Programs Enhancing the Youth Sports Experience Available on sportskool
Beginning August 2006
New York, NY: July 18, 2006 – sportskool, the first on-demand television network dedicated to delivering in-depth sports instruction with world class athletes, announced today its long-term partnership with the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS). The partnership will allow NAYS, America's leading nonprofit advocate for positive, safe youth sports, to reach a larger audience with its messages about topics such as youth sports coaching, enhancing the youth sports experience and other important issues, while sportskool will gain the opportunity to better communicate its mission and vision to a viewership including youth sports parents, coaches and professionals.
The cornerstone of the NAYS philosophy is an emphasis on the training and education of everyone involved in youth sports – including coaches, parents, administrators and officials. The newly bonded partnership between NAYS and sportskool will help to create a positive introduction to sports for millions of young athletes. The partnership launches in August 2006 with on-air and internet cross-promotion and direct marketing programs within sportskool's soccer, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse and golf categories. Programming, event marketing and public affairs initiatives are currently in development.
"Partnering with sportskool on content and promotion will help us to reach even more people about the most important issues and aspects of youth sports," said Fred Engh, founder and CEO of NAYS. "sportskool is providing the millions of parents, coaches, professionals and young athletes involved in organized athletics the chance to learn about what they can do to create better experiences."
"The partnership adds NAYS' positive youth sports philosophy to sportskool's programming, and brings the network's unique brand of sports instruction to NAYS members nationwide," said Phil Summers, vice president of integrated sales and marketing for sportskool. "We are always pursuing new and fresh ways to motivate kids; I strongly believe our partnership with NAYS can help us achieve that."
NAYS, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has been training and educating youth sports coaches, parents, administrators and officials, and offering sports development programs for young athletes since 1981, and this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary. NAYS programs are provided at the local level through dynamic partnerships with organizations that include parks and recreation departments, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA/YWCAs, Catholic Youth Organizations, Jewish Community Centers and other independent youth service groups throughout the country. NAYS also has a strong presence on military installations worldwide. For more information, visit www.nays.org.
Launched by Rainbow Media in 2004, sportskool is the first television network dedicated to delivering in-depth sports expert instruction and coaching for a wide range of sports and athletic activities. sportskool helps athletes of all ages take their game to the next level by offering guidance and insider tips from the world's best athletes. The network – featuring exclusive and original programming custom-built for on-demand – boasts some of the most recognizable names in sports, including Mia Hamm, Bode Miller, Tony Gwynn, Bill Walton, Mike Vallely (Mike V.), tennis coach Brad Gilbert and renowned training and performance expert, Mark Verstegen. sportskool is currently available to over 20 million digital cable subscribers nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.sportskool.com.
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media creates and manages some of the country's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands including popular national and regional television channels AMC, fuse, The Independent Film Channel (IFC), WE tv, and three FSN affiliated regional sports networks managed by Rainbow Sports Networks. The company also manages Mag Rack and sportskool, two original on-demand networks; VOOM HD Networks, the largest and most diverse suite of high definition channels available anywhere; IFC Entertainment, its film distribution, production and exhibition division; Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales division; and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.