DirecTV in the News

DIRECTV Offers Local Channels in Boston

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 28, 1999--DIRECTV Inc., provider of the nation's leading digital television service, today announced the availability of local broadcast network channels via satellite for its DIRECTVŽ customers in Boston.

Beginning Dec. 29, all DIRECTV customers in the Boston designated market area (DMA) will receive a free preview of their local broadcast network channel package.

DIRECTV customers in the Boston DMA can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WCVB (ABC), WBZ (CBS), WHDH (NBC) and WFXT (FOX). DIRECTV customers can subscribe to their local channel package for $5.99 per month. In addition to local broadcast network channels, a national PBS feed is included in each local channel package at no additional charge.

``The availability of local channels ushers in a new era for DIRECTV, and we are excited to commence our local channel offerings in the Boston area,'' said Eddy W. Hartenstein, president of DIRECTV.

``By offering local channels on DIRECTV, our customers can access entertainment and information that's most relevant to their lives and their community. Now is as good a time as any for consumers in Boston to cut cable and choose DIRECTV as their source for home entertainment.''

Local Boston channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following counties:

--   Massachusetts counties include Barnstable, Dukes, Essex,
     Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk and Worcester.

--   New Hampshire counties include Belknap, Cheshire, Hillsborough,
     Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford.

--   Vermont counties include Windham.

Local channels are delivered to DIRECTV customers in Boston from DIRECTV's primary orbital slot at 101 degrees west longitude. As a result, DIRECTV customers can receive their local channels as well as DIRECTV's current lineup of national digital entertainment and information programming through their existing set-top box and 18-inch antenna.

DIRECTV is supporting its local-into-local offerings in the Boston area with marketing, point-of-sale and advertising campaigns in coordination with its extensive consumer electronics retailing partners and affiliate satellite dealers.

DIRECTV Offers Local Channels in Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 28, 1999--DIRECTV Inc., provider of the nation's leading digital television service, announced that it will begin offering local broadcast network channels via satellite in Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.

Beginning Dec. 29, local channels from WSPA (CBS), WYFF (NBC) and WHNS (Fox) will be available to consumers in the Greenville/Spartanburg designated market area (DMA).

DIRECTV is in active discussion with WLOS (ABC) in Greenville and will begin broadcasting the station as soon as an agreement is reached.

DIRECTV customers in Greenville/Spartanburg can subscribe to their local channel package for $5.99 per month. In addition to local broadcast network channels, a national PBS feed is included in each local channel package at no additional charge.

To receive local channels from the Greenville/Spartanburg area, existing DIRECTVŽ customers, as well as new customers, will require a new DIRECTV PLUS(tm) System capable of receiving satellite signals from two orbital locations. To date, DIRECTV Systems have been capable of receiving programming signals from one orbital location only. DIRECTV multi-satellite-capable equipment will be available in the coming months at authorized retail locations.

The DIRECTV PLUS System contains a multi-satellite receiver, an 18-by-24-inch oval satellite dish and a remote control. Local channels are being delivered to DIRECTV customers in Greenville/Spartanburg from DIRECTV's 110-degree West Longitude (WL) orbital slot. The DIRECTV PLUS System allows consumers to receive programming from multiple orbital locations, which provides access to their local channels in addition to all of DIRECTV's core programming from its 101-degree WL orbital slot.

``The availability of local channels ushers in a new era for DIRECTV, and we are excited to provide local channels to the Greenville/Spartanburg area,'' said Eddy W. Hartenstein, president of DIRECTV. ``By offering local channels on DIRECTV, our customers can access entertainment and information that's most relevant to their lives and their community. The additional channel capacity we have available to us at our 110-degree orbital location allows us to expand our local channel service offerings to consumers in the Greenville/Spartanburg area.''

DIRECTV PLUS Systems are currently being manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics under the RCA-brand name and Hughes Network Systems -- a sister company of DIRECTV -- under the HNS-brand name, and are currently not widely available at retail in the Greenville/Spartanburg area. DIRECTV PLUS Systems are expected to be available at retail in Greenville/Spartanburg in the coming months.

In the coming months, existing DIRECTV customers in Greenville/Spartanburg will be eligible for an upgrade offer from DIRECTV for the DIRECTV PLUS System. The upgrade offer will include the replacement of their current DIRECTV System and professional installation for $49.

Local Greenville/Spartanburg channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following counties:

South Carolina counties include Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union.
North Carolina counties include Buncombe, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey.
Georgia counties include Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison and Stephens.

DIRECTV Offers Local Channels in Raleigh/Durham, N.C.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 28, 1999--DIRECTV Inc., provider of the nation's leading digital television service, announced that it began offering local broadcast network channels via satellite in Raleigh/Durham, N.C., Dec. 18.

Local channels from WTVD (ABC), WRAL (CBS), WNCN (NBC) and WRAZ (Fox) are currently available to consumers in the Raleigh/Durham designated market area (DMA).

