DIRECTV must be on a mission to acquire every golf and tennis fan in America with their continued “Mix” coverage of major events.First it was the Masters Golf tournament, the the French Open Mix, and next will be the Wimbledon Interactive Mix starting later this month on June 23^rd.
Coverage won’t be quiet as extensive as the French Open where DIRECTV offered in the area of 350 hours worth of live tennis matches. This partnership for the premier tennis tournament will have 200 hours of coverage during the first five days of Wimbledon,

The All England Club will once again host the tournament on their fames grass courts. Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic have each been seeded first, with Federer a heavy favorite to take home his 6^th straight Wimbledon title.
This year’s tournament runs from May 25^th through June 8^th. DIRECTV’s coverage will be heavy during the first 8 days of the tournament, as early round matches will be available like never before.
If you were able to catch any of DIRECTV’s French Open Interactive coverage, you can expect more of the same when it comes to Wimbledon
interactive.

The mix channel features multiple screenshots of up to what is going on live, including six separate screen shots. These may include up to 6 live events at a time, where DIRECTV customers will then be able to control the action via remote control. Viewers can elect to jump to a full-screen of any particular match the want to zoom in on. Additional interactive features will once again be available right through the DIRECTV remote control.

DIRECTV is working with ESPN2 on this year’s Wimbledon coverage. After the first 5 days of action, ESPN2 and NBC will take over with extensive coverage. Overall ESPN2 is promising nearly 100 hours of Wimbledon action.
Features similar to the French Open coverage will be:

Matches On Now A view on the lower part of the screen, with postings of the latest scores of all current matches. DIRECTV customers can then tune-in directly to any available match by pressing “Select” on the remote.

Results – DIRECTV viewers can access real-time scoring of all Wimbledon matches in progress, and see completed match scores. Upcoming match-ups will be accessible, all available without missing any action on the current channel.

So DIRECTV is once again proving to be the choice of the sports fan. With all of the Wimbledon, French Open, Masters, NASCAR Hotpass, and of course NFL Sunday ticket coverage this year, DIRECTV expects to broadcast more than 6,000 hours of interactive sports coverage in 2008.

Following up on their popular Masters Mix coverage, DIRECTV is now taking tennis coverage to another level this year at the French Open.

Again pushing the limits on sports coverage, this year DIRECTV will offer 350 hours of live tennis with their “French Open Interactive” coverage.

This year’s tournament runs from May 25^th through June 8^th. DIRECTV’s coverage will be heavy during the first 8 days of the tournament, as early round matches will be available like never before.

Complete coverage of play will be broadcast starting Sunday May 25^th through Friday May 30^th. Then DIRECTV will broadcast 8 hours worth of tennis on Saturday the 31^st and Sunday, June 1^st. DIRECTV is promising “Center Court” coverage via the French Open Mix channel.

The French Open Mix channel will feature multiple views of what is currently happening, similar to the Masters Mix. Promising up to 6 live matches at any given time, viewers will then be able to jump to a full-screen view of any match they are interested in seeing. Interactive features will also be available via the viewer’s remote control.

DIRECTV is working with the Tennis Channel and ESPN2 to present the expanded coverage. After the first 8 days of action, the rest of the matches will be on ESPN2 and the Tennis Channel only. There is not any additional charge for DIRECTV customers for the French Open Mix coverage.

Additional interactive channels that will be available to subscribers will be:

Matches On Now –Provides a view on the lower third of the screen of the latest scores of all current televised matches. Viewers can to tune-in directly to each one by pressing the Select button on the remote.

Matches On Later – This feature will present a schedule of upcoming matches on each of the court channels. Viewers see approximate starting times.

Instant Results – Viewers can access real-time scoring of all French Open matches in progress, and see scores for completed matches. Results from that day play as well as the day before will be available. Also upcoming matchups will be presented, all available without leaving the channel being watched.

