NEW YORK -The CBS Television Network presented the NFL’s New England Patriots and Detroit Lions game in 1080i HDTV on Thanksgiving Day, thanks to a sponsorship arrangement with Mitsubishi.
The consumer electronics manufacturer, which has underwritten HDTV productions for CBS in the past, enabled CBS to offer the digital telecast to its 31 affiliates currently on the air with digital signals.
The game was the first of a handful of NFL games CBS is televising in HDTV this year. Thomson Consumer Electronics (RCA) had agreed to underwrite the HDTV production costs of the 2000 AFC playoff games and Super Bowl XXXV, both of which are carried by CBS.
Mitsubishi, which supported the production costs of a portion of CBS’ prime-time lineup last year, was the underwriter for the HDTV production of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament this summer.