DIRECTV customers in Raleigh/Durham can subscribe to their local channel package for $5.99 per month. In addition to local broadcast network channels, a national PBS feed is included in each local channel package at no additional charge.

To receive local channels from the Raleigh/Durham area, existing DIRECTVŽ customers, as well as new customers, will require a new DIRECTV PLUS(tm) System capable of receiving satellite signals from two orbital locations.

To date, DIRECTV Systems have been capable of receiving programming signals from one orbital location only. DIRECTV multi-satellite capable equipment will be available in the coming months at authorized retail locations.

The DIRECTV PLUS System allows consumers to receive programming from multiple orbital locations, which provides access to their local channels in addition to all of DIRECTV's core programming from its 101-degree west longitude orbital slot.

``By offering local channels on DIRECTV, our customers can access entertainment and information that's most relevant to their lives and their community. The additional channel capacity we have available to us at our 110-degree orbital location allows us to expand our local channel service offerings to consumers in the Raleigh/Durham area.''

DIRECTV PLUS Systems are currently being manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics under the RCA brand name and Hughes Network Systems -- a sister company of DIRECTV -- under the HNS brand name and are currently not widely available at retail in the Raleigh/Durham area. DIRECTV PLUS Systems are expected to be available at retail in Raleigh/Durham in the coming months.

In the coming months, existing DIRECTV customers in Raleigh/Durham will be eligible for an upgrade offer from DIRECTV for the DIRECTV PLUS System. The upgrade offer will include the replacement of their current DIRECTV System and professional installation for $49.

Local Raleigh/Durham channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following North Carolina counties: Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Sampson, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne and Wilson.

Virginia counties include Mecklenburg.

Zenith and DIRECTV Join to Offer Satellite-Delivered HDTV

GLENVIEW, Ill. and EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenith Electronics Corporation and DIRECTV Inc. today announced an agreement to build HDTV-compatible DIRECTV PLUS(TM) receiver technology into Zenith digital television products.

The first Zenith/DIRECTV product, a digital set-top box with a built-in DIRECTV PLUS receiver -- capable of receiving HDTV programming from DIRECTV and digital terrestrial signals -- will be unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

To be introduced in fall 2000, the DIRECTV-enabled set-top box is Zenith's first digital satellite product for the U.S. market. Under the agreement, Zenith may also incorporate DIRECTV PLUS receivers with HDTV programming reception capability into its digital high definition television sets. In addition, Zenith dealers will have access to DIRECTV's consumer high definition broadcast, for demonstration through the integrated set-top box.

``Zenith continues to build on an 80-year heritage of television leadership with its entry into the digital and high definition satellite television market,'' said Bill Casamo, executive vice president for DIRECTV. ``We're proud to form this new association, which complements the increasing number of DIRECTV System products now available to consumers.''

Kathy Wolfe, Zenith senior vice president, product management, said, ``By joining forces with DIRECTV, the largest satellite provider of digital programming, Zenith is expanding its family of digital television products to support the rapid deployment of digital HDTV receivers in the United States. Together, DIRECTV and Zenith are providing consumers with greater access to high definition television.''

Zenith, based in Glenview, Ill., is a long-time leader in electronic entertainment products and is a primary developer of digital HDTV. The company developed the digital broadcast technology adopted by the Federal Communications Commission as the centerpiece of the ATSC DTV standard. Since November 1999, Zenith has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, a $9 billion global leader in electronics and digital technologies. Visit Zenith on the World Wide Web at www.zenith.com .

DirecTV Offers Local Channels in Cleveland, Houston, Chicago, and Dallas/Ft. Worth

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dec. 17, 1999-- Beginning Dec. 18, all DIRECTV customers in the Cleveland, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, and Ft. Worth designated market areas (DMA) will receive a free preview of their local broadcast network channel package.

DIRECTV customers in the Cleveland DMA can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WEWS (ABC), WOIO (CBS), WKYC (NBC) and WJW (FOX). Local Cleveland channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following counties: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Cuyahoga, Erie,Geauga, Holmes,Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit,Tuscarawas and Wayne.

DIRECTV customers in the Houston DMA can subscribe to a local channel package that includes KTRK (ABC), KPRC (NBC) and KRIV (Fox). Local Houston channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following counties: Austin, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Jackson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller, Washington and Wharton.

DIRECTV customers in the Chicago DMA can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WLS (ABC), WBBM (CBS), WMAQ (NBC) and WFLD (FOX). Local Chicago channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following counties: Illinois counties include Cook, De Kalb, Du Page, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle, Lake, McHenry and Will. Indiana counties include Jasper, La Porte, Lake, Newton and Porter.

DIRECTV customers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth DMA can subscribe to a local channel package that includes KTVT (CBS), KXAS (NBC) and KDFW (Fox). Local Dallas/Ft. Worth channels from DIRECTV will be available in the following counties: Anderson, Bosque, Collin, Comanche, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Freestone, Hamilton, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rains, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, Van Zandt and Wise.

