ESPN to show US sports in HD

ESPN has revealed that it will offer high definition coverage of US sports on its forthcoming UK channel.

The company recently announced plans to launch the ESPN station on August 3 in both standard and high definition on Sky's EPG.

It will show the firm's English Premier League games as well as premium US sports coverage previously available on ESPN America.

The package will retail at £9 per month for customers who already take Sky Sports and £12 for those who don't, while discussions are also underway to bring the channel to Virgin Media and BT Vision.

However, this has led to an ongoing debate on Digital Spy's broadcasting forum about the future availability of US sports in the UK.

In this discussion, some members have expressed concern about American sports being sidelined in favour of English football coverage.

However, ESPN has since moved to clarify its position by posting a message on the thread, in which it also confirmed that US sports will be offered in HD on the new channel.

The statement said: "Dear ESPN America viewers. We appreciate your comments and feedback. As you have heard we recently announced the launch of a new ESPN channel, in the UK, to begin airing on August 3.

"Along with Barclays Premier League matches and the best of international sport, the channel will offer Live American sports which are currently available on ESPN America including Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and NCAA sports - both in standard and high definition.

"While we are not able to provide specific scheduling details at this time, this information and other updates will be released shortly at www.espnamerica.com. Thank you for your patience as we evolve our sports offering for the UK market."