DirecTV Customers In Up To 20 Markets To Receive Local Channels With Existing 18-inch Satellite Dish And Receiver Local Broadcast Network Channels In Top Markets To Be Delivered From Satellites At 101 Degree Orbital Slot
DirecTV, Inc., provider of the nation's leading digital satellite television service, has announced its readiness to deliver local broadcast network channels to up to 20 markets from its satellites at 101 degrees West Longitude (WL), DirecTV's primary orbital slot. Satellite delivery of local broadcast stations into their local markets requires the passage of legislation currently pending before Congress. DirecTV customers in up to 20 of the nation's key television markets will be able to receive the new service as well as DirecTV's current lineup of digital entertainment and information programming through their existing set-top box and 18-inch antenna. DirecTV also plans to deliver local broadcast network channels to additional metropolitan markets from satellites at 110 and 119 degrees WL. In total, DirecTV initial plans call for the delivery of local channels by satellite to approximately 50 million homes, or about half of the nation's television households. ""By shifting our strategy to deliver local channels to up to 20 markets from satellites at our core orbital slot, we are making it much easier for the majority of our existing customers to receive those channels,"" said Eddy W. Hartenstein, President of DirecTV. ""All they will have to do to begin receiving their local channels from DirecTV is call and order - no new hardware is required."" The announcement updates DirecTVís earlier announced plan to deliver local channels from 101 degrees WL only to its customers in New York and Los Angeles. Other major metropolitan markets would have been served with local channels from satellites at the 119 degree WL orbital slot. Now however, DirecTV will deliver local-into-local services to its 20 major markets from its satellites at 101 degrees WL. Upon the successful launch next month of the DirecTV 1-R satellite into the 101 degree WL orbital slot, and by investing in technology upgrades at its two broadcast centers, DirecTV will have the additional capacity to extend the delivery of local broadcast network channels from that location. Local-into-local services delivered from the 110 and 119 degree WL orbital slots will be received via a single small satellite dish, which integrates the existing lineup of popular networks, premium movie services, pay-per-view selections and sports programming subscriptions from 101 degrees VVL. In addition to local broadcast network channels, DirecTV will also deliver high definition programming and a suite of interactive services from 110 and 119 degrees WL, as well as DirecTV PARA TODOSô, its new Spanish-language programming service. ""With our new 101 degree local channel strategy, the enactment of pro-consumer legislation is the only impediment to our ability to begin delivering this critical segment of programming to millions of current and future DirecTV customers,"" said Hartenstein. In July, DirecTV and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) reached a formal agreement to support a comprehensive proposal with respect to the reauthorization of the Satellite Home Viewer Act (SHVA). The DirecTV-NAB agreement, which has been endorsed by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA), is designed to facilitate the work of the Conference Committee in reconciling separate House and Senate bills that reauthorize the SHVA. ""With Congress back in session, we urge the Conference Committee to move swiftly to adopt a Conference Report incorporating the DirecPV-NAB recommendations and send this much-needed legislation to President Clinton for signature,"" said Hartenstein. DirecTV is the nation's leading digital television entertainment service with more than 7.5 million customers, including customers subscribing to PRIMES TAR By DirecTV. DirecTV is a registered trademark of DirecTV, Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock. Visit DirecTV on the World Wide Web at www.directv.com.