If you needed proof that Cox and LUS are embrawled in a good ol fashioned, fiercely competitive, poke your opponent in the eye rivalry, look no further than the full page ads Cox has been running this week in The Daily Advertiser. The ads feature an enthusiastic, spikey-haired, jersey-wearing kid holding up a football and pointing at you as if to ask "are you ready?" for this weekend's big LSU-UL game. Yesterday's promo touted that the game airs Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPNU and that "Cox has it in HD, LUS doesn't!" followed by a scoreboard tally of HD channels, with Cox leading LUS 63 to 38, that asks readers "Who's winning the HD game? You make the call!" Today's ad looks exactly the same, but with a slightly different message. It makes no reference to LUS not having ESPNU in High Definition. The score has also tightened, it's now Cox: 63, LUS: 39.
That's because LUS has just added ESPNU in high definition, before it could be further taunted for providing inferior game day action for subscribers inflicted with college football fever. LUS Director Terry Huval notes that LUS has been carrying ESPNU in standard definition and added the HD version this week, just in time for the LSU-UL game. "We recognize that the game is important to many people in Lafayette," he writes in an email, "and that as we enter football season our customers want to see the college action with the highest quality signal possible. As we’ve said before, we will always focus on giving our customers the channels they want while staying competitive in the market."