Fox Sports brings Bowl Bash to broadband

FOX Sports is embracing broadband for its “Bowl Bash” with live streaming of the AT&T Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1 and download game delivery as it will make all five of the BCS games it will air available via download on a number of sites, including Apple iTunes, Amazon’s Unbox, AOL Video, CinemaNow and, obviously, FoxSports.com.

The games includes The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, The FedEx Orange Bowl, The Allstate Sugar Bowl and The Tostitos BCS National Championship Game and they will be available on the Internet via several leading digital download sites beginning December 28.

The offering includes full-length games, condensed games, preview shows and highlights, is one of the most comprehensive collections of digital downloads ever to be made available online in association with a major sporting event. It also marks the first time that FOX Sports has made downloadable content available for sports fans on the Web.

“Sports fans are consuming content on new and different platforms every day, and our goal is to expand the reach of FOX Sports and the BCS to as many of those media platforms as possible,” said Ed Goren, President of FOX Sports. “By working with great distribution partners both within the FOX family and externally, we have given college football fans an incredible amount of choice when looking for official BCS content online.”

“Our goal is to expand the reach of the Bowl Championship Series through as many platforms as possible, and digital rights have become a more important part of the media mix every year,” said Gary Ehrlich, Executive Vice President of FOX Sports Enterprises. “This content offering represents important first steps in digital delivery for both the BCS and FOX Sports, and we look forward to finding more ways to deliver sports content to fans via digital download in the future.”

Preview shows will be available through all distribution channels starting December 28, and will in many cases feature both game overviews and team-centric preview packages.

Though exact timing may vary, most full-length games will be available for download within 24 hours of a given game’s completion, and several distribution partners will enable fans to pre-order any of the games starting December 28.

Preview shows, “Short-Cuts” and the “Best of the Bowl Bash” highlight program will be priced at $1.99 each, while full-length games – which will typically include halftime shows, post-game interviews and trophy presentations – will cost $2.99. Fans will be able to purchase all of the preview shows, every Bowl Bash full-length game and the “Best of the Bowl Bash” highlight package for a discounted price of $19.99. In addition, select retail partners will allow fans of participating teams to purchase all products related to a specific BCS Bowl game – including previews shows, the full-length game, the “Short-Cut” and the “Best of the Bowl Bash” highlight package – for a discounted price of $6.99.

While serving as one of the distribution channels for downloadable BCS content, FOX Sports on MSN will also offer its users a wealth of free video and audio content related to college football’s biggest week. The site will deliver free live audio streaming of four BCS games, provide pre- and post-game video reports from several bowl locations, and serve as the home for FOX College Bowl Pick ‘em – the official fantasy game of the Bowl Championship Series.

“With more than a month of hype leading up to the games, college football fans are hungry for any and all BCS content in advance of the broadcasts,” said Brian Grey, Senior Vice President of FOX Sports Interactive. “From pre-game shows to live game streaming, we are delivering the same great FOX Sports content to fans, whether they’re tuning into the games on television or visiting us on the Web.”