Audio Video News

Last week, Samsung, Sears, and CBS Television announced a partnership that will allow fans to watch a full season of college football games in HDTV. The agreement marks the first time a full season of college football will be broadcast in HDTV, as well as the first time a retailer, broadcaster, and manufacturer have joined forces to jointly promote HDTV usage.

Additionally, Samsung and Sears say they have partnered to produce an "HDTV Game Day" promotion in which Sears full-line stores across the US will show a leading game each week during the regular season on a Samsung HDTV. The in-store broadcasts will be shown in a setting that will allow consumers to compare the experience of an HDTV broadcast with that of regular television.

The HDTV televised football schedule kicks off with coverage of the September 15 match-up between Tennessee and Florida, live from Gainesville, FL, and culminates with the Army/Navy game on December 1. The schedule also includes the annual battle between Florida and Florida State on November 17.

Sears vice president Ray Brown commented, "while Sears is a leading retailer in the sales of HDTV, we are aware there is a good deal of confusion among consumers about HDTV. With this partnership with Samsung and CBS, Sears is taking a leadership role to help educate millions of consumers about the benefits HDTV offers. So, if you don't have tickets to your favorite SEC football game this fall, come in to Sears to watch the game on HDTV—it will be the next best thing to being in the stadium."

According to CBS, the in-store Sears broadcasts will be possible either through off-air reception of a local CBS affiliate's HDTV signal, where available, or in eligible areas, via satellite provider EchoStar Communications Corporation, with EchoStar providing CBS's HDTV signal exclusively to a Samsung HDTV unit in every Sears store. CBS adds that this arrangement, struck several weeks ago, dovetails with the recently announced CBS/EchoStar partnership that will allow certain eligible EchoStar subscribers to access CBS HD signals from either its New York or Los Angeles stations.