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ION Television Network to Move to High Definition DTV Quality
Company to Migrate its Flagship Broadcast Network, ION Television, to High Definition Digital Quality in the First Quarter of 2008
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- ION Media Networks, Inc. (AMEX:ION) today announced the launch of ION Television HD, the high definition television (HDTV) version of the company's flagship network, ION Television. ION Television HD will air ION Television's full lineup of programming in high definition beginning in the first quarter of next year.
ION Television HD will be transmitted in 720p HD, and will be delivered over-the-air via DTV broadcast, cable, telco-TV and satellite. The network will feature native and up-converted HD programming, and will be carried on all 60 of ION Media Network's television stations around the country.
"Launching ION HD is the next step in our multi-platform digital strategy," said Brandon Burgess, CEO, ION Media Networks. "The transformation of our network to digital from analog, and the conversion of ION Television to HD, will allow us to deliver to our distribution partners and television audience HD-quality content and additional special-interest digital networks, and uniquely positions us for new distribution models and platforms."
ION Television HD will dramatically enhance viewers' experience with the breathtaking visual clarity and rich, lifelike color characteristic of high definition. Viewers will discover a new level of enjoyment with the flagship network's daily programming lineup, which includes popular family shows, like "Mama's Family" and "Who's the Boss?," and sports and reality programs, such as "NFL Game of the Week" and "48 Hours." ION Television HD will also enable audiences to experience, as never before, the network's exciting RHI Entertainment award-winning movies and original miniseries, such as "Lonesome Dove" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group and ION Television, reaching over 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. ION Television currently features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television, among others. ION Media has also partnered with RHI Entertainment, which owns over 4,000 hours of acclaimed television content, to provide weekend primetime programming consisting of exclusive original programming and quality library titles. Utilizing its digital multicasting capability, the company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a television and multimedia network for children formed in partnership with several leading media and entertainment companies, and ION Life, a television and multimedia network dedicated to health and wellness for consumers and families. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.tv.
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