Comcast will telecast all 70 Fort Wayne TinCaps games this season, throughout most of Indiana.The Fort Wayne TinCaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) announced a new partnership with Comcast that will enable all 70 of the team’s games played this season at Parkview Field to be carried live on Comcast’s digital cable lineup throughout most of Indiana. This unique agreement marks the first time a Class A baseball team has delivered all of its home games to a live TV viewing audience, and the TinCaps will be one of only two Minor League Baseball teams to show each of its home games live throughout the season. The live games will be available exclusively to Comcast Digital Cable customers on channel 81.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the TinCaps, and we are thrilled to partner with Comcast,” said TinCaps Team President Mike Nutter. “As the leading communications provider in the region, Comcast offers us another way to interact with our fans. We also see great opportunity with Comcast’s Internet capabilities. The TinCaps provide affordable family entertainment, and now have the opportunity to bring that family entertainment into hundreds of thousands of homes across Indiana.”
In addition to offering TinCaps home games live, Comcast will also have access to original team content and On Demand highlight packages that digital cable customers will be able to view whenever it’s convenient for them, with the ability to pause, fast forward and rewind selections.
The Comcast partnership is facilitated by the technology used in the construction of Parkview Field, the newly opened home of the TinCaps. Michael Limmer, Vice President of Marketing for the TinCaps, noted that Comcast designed and installed a state-of-the-art fiber-optic backbone and wiring system at the facility.
“The investment by Comcast will enable the TinCaps to create a high-quality video product both for viewers at home and in the ballpark," Limmer said. "The TinCaps will employ five broadcast quality cameras and a fully integrated video production room, with editing and replay capabilities. With the work Comcast did, we can literally plug in two cords and be able to send a high-quality live feed both throughout our facility and directly to Comcast, who will then be able to send that to hundreds of thousands of homes. Moreover, the Comcast fiber-optic backbone and wiring will also allow the TinCaps to take advantage of future high-tech applications as they emerge.”
The faces in front of the camera will be long-time television broadcast personality Kent Hormann for play-by-play and Dan Watson for color commentary. Watson, who will be the radio voice for the TinCaps road games, will provide an insider’s perspective to the broadcast as he will travel with the team throughout the season. Hormann, a Fort Wayne broadcast veteran, moves to the TinCaps television production after spending the last 16 years on the team’s radio broadcasts.
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