Panasonic steps in to sponsor CBS HDTV programming
Panasonic is taking over the sponsorship after Mitsubishi, which underwrote CBS's HDTV broadcasts last season, backed out earlier this summer. The sponsorship covers 17 of 18 of CBS's primetime programs. The network has an alliance with Thomson to underwrite high definition broadcasts of a portion of its football broadcasts this season and also teamed up with Mitsubishi to broadcast the recent US Open Tennis tournament in HD. Sony plans to sponsor CBS's HDTV broadcasts of the 2001 US Masters Golf tournament, in the second year of a three year agreement.
CBS will also be broadcasting selected CBS Sunday and Wednesday Night Movies in HDTV. The majority of the lineup, which features 14 hours of weekly programming on 17 of CBS's primetime entertainment series, will be broadcasting in 1080i. Diagnosis Murder, meanwhile, will be acquired on high definition video in 1080, rather than 35mm film, the traditional acquisition medium for episodic television.
Thirty-one of CBS's owned and affiliated stations are currently broadcasting in digital, covering approximately 45 percent of the US. By the end of the year, CBS expects to be transmitting digital programming across 39 stations, reaching approximately 56 percent of the US.
This is Panasonic's second major HDTV sponsorship in the past two years – last season, the company sponsored the HD broadcasts of ABC's Monday Night Football and the 2000 Super Bowl in HD.
By Tom Butts
Managing Editor, Digital Broadcasting.com