ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD have unveiled a new promotion called the "100 Yard Blitz" which ESPN reported comes on the heels of its most prolific month yet for HD coverage--61 live event telecasts in the month of August. ESPN is giving away one 42-inch Philips HD flat-screen, coupled with free DirecTV HD service for a year, "every weekday morning until Nov. 26.
In every game or pre-game telecast that airs on ESPN, viewers will see a code word within a 10-second video promo. Viewers then must log on to www.100yardblitz.com to register for the possible winnings assigned to that code word. (Viewers will have to register separately for each of the 100 giveaways.)
ESPN2 HD launches on DirecTV this week to coincide with the college football match-up at 7 p.m. EDT on Sept. 8 between Florida Atlantic and Oklahoma, which was upset by TCU in its season opener last weekend. Registering online automatically generates an e-mail telling the viewer to listen to radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on a specific day, time and station for the winning entry.
ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, combined, will provide more than 2,000 programs totaling about 6,000 HD hours in 2005. The ESPN Digital Center, a 120,000 square foot facility at its headquarters in Bristol, Conn., began operation in June 2004. It contains and estimated seven million feet of cable and three HD studios, and like its owner, Disney-owned ABC, it delivers content in 720p.
