Audio Video News

Rumors of the demise of HDTV football may have been greatly exaggerated. CBS has announced that this year's Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions will be broadcast in 1080I HDTV. The digital broadcast, sponsored by Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America (MDEA), will be produced separately from the standard NTSC version.

"We are thrilled to sponsor the High Definition production of this great day," said MDEA's vice-preident of sales and marketing, Max Wasinger. "As an advertising opportunity, this sponsorship speaks directly to our customers and supports our position as the leader in digital big screen television." Mitsubishi, a major manufacturer of big-screen televisions, sponsored CBS' high-definition production of last summer's US Open tennis tournament.

The NFL game will take place in Detroit, beginning at 12:30pm ET Thanksgiving Day. Thirty-one CBS affiliates will carry the HD broadcast, which will be produced and directed by CBS Sports' Ken Mack and Mark Grant, with Gus Johnson and Daryl Johnston acting as commentators. CBS will broadcast several other NFL games in HDTV this season, including the 2000 NFL American Football Conference playoff games and Super Bowl XXXV, which will be sponsored by Thomson Consumer Electronics (RCA).

CBS leads the major networks with high-definition prime-time offerings, thanks to sponsorship by Panasonic. Seventeen of the network's eighteen major programs are produced in HDTV.