Bright House Inks Florida High School Sports Package

Florida cable sports net scrapping college sports

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/31/2012 4:22:55 PM

Bright House Sports Network (BHSN) has signed an agreement with the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) to become its official television partner. Bright House Sports Network will produce and distribute all FHSAA state quarterfinals, semifinals and final series games for the next three years.

Bright House is phasing out local college sports in favor of the high school games. Subscribers in Orlando and Tampa will get at least 60 postseason games each year in HD, including football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball and competitive cheerleading. BHSN has also partnered with Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable to air select games throughout Florida and 19 other states, expanding the number of potential households that will be able to view the games to more than 20 million, it says.

"We are excited to partner with the FHSAA to produce a wide spectrum of sports live for our customers," said Elliott Wiser, VP of local programming at Bright House Networks. "High school sports have quickly become an important part of the television sports landscape."

BHSN also airs more than 200 regular season high school games throughout the season.