of NBA TV. All studio programs are shot in HD, and all live games and recent game rebroadcasts are shown in HD. For programs not available in HD (mostly older game footage), unique stylized pillarboxes are used, the NBA logo with "NBA TV" under it.

[edit] New Carriage Agreements

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page.

On April 16, 2009, it was announced that DirecTV and the NBA reached a new carriage agreement.^[1] NBA TV will be moved from the satellite television provider's add on Sports Pack (and premium subscription package NBA League Pass) to its lower priced base package Choice Xtra. DirecTV believes the move will make the channel available to an additional 8 million subscribers.

The same report stated that the NBA is currently negotiating new carriage deals with Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Cable and Dish Network.^[1]

On June 4, 2009, it was announced that the NBA and Comcast have reached a deal to move the channel from the cable company's add on Sports Entertainment Package to its basic level Digital Classic package, by the start of the 2009-10 NBA season. Comcast believes an additional 8 million customers will now have access to the channel.^[4]

[edit] See also

• List of DirecTV channels
• List of Dish Network channels
• National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Site
• NBA TV HD

v • d • e Sports television in the United States Broadcast divisions CBS Sports  • ESPN on ABC  • Fox Sports  • NBC Sports National networks ESPN  • ESPN2  • ESPN Classic  • ESPNEWS  • Fox Sports Net  • Versus Specialty networks Big Ten Network  • CBS College Sports Network  • ESPNU  • Fox College Sports  • Fox Soccer Channel  • Fuel TV  • GOL TV  • Horse Racing TV  • MLB Network  • MountainWest Sports Network  • NBA TV  • NFL Network  • NHL Network  • Setanta Sports North America  • The Ski Channel  • Speed  • Outdoor Channel  • Golf Channel  • Tennis Channel  • TVG Network Occasional broadcasts HBO  • ION Television  • MyNetworkTV  • PBS  • Sci Fi Channel  • Showtime  • Spike  • TBS  • TNT  • USA Network  • WGN America Regional sports networks 4SD  • Altitude Sports and Entertainment  • Bright House Sports Network  • Buckeye Cable Sports Network  •  • Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast  • Comcast SportsNet  • Comcast Television (Michigan)  • Cox Sports (New England) • Cox Sports TV (New Orleans)  • Fighting Sioux Sports Network  • FiOS1 • Fox Sports Net  • Metro Sports  • Mid-Atlantic Sports Network  • MC23  • MSG Network  • MSG Plus  • New England Sports Network  • Oregon Sports Network • SportsNet New York  • SportSouth  • SportsTime Ohio  • Sun Sports  • Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Upstate New York)  • Time Warner Cable Sports 32  • YES Network Syndicators America One  • ESPN Plus  • Raycom Sports Spanish language ESPN Deportes  • Fox Sports en Español Broadband services ESPN360  • Universal Sports  • Horizon League Network Defunct networks American Sports Classics  • Carolinas Sports Entertainment Television  • CNN Sports Illustrated  • Empire Sports Network  • Football Network  • Mizlou Television Network  • NewSport  • ON-TV  • PRISM  • SCORE  • SportsChannel America  • SportsChannel Los Angeles  • Sports Time  • TVS Television Network  • Prime Network  • PASS Sports  • Royals Sports Television Network  • Victory Sports One  • World Championship Sports Network

