News release prepared by: Kenny Lannou, 785-532-7977, klannou@kstatesports.com

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2011

KANSAS STATE ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING LAUNCH OF K-STATEHD.TV NETWORK

MANHATTAN -- In a landmark announcement by university and athletics officials, Kansas State University will launch an exclusive, high-definition digital network Aug. 30 known as K-StateHD.TV that will provide a worldwide connection to Kansas State University and K-State Athletics and establish the university as an international leader in programming, accessibility and exposure.

"The launching of K-StateHD.TV is a tremendous step for Kansas State University as we continue on our path of becoming a Top 50 public research institution in the country," said President Kirk Schulz. "Our athletics and university staff members have been working tirelessly in concert over the past year to prepare for this debut and we are excited to showcase our brand to K-Staters worldwide."

This milestone joint project between K-State Athletics and multiple campus units, set to debut Aug. 30 with the Wildcats' volleyball home opener against Creighton, will maximize the national exposure for both the university and athletics program through live athletic events, all produced in high definition, as well as classic athletic games and/or game replays, press conferences, original programming and on-campus lectures and/or performances.

Moreover, the university combined existing resources to make K-StateHD.TV a reality.

In addition, the Wildcats' football season opener against Eastern Kentucky will be broadcast live exclusively on K-StateHD.TV beginning with a 5:20 p.m. pregame show, marking the first time in school history that a live home football game will be made available solely online.

"We have a very distinctive and unique partnership with our university community and as we began putting together the pieces of this project, it became very clear that we had something special in the works that would provide us with an international platform to showcase our brand to our fans," said Athletics Director John Currie. "We want to ensure that K-Staters anywhere in the world can watch the Wildcats, and the fact that all of our new programming will be produced in high definition will also put us in a strategic position as we continue to explore future avenues for distribution."

K-StateHD.TV will represent the first exclusive HD broadcast of Wildcat sporting events such as all K-State volleyball and K-State baseball home matches/games and also provide HD coverage of selected Olympic sports or available football and men's/women's basketball games. 

Viewers will also see exclusive content such as K-State Gameday, the official show for K-State HD athletic events, in addition to video productions aimed at increasing the visibility of all K-State athletic teams as well as on-campus activities/events.

A majority of the on-demand programming, including campus lectures and performances, will be available for free, while live athletic events, classic games and other various programming will be premium-based content.

The project will also provide an unmatched educational opportunity to both department staff and students as K-State owns and operates a fully functional HD truck, allowing potential student workers to get hands-on experience utilizing the latest HD technology and programming equipment. K-State's journalism and mass communications department has also begun the process of adjusting curriculum to include classes that will train K-State students for K-StateHD.tv

"We are very excited about the value that this project will provide to our university by giving K-State students the opportunity to exploit the latest and greatest HD equipment," said Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students. "By working with K-StateHD.TV, students will gain programming and production experience that will put them ahead of the curve in the job market and will enhance their prospects as they enter the professional sector."

To visit the home of K-StateHD.TV, or to subscribe to the service, visit www.k-statehd.tv. The subscription service remains a product of K-State's All-Access platform through the CBS College Network so current subscribers will have immediate access to K-State HD.TV content. Also, All-Access users will benefit from the upgraded viewing experience without an increase in subscription costs as they will remain at $9.95 per month and $79.95 per year.