Bright House Launches New Sports Channel in Central Florida

September 19, 2008

By Nora Gray

Bright House has announced the launch of Bright House Sports Network in the Central Florida and Tampa Bay areas. Offering 24-hour local sports programming, Bright House Sports Network features a variety of local sporting events including live high school and college games as well as in-depth coverage of college and professional teams throughout the state.

"Bright House Networks is committed to our local communities and to sports," station manager Paul Kosuth said. "Our success of local news channels combined with Floridians' love of sports is truly an opportunity to bring a one-of-a-kind local sports viewing experience to our customers."

Bright House Sports Network Features Around-the-Clock Sports Programming

In 2005, Bright House Networks launched a local cable channel, Catch 47, featuring around-the-clock sports programming in the Tampa Bay market. Beginning this month, the channel will be renamed Bright House Sports Network and also will be offered in the Orlando market. Bright House Sports Network will provide over 5,500 hours of sports programming, produce more than 1,000 studio shows, and feature over 75 live high school sporting events per year.

Bright House Sports Network is the official cable channel of the University of South Florida athletics, and will offer games from the University of Central Florida and the Sunbelt Conference. In addition to local high school and college teams, Bright House Sports Network will bring in-depth coverage of all professional teams. Other featured sports will include fishing, auto racing, extreme sports, boxing, and soccer.

Bright House Networks Serves 2.4 Million Customers

Bright House Networks is the nation's 6th largest MSO with 2.4 million customers in several large markets including Bakersfield, California; Birmingham, Alabama; Detroit, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Orlando, Florida (Central Florida Division), and Tampa Bay, Florida along with several other smaller systems in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.