v • d • e National Basketball Association (2009–10)
Eastern Conference			Western Conference
Atlantic	Central	Southeast	Northwest	Pacific	Southwest
Boston Celtics	Chicago Bulls	Atlanta Hawks	Denver Nuggets	Golden State Warriors	Dallas Mavericks
New Jersey Nets	Cleveland Cavaliers	Charlotte Bobcats	Minnesota Timberwolves	Los Angeles Clippers	Houston Rockets
New York Knicks	Detroit Pistons	Miami Heat	Oklahoma City Thunder	Los Angeles Lakers	Memphis Grizzlies
Philadelphia 76ers	Indiana Pacers	Orlando Magic	Portland Trail Blazers	Phoenix Suns	New Orleans Hornets
Toronto Raptors	Milwaukee Bucks	Washington Wizards	Utah Jazz	Sacramento Kings	San Antonio Spurs
Annual events: Draft · Summer League · All-Star Weekend (Game) (MVP) · Celebrity Game · HORSE Competition · Rookie Challenge · Shooting Stars · Skills Challenge · Slam Dunk Contest · Three-Point Shootout · Playoffs · Finals (MVP)
Other: 50 Greatest Players · Arenas · Awards · Basketball Hall of Fame (Members) · Criticisms and controversies · Current team rosters · D-League · Dress code · Europe Live Tour · Head coaches · First overall draft picks · Larry O'Brien Trophy · Midwest Division · NBA champions · NBA Store · NBA TV · Players (Foreign players) · Records (All-Star Game) · Salary Cap · WNBA

v • d • e Turner Broadcasting System (a subsidiary of Time Warner) North American Television Adult Swim · Boomerang · Cartoon Network (HD) · CNN (HD) · CNN Airport Network · HLN · NBA TV[1] · Turner Classic Movies · TBS (HD) · TNT (HD) · truTV · WPCH TBS Europe Boing (joint venture with Mediaset) · Boomerang Spain · Boomerang Italy · Boomerang UK & Ire · Cartoon Network Italy · Cartoon Network UK & Ire · Cartoon Network Too · Cartoon Network (Europe) · Cartoonito · CNN+ · TCM UK & Ire · TCM 2 · TCM/CN · Nuts TV Asian TV Boomerang Southeast Asia · Cartoon Network India  · Cartoon Network Japan · Cartoon Network Pakistan · Cartoon Network Philippines · Cartoon Network Southeast Asia · Cartoon Network Turkey · China Entertainment Television · CNN-IBN · CNNj · CNN Türk · Pogo  · Real  · Turner Classic Movies Asia  · WB International TV Boomerang Australia · Boomerang Latin America · Cartoon Network Australia · CNN Chile · CNN en Español · CNN International · Fashion TV Latin America  · HTV · I-Sat/Adult Swim  · Space  · Tooncast  · truTV Latin America TV Production/Distribution Cartoon Network Studios · Turner Entertainment · Williams Street Internet Assets Adult Swim Video · Bamzu · Cartoon Network Video · CNN.com · CNNMoney.com · Crime Library · GameTap · The Smoking Gun · Super Deluxe · Toonami Jetstream (50%) ^ Actually owned by the NBA, but is operated by Turner.

v • d • e Women's National Basketball Association (2009)
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Atlanta Dream	Indiana Fever	Los Angeles Sparks	Sacramento Monarchs
Chicago Sky	New York Liberty	Minnesota Lynx	San Antonio Silver Stars
Connecticut Sun	Washington Mystics	Phoenix Mercury	Seattle Storm
Detroit Shock
Annual events: Draft · All-Star Game · Playoffs · Finals
Other: All-decade team · Arenas · Awards · Career rebounding · Career scoring · Coaches · Current rosters · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history Finals broadcasters · LiveAccess · MVP · NBA · NBA TV · Players · Rookie of the Year · Seasons · WNBA on ESPN

v • d • e National Basketball Association media ABC Music • NBA Access with Ahmad Rashad • NBA Countdown • Ratings CBS Music • Ratings ESPN NBA Coast to Coast • NBA Fastbreak • NBA Friday • NBA Shootaround • NBA Wednesday • Ratings NBC Broadcasting teams • NBA Showtime • Ratings • "Roundball Rock" TNT Announcing teams • Inside the NBA • Music • Ratings Other networks DuMont • NBA TV • TBS • USA All-Star Game broadcasters • Criticisms and controversies • Current broadcasters • Draft broadcasters • Eastern Conference Final broadcasters • Historical over-the-air television broadcasters • Music • NBA Finals broadcasters • NBA Inside Stuff • Nielsen ratings • Western Conference Final broadcasters