Comcast SportsNet Chicago, the television and online home for the most in-depth coverage of local and regional preps sports coverage, along with the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and PlayOn! Sports, have announced a long-term partnership agreement making the regional sports network the official home of 59 IHSA State Championship events, which equates to over 160 hours of dedicated Illinois prep sports coverage. The announcement was made by Phil Bedella, VP/GM of Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Marty Hickman, Executive Director of the IHSA and Tim Eichorst, President of PlayOn! Sports.
Beginning this scholastic year (2014-15), Comcast SportsNet will be the exclusive television home for the following IHSA Championship events, which will be produced and delivered via PlayOn! Sports:
IHSA Football Playoffs (12 games & pairing show)
• LIVE – Playoff Pairing Reveal Show (October 25, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.)
• LIVE – Eight (Class 1A-8A) state championship games (to be held Nov. 28-29 this year)
• LIVE – Four playoff match-ups leading up to the state championships (to be held Nov. 1, 8, 15 & 22)
IHSA Basketball State Championship Tournament (32 games)
• LIVE – Girls Class 1A-4A state tournament semifinals (8 games), consolation (4 games), and championship game (4 games) – to be held the weekends of Feb. 27-28 & Mar. 6-7, 2015
• LIVE – Boys Class 1A-4A state tournament semifinals (8 games), consolation (4 games), and championship game (4 games) – to be held the weekends of Mar. 13-14 & Mar. 20-21, 2015
Additional IHSA Championship events (15 total, all delayed telecasts)
• Boys Soccer (Class 1A-3A) – airing in Fall of 2014
• Girls Volleyball (Class 1A-4A) – airing in Fall of 2014
• Competitive Dance – airing in Winter of 2015
• Competitive Cheerleading – airing in Winter of 2015
• Individual Wrestling (Class 1A-3A) – airing in Winter of 2015
• Girls Soccer (Class 1A-3A) – airing in Spring of 2015
(NOTE: Exact air dates/times/channel locations for all upcoming IHSA Championship events will be announced at a later date.)
“This new, expanded partnership with the IHSA and PlayOn! Sports is a significant moment for not only our network, but also for our viewers,” said Bedella. “Our state has a multitude of gifted student-athletes that the majority of our viewers may not be aware of at this time and that will certainly change going forward. This agreement will now enable us to showcase these standout athletes with over 160 hours of local preps championship coverage per scholastic year, which is a perfect complement to our already dedicated in-depth on-air/online coverage of the Illinois preps scene. On behalf of Comcast SportsNet, I would like to thank Marty Hickman and Tim Eichorst for their tremendous assistance in making this partnership become a reality.”
“We are proud of our partnership with Comcast SportsNet Chicago and excited to see it continue to expand,” added Hickman. “This partnership allows us to showcase the accomplishments of even more student-athletes, coaches and schools to a larger audience of communities across Illinois. CSN offers innovations like high definition that have raised our championship telecasts to a new level.”
“As the broadcasting partner of the IHSA, providing the best broadcasts to the largest audience possible has always been the goal of PlayOn! Sports,” added Eichorst. “That made working with the undisputed sports leader in Chicago and Illinois, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a priority from day one. It was exciting to watch this partnership come to fruition and even more so now to see it continue to blossom.”
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