DirecTV in the News

DIRECTV Launches BET Movies

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and ENGLEWOOD, Colo., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- DIRECTV, Inc., provider of the nation's leading digital satellite television service, and Starz Encore Group LLC (Starz Encore), the largest provider of premium movie channels, today announced that DIRECTV will launch BET Movies on Friday, July 14, 2000.

BET Movies, the channel Celebrating the Black Experience(SM), will be available in select premium packages from DIRECTV starting with TOTAL CHOICE® STARZ!®. The package includes STARZ! (east/west), New Encore(SM) (east/west), Action, Mystery, BET MOVIES, Westerns, Love Stories, True Stories, STARZ! Theater(SM) (east) and WAM!(SM). BET Movies will replace STARZ! Theater (west) in the package.

"We are proud to be able to expand our broad program offerings by providing this very important channel to our customers,'' said Michael Thornton, vice president Programming Acquisition, DIRECTV, Inc. ``BET Movies is an outstanding addition to our programming lineup and will satisfy a huge demand to showcase the breadth of important African-American film product. DIRECTV continues to listen to our customers and add programming of interest and value to our lineup.''

"All of us at Starz Encore applaud DIRECTV for recognizing BET MOVIES as both an important creative outlet for film artists of color, and as a must-have network for their customers,'' said Leslie D. Nittler, senior vice president, New Media, Starz Encore. ``We believe BET MOVIES will be an outstanding addition to DIRECTV's premium programming offerings, which already has had great success with our terrific package of differentiated movie channels.''

BET MOVIES is the first and only movie channel created exclusively to meet the unique entertainment choices of viewers with African-American interests and sensibilities. The channel, launched in 1997, is a joint venture between Starz Encore Group LLC and BET Holdings, Inc., and features new hit movies, exclusive premieres, original productions, classic movies, independent movies and films from the African Diaspora.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment and growth opportunity for BET Movies bolstering our total available subscribers to over 20 million,'' said Jack Jackson, vice president, Sales and Affiliate Marketing, Multicultural Markets, Starz Encore. ``This expanded partnership with DIRECTV allows the channel to be immediately available nationwide -- in every city, every state and to every family.''

BET MOVIES has produced several original film projects, including the critically acclaimed ``Funny Valentines,'' starring Alfre Woodard (``Miss Evers' Boys''), Loretta Devine (``Waiting to Exhale'') and CCH Pounder (``Bagdad Cafe,'' ``ER''), and the original documentaries ``Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist,'' hosted by actor Morgan Freeman, and the highly regarded ``Melvin Van Peebles' Classified X,'' by the godfather of contemporary African-American cinema, Melvin Van Peebles.

The channel also features several annual programming events, including its critically acclaimed Pan African Film Festival, now in its 4th year, which will return this July and August with eight films from Africa and the African Diaspora. In addition to movies and other special programming such as Black History Month in February and Black Music Month in June, the channel has several monthly programming franchises including Focus on Black Filmmakers, Celebrity Spotlights and Pan African Cinema.

About BET

BET Holdings II, Inc. is the first African-American owned and operated media and entertainment company to provide quality television programming, entertainment products, publishing and internet services specifically designed to appeal to African-American interests. It is the holding company of Black Entertainment Television (BET), the nation's leading cable network targeting African Americans, which currently reaches more than 58.3 million households nationwide according to Nielsen research.