NBC Sports Northwest
Country | United States |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Oregon Washington |
Network | NBC Sports Regional Networks |
Headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | NBC Sports Group |
History | |
Launched | November 1, 2007 |
Closed | September 30, 2021 |
Former names | Comcast SportsNet Northwest (2007–2016) CSN Northwest (2016–2017) |
NBC Sports Northwest (originally Comcast SportsNet Northwest) was an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. The network broadcast regional coverage of professional sports events throughout the Pacific Northwest, focusing primarily on the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and college sports events involving the Oregon Ducks. It also covered other sports events involving teams within the northwestern United States, including those featuring college and high school teams.[1]
The network was available on cable providers throughout Oregon and Washington. The network maintained business offices, master control operations and studio facilities located in Portland; NBC Sports Northwest maintained a secondary studio in the Moda Center used for Trail Blazers game coverage.
The network shut down at the end of the broadcast day on September 30, 2021.[2]
History
After the Trail Blazers dismantled their
With Comcast's acquisition of
Comcast SportsNet Northwest became CSN Northwest in 2016.[4] On October 2, 2017, CSN Northwest was renamed as NBC Sports Northwest, as part of a larger rebranding of the Comcast SportsNet networks under the NBC Sports brand.[5]
After it was announced that the Trail Blazers would leave NBC Sports Northwest for Root Sports Northwest, the network announced it would cease operations on September 30, 2021.[6] A key factor in the Trail Blazers decision to leave the network was its failure to gain widespread distribution. After nearly 15 years, NBC Sports Northwest only had distribution to about 1.1 million homes, only had scattered coverage on streaming services, and never found DirecTV or Dish coverage. Its distribution is dwarfed by the nearly 2 million homes where Root Sports is available. The Trail Blazers will continue to produce their own games when they move to Root Sports.[7]
Programming
Portland Trail Blazers
NBC Sports Northwest held the exclusive regional television rights to the Portland Trail Blazers, carrying the majority of the NBA franchise's regular season, pre-season and early-round playoff games; the network also produced expanded pre-game and post-game analysis (under the Rip City Live and Talking Ball banners), along with select NBA Summer League games and season team previews. However, the team produced the actual telecasts in-house and utilized their own graphics team, departing completely from the standard NBC Sports design language.[8] During the network's inaugural season in 2007–08, Comcast SportsNet Northwest carried at least 55 Trail Blazers regular season games. Combined with the Trail Blazers' over-the-air coverage, 81 of the team's regular season games that year were shown on television, the largest number of telecasts in the team's history. The new network aired 28 of the team's 36 home game telecasts in high definition.[3] Some games were previously syndicated to over-the-air stations in the team's designated market region.[9]
On July 6, 2016, the team extended its contract through the 2020–2021 season and made NBC Sports Northwest the exclusive broadcaster of all regional Trail Blazers games beginning in the 2017–18 season.[9]
Since the 2008–09 season, due to the Seattle SuperSonics' relocation to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2008 to become the Oklahoma City Thunder, Trail Blazers games are also available in the Seattle region.
In March 2021, reports surfaced that the Trail Blazers would leave NBC Sports Northwest in favor of returning to Root Sports, which would leave the network's future uncertain.[10] On June 9, 2021, the Trail Blazers confirmed that they would be returning to Root Sports Northwest.[11]
University of Oregon Ducks
The
Other sports events
NBC Sports Northwest also provided coverage of a variety of other regional sports events. The network broadcast
In April 2009, Comcast SportsNet Northwest began carrying select regular season games from the
Other programming
The network produced SportsNet Central, a daily morning news program providing game highlights and sports headlines. Additional content was available through the network's website and apps.[13] Along with the network's Trail Blazers game coverage, the network also aired a number of other NBA-related specials focused on the NBA draft, NBA All-Star Game and the NBA playoffs.
NBC Sports Northwest also aired video simulcasts of three weekday sports radio programs: it carried the Chuck Powell Show KJR (950 AM) talk program from Seattle live each weekday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and The FAN from KFXX (1080 AM) in Portland from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.[8]
Availability
NBC Sports Northwest was available on Comcast
Carriage controversies
The network was never available on satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network, due to Comcast's long-time negotiation policies which favored cable over satellite.[20][21] The move of the Trail Blazers to Root Sports is thought to be due to this conflict, though by coincidence, Dish dropped Root Sports Northwest on the day NBC Sports Northwest was discontinued.[22]
The Consumer Protection Committee of the
Oregon-based cable provider Canby Telcom objected to a non-negotiable subscribe fee increase that would have increased the network's annual subscriber rate to over $32 in 2012; as a result, Canby announced plans to stop carrying Comcast SportsNet Northwest.[25] Keith Galitz, president of Canby Telcom, stated "That's just too steep an increase for us, and it's not in line with inflation or normal escalation of prices in the industry."[25] Canby Telcom has accused Comcast of raising rates way beyond the rate of inflation and industry-wide increases.[25] Clear Creek Television, which carried the Trail Blazers for 15 years, was rebuffed in its attempts to negotiate the above-market rate Comcast was pushing for.[25]
Comcast sent some of its senior staff members to Oregon after a member of the Sports Fan Coalition testified before the
Related services
NBC Sports Northwest HD
NBC Sports Northwest HD was a 1080i high-definition simulcast feed of NBC Sports Northwest. CSN Northwest broadcast 28 Portland Trail Blazers home games in HD in the 2007–08 season;[3] that number of high-definition game telecasts shown on the network increased to 32 for the 2008–09 season. Former Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett announced during the network's game telecast against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 13, 2009, that CSN Northwest would broadcast all Trail Blazers games in HD from then onward.
