Washington, D.C. (June 30, 2008) -- High-Definition channels may have a greater chance of landing spots in cable and satellite lineups than their SD counterparts.

That's according to an article by TV Week Magazine.

For instance, TV Week notes that Dish Network recently added the obscure World Fishing Network to its high-def lineup. The Toronto-based channel was barely even heard of before the Dish addition, but the satcaster included it in a recent expansion of 22 HD channels.

"Fishing looks spectacular in HD,” WFN President Mark Rubinstein told TV Week.

Perhaps so, but TV providers know that almost anything looks great in high-def. Consequently, they are anxious to expand their HD lineups to satisfy the growing high-def audience.

Eric Sahl, senior vice president of programming for Dish Network, says HD is a way for an independent programmer to stand out.

"We are taking a look at every HD product that’s out there," he said.

Of course, it helps if those independent programmers charge smaller fees to carry their channels. TV providers are constantly involved in battles with programmers who are increasingly demanding more money for the right to carry their channels. Adding an independent high-def channel that requires a smaller fee allows a TV provider to pad its HD numbers.

Sahl, however, said Dish is interested in carrying high-def channels owned by both small and large companies.

"(We're looking) “very closely at new programmers that have HD feeds to try to get our package more robust," he told TV Week.

Henry Scheiff, CEO of Crown Media, which owns the new high-def Hallmark Movie Channel, said an HD channel has become a marketing weapon.

“I think (HD) clearly is replacing all the heat and hoopla around video-on-demand for the last two or three years now,” says Schleiff whose HD channel was recently added by Cox Communications. “This seems to be the marketing weapon.”

Also complicating the plight of the new high-def channel is that many cable and satellite operators have limited space now for new additions. However, independent channels that charge less for carriage might have a better chance of moving to the head of the line when space is available.

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