AFL games on American Forces Network
February 11, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK â American men and women in uniform along with Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees and their families stationed overseas will be able to follow the 2004 AFL season, including ArenaBowl XVIII, on the American Forces Network (AFN).
"It is an absolute privilege to provide the men and women defending our nation with a glimpse of home through AFL games and other creative programming," said AFL Commissioner DAVID BAKER.
The DoD's Defense Media Center (DMC) will provide a combination of live and tape-delayed television distribution of NBC Sports' weekly coverage of selected AFL games to approximately 800,000 U.S. Armed Forces serving overseas in 177 countries and U.S. territories and aboard more than 180 U.S. Navy ships at sea. The AFN Sports television channel and the U.S. Navy's Direct-to-Sailor TV service to ships at sea will both carry AFL games. AFN Radio has committed to carry ArenaBowl XVIII.
"The AFL on AFN is a tremendous morale booster for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving in harm's way," said BOB MATHESON, Director of Broadcasting for the DoD's DMC. "The most deserving audience in the world are our troops in remote and hostile locations defending our way of life against terrorism, and providing humanitarian support to those in need. We thank the AFL for helping us bring them home during these weekly telecasts."
The AFN Sports channel is also clearing room on its schedule for "AFL Weekly," the half-hour studio show from Fox Sports Net.
"The popularity of Arena Football is expanding within our Armed Forces, just like it has around the country itself," said TIM MATTOX, Chief of Sports for the Defense Media Center. "With continuous and fast-paced action, big hits and explosive scoring, its little wonder the AFL is growing in size and reputation."
The DMC distributes AFN radio and television news, entertainment and sports programming, along with DoD information products, via satellite to DoD military and civilian employees, and their families, stationed overseas in 177 countries and U.S. territories, and aboard more than 180 U.S. Navy ships at sea. The DMC is also the designated source throughout DoD for immediate and unique procurement of broadcast and visual information equipment and systems, providing engineering, acquisition, logistics, and commodity management support for normal and contingency broadcast and visual information operations of the DoD, the Military Services and the war fighting Commands.
With the 18th season underway, the AFL experienced arguably its most successful kickoff in history last weekend. The overnight rating for the "AFL on NBC" was a 2.5, the highest in AFL history. Attendance for the first week of the 2004 AFL season broke four records and was up nine percent vs. the first week of the 2003 season, and up 25 percent vs. the 2003 season average.
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