Months before its expected transition to Fox Sports 1, Speed Channel has set a record for distribution. In other news, the WNBA’s top draft picks will be featured in a Memorial Day doubleheader on ESPN2, and the social networking website LockerDome has entered into an agreement with USA Today.
- Speed Channel in Record Number of Homes: Speed Channel, which is widely expected to be rebranded as Fox Sports 1 in August, is now available in a network-record 86.6 million homes — up 7% from January (81.1M), and up 9% from last February (79.4M). The network’s previous distribution record was 82.1 million homes last April. The only sports channels in more homes than Speed Channel are ESPN (98.8M) and ESPN2 (98.7M). (Sports Business Daily)
- ESPN2 to Air Griner’s WNBA Debut: ESPN2 will tip-off WNBA TV coverage on Memorial Day with a doubleheader featuring the top four draft picks. In the opener, the Mystics (#4 pick) will take on the Shock (#3 pick). The second game, meanwhile, will pit the Sky (#2 pick) against the Mercury (#1 pick) in the likely WNBA debut of Baylor C Brittney Griner. ABC will air two games during the season — Mercury/Fever on June 8 and the WNBA All-Star Game on July 27. (WNBA.com)
- USA Today, LockerDome, in Partnership: The sports-themed social networking website LockerDome has entered a partnership with USA Today Sports, the parties announced this week. Under the agreement, which went into effect when the deal was announced, Lockerdome will be named an “official partner” of USA Today and have its traffic counted to toward USA Today’s totals. (LockerDome)
