The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has reached an agreement with Comcast Cable/Charter Communications regarding broadcasting rights to the Division I BlueCross Bowl football championships and the Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee Girls' and Boys' state basketball championships for the 2008-09 school year.
"Comcast and CSS are very excited about the opportunity to partner with the TSSAA to showcase Tennessee high school championships across the Southeast, as well as in the State of Tennessee," said Dave Carter, Area Vice President for Comcast Spotlight, "the ability to also give coverage to other sports, in addition to football and basketball, gives this partnership the foundation to become very comprehensive, and truly highlight all sports in Tennessee. Comcast is committed to supporting high school sports in Tennessee for many years into the future."
"CSS is excited about the opportunity to present the TSSAA state championships. High school sports are the centerpiece of our Network - this is a natural extension of the coverage we provide throughout the state of Tennessee with our high school football throughout the fall", Mark Fuhrman, General Manager for CSS added.
Comcast and the Tennessee High School Sports Network (THSSN) will work together regarding all aspects of the broadcasts of these championship games. The THSSN is the official broadcast network of the TSSAA.
"It's a very exciting time right now for high school sports, especially in Tennessee, but also across the region and the country," stated Ronnie Carter, Executive Director of the TSSAA. "We're very excited to partner with Comcast and see this partnership as a great potential for providing these championship events to fans all across the state and enhancing the visibility of high school sports in Tennessee."
Comcast airs weekly live high school football games in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis. Comcast partners with CSS to deliver these games, to both a local and regional audience across the Southeast. In 2008, Nashville and Knoxville will air 11 games, while Chattanooga and Memphis will deliver 10.