The inaugural World Baseball Classic, featuring 16 teams of baseball superstars representing their home countries, will be broadcast live across the U.S. on XM Satellite Radio, the official satellite radio network of Major League Baseball.
XM will carry all 39 games of the World Baseball Classic, from the first round to the final championship game, on XM’s Major League Baseball play-by-play channels 176 to 189. XM will provide complete play-by-play coverage and in-depth analysis of the historic competition, which will open play at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on March 3 and conclude with the two semi-final games and final game at PETCO Park in San Diego, Calif. on March 18 and 20, respectively. XM is the official satellite radio partner of World Baseball Classic, Inc.
“XM will air every single game of the World Baseball Classic, offering the most comprehensive coverage of the Classic that you will hear anywhere on the radio,” said Eric Logan, executive vice president of programming, XM Satellite Radio. “The World Baseball Classic is the latest example of XM’s standing as the sports leader in satellite radio, with more than 5000 live sporting events on XM in 2006,” Logan said.
“It is only appropriate that XM’s large, growing audience of baseball fans would have the opportunity to tune in to the excitement of the first-ever World Baseball Classic,” said Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President of Business for Major League Baseball. “This highly-anticipated global event provides XM with an unprecedented introduction to their coverage of the upcoming 2006 season.”
“The games of the Classic are not only a first, they’re also going to be fun, exciting, and different. XM Satellite Radio’s coverage of the games – all of the games – will enable fans across the country keep pace with an historic event,” said Gene Orza, Chief Operating Officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
One of the four opening-round pools of the World Baseball Classic will pit Team USA against Canada, Mexico and South Africa at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. The manager of Team USA is Buck Martinez, the former MLB catcher and manager who now serves as co-host of “Baseball This Morning” on XM’s exclusive baseball talk radio channel MLB Home Plate (XM Channel 175).
“The World Baseball Classic is going to have an extraordinary impact on the sport,” said Martinez. “The magnitude of the Classic is enormous. It’s designed to further expand the international appeal of baseball, and I think its mission is very similar to XM, which has done an amazing job of adding to the growth and popularity of baseball by giving fans greater access to the game.”
In addition to the World Baseball Classic, XM broadcasts games for every Major League Baseball team throughout the season, plus XM’s baseball talk channels MLB Home Plate and MLB En Espanol, which airs live games and talk programs in Spanish. Martinez’ fellow baseball greats who host exclusive shows on the MLB Home Plate channel include Cal Ripken, Jr., Rob Dibble, and Kevin Kennedy, and MLB veteran and ESPN host Orestes Destrade hosts a weekday call-in and interview show on MLB En Espanol.
About XM Satellite Radio
XM (Nasdaq: XMSR) is America’s number one satellite radio service with more than 6 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM’s 2006 lineup includes 160 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: the most commercial-free music channels, plus premier sports, talk, comedy, children’s and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche and Volkswagen/Audi, is available in more than 140 different vehicle models for 2006. XM’s industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com.
