Time Warner will be going from zero to 71. But it’s baseball in 720p, not NASCAR, that the cable firm will carry for Cincinnati Reds fans (DMA no. 33) this season, which gets underway this weekend.
TW is planning to air at least 71 games via Fox Sports Net Ohio (Ch. 968 in Cincinnati; Ch. 768 in Dayton) after not carrying any Reds contests in HD last season. The first game in HD will be the April 8 match-up between the Reds and Brewers. (Most of the Reds’ entire season—145 of 162 games—will be televised.)
“We were able to reach a deal with FSN Ohio,” TW Public Affairs Director Karen Baxter told the Cincinnati Inquirer. (Northern Kentucky fans of the Reds received some HD games starting last season from Insight cable, which will continue this year.)
The Reds Opening Day game on March 31 will not be aired in HD because TW said there “wasn’t enough satellite HD transponder time” available.
