North American sports fans in the UK and Ireland will soon have a 24 hour a day, seven days a week channel dedicated to the best of American and Canadian sports.

Vulcan European Media Holdings and Setanta Sport announced today that the North American Sports Network (NASN) is scheduled to launch on 1 December on Sky Digital.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Setanta Sport, who developed the channel concept, will operate the subscription service from their Dublin headquarters. Vulcan European Media Holdings, an affiliate of Vulcan Inc. and founded by investor Paul G. Allen, is the main financier behind NASN.

The channel complements Allen’s media and sports portfolio in the US, which includes the Seattle Seahawks National Football League (NFL) team and the Portland Trailblazers National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise. NASN also represents Vulcan’s first major European media investment, tying in with the on-going development of The Hospital project in Central London.

NASN has already signed programming contracts with Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL) and U.S. TV networks ESPN, Fox and CBS Sports to provide professional and collegiate sports action, including baseball, American football, basketball and ice hockey plus the top sports news and talk shows.

Additional programming for the channel is anticipated to be created and produced by The Hospital project in London.

A key feature of NASN will be the airing of a minimum 15 live games per week, including live games guaranteed for Saturday and Sunday peak time slots. In addition, the channel will showcase a large number of delayed games and the best sports news and entertainment shows acquired from the major North American sports broadcasters.

Subscription to the channel will cost £9.99 (€14.99) per month. Initial distribution will be via Sky Digital in the UK and Ireland with cable distribution planned during the first half of 2003. The channel is aimed primarily at the approximately half-million Americans

and Canadians living and working in the UK and Ireland. The secondary audience will be the many British and Irish fans and participants of North American sports.

For further information please contact:

Leonard Ryan
Setanta Sport
+353 1474 8000

Deborah Fitzgerald
The Hospital Project
+44 207 269 5730

Jason J. Hunke
Vulcan Inc.
+1 206 342 2000