Jericho, NY and Chicago, IL – June 8, 2003 – Rainbow Sports Networks, a division of Cablevision’s Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., today announced it will preview sportskool, its new and exclusive sports instruction Video-on-Demand (VOD) cable network, at the Rainbow Booth #539 at The National Show, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s 52nd Annual Convention & International Exposition, June 8-11 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
As part of the festivities, Chicago Bulls star Tyson Chandler, who stands 7′ 1″ tall, will help bring sportskool to life by offering attendees personal tips on shooting, rebounding and blocking shots. Chandler will be joined by former Bulls great and current host of Fox Sports Net Chicago’s Bulls pre-game, halftime and post-game shows, Norm Van Lier. Both will appear on Tuesday, June 10 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Autographs will be available.
sportskool – featuring exclusive and original programming available only via VOD – will deliver in-depth expert instruction, coaching and guidance for a wide range of sports and fitness activities. The sportskool library already consists of approximately 1,500 instructional segments delivered by star athletes and highly respected sports authorities covering 90 different sporting activities. Upon its launch, sportskool will offer a broad range of programming content, initially focused on 15-20 core sports and fitness categories. Programming will be updated and rotated on a seasonal basis and may also be customized for a particular region of the country based on operator needs and/or consumer demand. sportskool will launch in the fourth quarter of 2003.
“We want to make a big first impression and there are very few NBA players as big as Tyson Chandler,” said Daniel Ronayne, senior vice president of marketing and communications, Rainbow Sports Networks. “It’s also worth noting that Tyson was a tremendous high school player who understands the importance of good coaching and a good work ethic. And Norm Van Lier is a student of the game who has spent years teaching both kids and pros how to play basketball.”
Chandler is developing into a key player for the Bulls’ future in only two seasons since being drafted as the second pick overall out of Dominguez High School in Compton, CA. In the 2002-2003 season, Chandler appeared in 75 games, making 68 starts, and averaged 9.2 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game and 1.41 blocks per game. As a high school senior, he was named to the Parade Magazine All-American first team and USA Today All-USA second team.
Van Lier, a member of the Chicago Bulls from 1969 to 1979 and team captain, achieved distinction as a member of the NBA All-Star Team four times, the NBA All-Defensive Team eight times, and is among the league’s top 20 All-Time Assist Leaders. Later this year, he will begin his 12th full season with Fox Sports Net Chicago.
About Rainbow Sports Networks:
Rainbow Sports Networks, owned and managed by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., incorporates Rainbow’s 50 percent ownership of the national Fox Sports Net service and Fox Sports National Advertising, as well as Rainbow’s owned-and-operated Fox Sports Net regional networks in Chicago, Florida, New England, Ohio and San Francisco. Rainbow’s owned-and-operated regional sports networks reach more than 30 million households in some of the nation’s largest markets. Fox Sports Net reaches more than 82 million households nationwide and is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Cablevision’s Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. and Fox.
About Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.:
A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow owns and manages AMC, WE: WOMEN’S ENTERTAINMENT, IFC (The Independent Film Channel), Fuse (formerly muchmusic usa), Mag Rack, Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks, and MetroChannels as well as the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow is a 50 percent partner in Fox Sports Net and has a strategic partnership with MGM (NYSE:MGM), which owns a 20 percent stake in three of Rainbow’s national networks: AMC, WE: Women’s Entertainment, and IFC.