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DirecTV Ends Record-Breaking Year With More Than 8 Million Customers
A Record 225,000 Customers Were Acquired in December
DirecTV, Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation, today announced its high-power DirecTVÆ digital satellite television service acquired 225,000 net new customers in December 1999. An additional 89,000 customers were transitioned to DirecTV from medium-power Primestar By DirecTV last month. The strong performance in December caps a record year for DirecTV in which it acquired more than 1.6 million net new high-power customers, which was 39 percent greater than that achieved in 1998, its previous record year. The 89,000 customers transitioned from Primestar By DirecTV to the high-power service in December - which are not included in the 225,000 net new customers acquired by DirecTV last month - brings the total number of conversions in 1999 to 470,000. DirecTV now has more than 8 million customers, including customers subscribing to the medium-power Primestar By DirecTV service. At the end of December, Primestar By DirecTV had approximately 1.4 million customers subscribing to its medium-power service. ""Our December additions represent a new one-month record and mark the first time a direct broadcast satellite service in the United States acquired more than 200,000 net new customers in one month,"" said Eddy W. Hartenstein, President of DirecTV. ""And that momentum continues with strong numbers in the first week of January. With our aggressive roll out of local channels in local markets and the forthcoming introduction of new interactive and enhanced TV services, we are poised for continued strong growth in the new year."" DirecTV is the nation's leading satellite television service and a trademark of DirecTV, Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. Hughes Electronics is the world's leading provider of digital television entertainment, and satellite and wireless systems and services. The earnings of Hughes Electronics, a unit of General Motors Corporation, are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock (NYSE: GMH).