DIRECTV customers can subscribe to their local channel package for $5.99 per month. In addition to local broadcast network channels, a national PBS feed is included in each local channel package at no additional charge.

WorldLink TV to Launch on DirecTV

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 15, 1999--WorldLink TV, a new 24-hour public affairs and cultural television network presenting independently-produced programming from around the world, will launch to 7.8 million American households on DirecTV, beginning Wednesday, December 15. WorldLink TV will present a unique and eclectic schedule of newscasts, documentaries, world music programming and features focusing on human rights, the environment, the global economy, and world arts and cultures. It will be on channel 375.

WorldLink TV will be telecast on one of the new `set-aside' channels recently awarded by DirecTV for public service broadcasting. The new channels are a result of a FCC ruling mandating direct-satellite broadcasters to provide at least 4% of their channel capacity to educational and other informational programming.

WorldLink TV will be operated by Link Media, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization formed through a partnership of Internews, a leading non-profit supporter of independent television around the world, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), a distributor of independently produced public TV programming funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Internews Interactive a pioneer in the production of participatory television. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Markle Foundation, the Wallace Global Fund and the Summit Foundation are the founding supporters of the new venture.

``Worldlink TV plans to bring the world to America in a way we hope will surprise, inform and move viewers.' says Link Media president Kim Spencer.

``Though the United States is an increasingly multicultural country, there is a huge information gap about other cultures,'' adds Internews president David Hoffman. ``This new network aims to present critical global issues in a direct yet personal manner.''

Also as part of its mission, the new channel will showcase independent television productions, works that all too often do not receive adequate airtime on commercial or existing public television. ``This new channel will bring Americans a rich trove of extraordinary perspectives from independent media throughout the world,'' stated ITVS Executive Director James Yee. ``Worldlink TV will incorporate new technologies in future programming and outreach efforts.''

WorldLink TV's companion Web site (http://www.worldlinktv.com), developed in partnership with leaders in advanced interactive technologies, will allow viewers to directly participate in programming through electronic polling and the integration of text, voice and video via telephone, Internet, video-teleconferencing and digital screen overlay systems. The Web site will offer a parallel platform to the television network, including live and archived streaming video, links to featured organizations, sales of mission-supporting goods and services and contribution opportunities for featured causes.

DIRECTV to Launch Slate of Public Interest Channels

El Segundo, CA, Dec 09, 1999 -- DIRECTV, Inc., provider of the nation’s leading digital television service, announced today that it will add six new public interest channels to the DIRECTV^Ž programming lineup on Dec. 15. The addition of the networks brings the total number of educational and informational programming networks offered by DIRECTV to nine channels. Public interest programming is offered to customers of DIRECTV’s high-power service 24 hours a day, at no additional cost.

DIRECTV’s public interest lineup spans various educational topics including world affairs, aeronautics and space research, government, religion and Spanish-language programming. The six new networks, which join DIRECTV’s current public interest offering of C-SPAN, Eternal Word Television Network and Trinity Broadcast Network, are: WorldLink TV (Channel 375), NASA TV (376), PBS YOU (377), StarNet (378), Clara+Vision (480) and Inspirational Life (481).

"We are proud to provide this diverse lineup of public interest programming to our customers," said Stephanie Campbell, senior vice president of Programming for DIRECTV. "We believe these channels offer compelling and informative programming on a broad array of subjects."

Congress mandated in Section 25 of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 that all providers of direct broadcast satellite service set aside a portion of their capacity for non-commercial programming of an educational and informational nature. DIRECTV will offer nine channels of programming under guidelines established by the FCC.

DIRECTV Offers Local Channels in Atlanta, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 1999--DIRECTV announced the availability of local broadcast network channels via satellite for its customers in Atlanta, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale.

Beginning Dec. 11, all DIRECTV customers in the Atlanta, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale designated market areas (DMA) will receive a free preview of their local broadcast network channel package.

Atlanta customers can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WSB (ABC), WGNX (CBS), WXIA (NBC) and WAGA (FOX).

Phoenix customers can subscribe to a local channel package that includes KNXV (ABC), KPHO (CBS), KPNX (NBC) and KSAZ (FOX).

Philadelphia customers can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WPVI (ABC), KYW (CBS), WCAU (NBC) and WTXF (FOX).

Detroit customers can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WXYZ (ABC), WWJ (CBS), WDIV (NBC) and WJBK (FOX).

Miami/Fort Lauderdale customers can subscribe to a local channel package that includes WPLG (ABC), WFOR (CBS), WTVJ (NBC) and WSVN (FOX).

Local channels are delivered to DIRECTV customers in the above cities from DIRECTV's primary orbital slot at 101 degrees West Longitude. As a result, DIRECTV customers can receive their local channels as well as DIRECTV's current lineup of national digital entertainment and information programming through their existing set-top box and 18-inch antenna.