Overall, DIRECTV proves once again they are head and shoulders above all others when it comes to sports programming. While tennis is more of a niche sport these days, DIRECTV will again pull in more viewers and satisfy sports fanatics with this package.

DIRECTV is forming another relationship in the sports world, this time inking a deal with the IndyCar Series as the Premier Official Sponsor of the series.

The sponsorship, valued in the area of $2 to 3 million per year for a six-year term by industry analysts, gives DIRECTV yet another platform to push its “High Definition” agenda. The series will now be called “IndyCar Series in DIRECTV HD.” The name itself lets everyone know how Direct TV is positioning itself in the marketplace, and that is:

DIRECTV=HD

The formula seems to be working for the satellite provider. DIRECTV is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to let the consumer know they are all about HD. The new deal with IndyCar will give DIRECTV all the branding and logo placements that come along with auto racing.

A few examples – The deal promises DIRECTV branding placements on all cars and driver uniforms, through pit row, and on camera mountings placed in cars. Kiosks at each race will also feature the DIRECTV brand in areas known as “Fan Zones.” The IndyCar Series logo will also promote the fact the all races are presented in DIRECTV HD. All in all, quite a bit of advertising for the reported price-tag paid by DIRECTV.

While DIRECTV does not currently have any broadcast rights to the race series, it could lead to an agreement in the future similar to the NASCAR HotPass. ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 will carry the series once again this year, including the Indianapolis 500 over Memorial Day Weekend. ABC’s rights to the IndyCar series currently run through the end of the 2009 season.

ESPNews HD will start broadcasting on DIRECTV according to anchors on the 24-hour sports news network. Anchors reported both Monday night and this morning that Direct TV would begin broadcasting the network starting Wednesday, April 2nd.

No mention was made on-air regarding DISH Network, while viewers were encouraged to “call their cable operator” if they wanted ESPNews HD through cable. No official statement has come from DIRECTV regarding broadcast of ESPNews HD.

The HD version of the all-sports network went live on Sunday, March 30^th. A larger, modern set and expanded scores and stats interface greeted sports fans. While some subscribers to ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD were able to see ESPNews in HD when it debuted on Sunday, most have not yet enjoyed the full effect of the new format.

If DIRECTV does add the channel as ESPNews anchors are reporting, it will be the first new national HD added since the Tennis Channel was added just before the New Year. With its latest successful satellite launch, DIRECTV claims it will have the capability to carry 150 HD channels, however it remains to be seen if programmers can keep up with the customers demand for high-definition.

ESPN rolled out its third HD channel today, as ESPNews HD debuted. Following in the footsteps of its brothers, ESPN and ESPN2, the new high-definition version sports a new set, better picture, and an increase in the amount of information for viewers.

The problem though, is that most viewers will not see everything ESPNews has to offer, at least not at this time. While the channel has carriage agreements with Comcast, Time Warner, and satellite TV provider DIRECTV, none of the outlets are carrying ESPNews HD at the outset.

Some viewers were able to see the HD version Sunday, but only if they tuned into ESPN HD or ESPN2 HD. The networks ran simulcasts of ESPN News HD to celebrate the launch of the HD version. ESPN is hoping to reach 20 million subscribers by year-end for the HD version, according to Broadcast & Cable.

ESPNews currently reaches 63 million subscribers, and is a popular medium to catch up on the latest scores and statistics via the “Bottom Line Feed.” The HD version expands the information to the top and left of the screen, allowing more stats to be displayed. Fantasy sports league players should benefit from the increased real estate dedicated to displaying up to the minute stats.

The larger sports desk dominates the set, with space for up to five commentators. Gone as well is the red and orange color scheme from the previous set. Blue is the dominant color of the new set, as well as the scoreboard.

While they are already the self-proclaimed leader in sports, ESPN is not resting on their laurels. And whether fans claim to love or hate the ESPN family, they continue to tune in to the networks. The ESPNews HD expansion shows this player looks to continue to dominate the sports landscape.