NBC Sports Northwest HD was available on Comcast throughout Oregon and southwestern Washington; Comcast did not carry the high-definition feed in most of the remainder of Washington State (specifically its systems in the Seattle-Tacoma and Spokane markets) until early 2013, when it began to be carried on Channel 617. NBC Sports Northwest HD was only available on Comcast's digital preferred package in western and eastern Washington.
References
- ^ Mike Rogoway (May 29, 2007). "Comcast's sports channels fuel bidding war". The Oregonian.
- ^ Cowley, Jared (June 9, 2021). "Blazers agree to broadcast deal with Root Sports, end partnership with NBC Sports Northwest". kgw.com. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Comcast SportsNet, Blazers create network". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journals. May 21, 2007.
- ^ CSN Staff (August 23, 2017). "CSNNW set to become NBC Sports Northwest | CSN NW". CSNNW.com. Stamford, Connecticut: Comcast SportsNet Northwest, LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
In addition to the integration of the NBC Peacock in 2012, "Comcast SportsNet" changed to "CSN" in 2016.
- ^ CSN Staff (August 23, 2017). "CSNNW set to become NBC Sports Northwest | CSN NW". CSNNW.com. Stamford, Connecticut: Comcast SportsNet Northwest, LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
NBC Sports Regional Networks will align the remainder of its five CSN-branded networks, as well as two TCNs, on October 2. The new names will incorporate "NBC Sports" with each of the networks' regional designations.
- ^ Cowley, Jared (June 9, 2021). "Blazers agree to broadcast deal with Root Sports, end partnership with NBC Sports Northwest". kgw.com. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Freeman, Joe (9 June 2021). "Portland Trail Blazers' television broadcast moving to Root Sports with 4-year deal". The Oregonian. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d Kerry Eggers (March 24, 2016). "Will CSN, Blazers reach new deal?". Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- ^ a b "Trail Blazers extend television deal with CSN Northwest through 2020-21 NBA season". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
- ^ "Report: Trail Blazers To Leave TV Partner NBCSNW For ROOT Sports In 2021-22". KXTG (750 The Game). March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Announce New Television Broadcast Partnership with ROOT SPORTS". NBA.com. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "CSN & Portland Thunder ink multi-year TV deal". Comcast SportsNet Northwest (Press release). March 11, 2014. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014.
- ^ "BLAZERS: Comcast Sports Net Northwest, Portland Trail Blazers Announce a New Regional Sports Network". NBA.com (Press release). May 21, 2007.
- ^ "Comcast Channel Lineup". VisiOneClick. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- ^ "Digital Cable – Channel Lineup". BendBroadband. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ^ "Channel Lineup". Canby Telcom. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ^ "MINET Channel Lineup" (PDF). MINET. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ^ "Channel Locations". Comcast SportsNet Northwest. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ Allan Brettman (August 15, 2013). "Charter, Comcast SportsNet Northwest reach agreement to broadcast Trail Blazers games". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
- ^ Luke Andrews (October 29, 2008). "Area Blazer fans may remain left in the dark – Sports – MailTribune.com – Medford, Oregon". Mail Tribune. Local Media Group. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ Richard Sandomir (November 6, 2008). "A Game of Smashmouth Cable Football". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Mike Rogoway (January 7, 2010). "Disappointed Blazers "pursuing all of our rights" in Comcast deal". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
- ^ Joe Freeman (February 24, 2010). "Legislature offers sympathetic ear, but little else, to Blazers fans frustrated with Comcast". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ "Comcast update: Trail Blazers ask FCC to force cable company to make game broadcasts available". The Oregonian. July 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Canzano: Frustration with Comcast grows as Trail Blazers games remain hard to get in some areas". The Oregonian. August 7, 2010.
- ^ "Blazer TV access: Stop hogging the ball, Comcast". The Oregonian. October 15, 2010.
- ^ Mike Tokito (November 7, 2010). "Trail Blazers: As team continues to seek TV solution, events around country could affect Comcast standoff". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 9, 2017.