Northwestel has some good news for sports fans in Whitehorse.

Starting today, Northwestel's digital television service is offering customers a new choice in sports broadcasting – Sportsnet ONE.

That new choice is a brand-new national sports channel recently launched by Rogers.

The 24-hour digital channel features more than 800 hours of live-event programming, most of which will be broadcast in high definition (HD).

Sportsnet ONE provides exclusive access to selected NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks.

The live-event lineup also features basketball (with the Toronto Raptors and other NBA teams), major league baseball (with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners) and elite soccer (with Barclay's Premier League).

"Sportsnet ONE offers very exciting sports programming,” said Curtis Shaw, Northwestel vice president of consumer markets. "Sports fans across the country have been clamouring for access to it. We are happy to have reached an agreement with Rogers to ensure that northern sports fans have the opportunity to enjoy this high-anticipated channel as soon as possible.”

Rogers Sportsnet ONE service includes the main channel in both HD and standard definition (SD).

In Whitehorse, the main Sportsnet ONE feed appears on Northwestel digital TV channel 264 and on channel 740 in HD. Additional channels will broadcast select Canucks games in both SD and HD.

The new Sportsnet ONE SD channels are available to all Northwestel digital TV subscribers in the Digital Essentials package, at no additional charge. The HD Sportsnet ONE channels are now part of the Digital Sports theme package.

Northwestel provides complete telecommunications solutions and entertainment services in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, northern British Columbia and High Level, Alta.

The company's operations span nearly four million square kilometers of the most remote and rugged areas of Canada.