Starz Encore Group Signs Landmark Agreement With EchoStar's DISH Networkô

Starz Encore Group LLC (Starz Encore) has signed a broad, new affiliation agreement with EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) to offer more movie programming for DISH Networkô customers. The agreement expands DISH Network's carriage of Starz Encore programming to include 15 channels (12 primary channels, plus three additional time zone feeds). The new lineup consists of nine channels of the Starz Encore Super Pak for only $10.99 per month and six channels of the Encore Movie Pak, both available soon. This landmark agreement was announced at Team Summit 2000, DISH Network's annual conference held in Denver, Colorado for more than 1,600 retailers from across the nation. DISH Network's Starz Encore Super Pak will be available this spring and will include two channels of STARZ!, the New Encore, STARZ! Theater, Westerns, BET Movies/STARZ!, STARZ! Family, and two channels of STARZ! Cinema. Current DISH Network Starz Encore movie customers will at no additional charge, enjoy three new first-run movie channels plus two additional time zone feeds. BET Movies/STARZ!, STARZ! Family, and STARZ! Cinema will enjoy their first launches on the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) platforms. DISH Network's Encore Movie Pak will be a core component of an upcoming new expanded programming package that includes the popular America's Top 100 CD package and more, available this spring for DISH Network's DISH 500 customers. The Encore Movie Pak, consisting of the west coast feed of the New Encore, Love Stories, Mystery, Action, True Stories, and WAM! America's Kidz Network, are new additions to DISH Network's industry-leading collection of movie programming. DISH Network's DISH 500 is an upgraded dish that offers satellite signals from two different orbital locations, giving viewers hundreds of channel options, including local networks and more premium move channels on a single small dish. ""This agreement will now enable DISH Network customers the opportunity to receive the entire slate of Starz Encore programming including the Starz Encore Super Pak - an unsurpassed collection of movie programming,"" said Leslie D. Nittler, Senior Vice President, New Media, of Starz Encore Group. ""Satellite customers have been our most ardent viewers to date, and now with the complete Starz Encore Super Pak carriage and our expanded relationship with EchoStar, we are well-positioned to maximize our joint potential for future growth. The three additional time zone feeds are an added-value bonus for DISH Network customers."" ""Through this deal with our partners at Starz Encore, DISH Network has staked movies as a key driver in meeting the demands of our current customers and fueling our long-term subscriber growth,"" said Michael Schwimmer, Vice President of Programming at EchoStar. ""We are also pleased to be the first DBS service to offer 15 channels of Starz Encore movie programming, including the Starz Encore Super Pak and specifically BET Movies/STARZ!, STARZ! Family and STARZ! Cinema, added free of charge for our current Starz Encore movie customers."" As part of the agreement, Starz Encore will also offer DISH Network customers select movies in DolbyÆ Digital 5.1 surround sound. Viewers with Dolby Digital audio receivers can re-create the same spectacular audio environment when viewing Starz Encore programming at home as they enjoy at movie theatres. Starz Encore will also provide a direct fiber optic link from its broadcast headquarters in Littleton, Colorado, to the EchoStar uplink facility in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in order to provide the sharpest possible video and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio for DISH Network customers. About DISH NetworkDISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art DBS system with the capacity to offer customers 500 channels of digital video and CD-quality audio programming as well as fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation. DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation and currently serves over 3.4 million customers. DISH Network was ranked number one in a customer satisfaction study among satellite/cable TV subscribers by J.D. Power and Associates in 1999. For more information, visit http://www.dishnetwork.com. About Starz Encore Group LLCStarz Encore Group LLC (Starz Encore) is the largest provider of cable and satellite-delivered premium movie channels in the United States. Starz Encore owns 13 domestic channels and currently counts more than 53 million pay units. Starz Encore offers up to 12 channels of the Starz Encore Super Pak and up to seven channels of the Encore Movie Pak. Programming information may be found on the Web at http://www.encoremedia.com. Starz Encore is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Group (NYSE: LMGa and LMGb).Source: Starz Encore Group LLC