DirecTV in the News

Hughes Sells Six Million DIRECTV Systems

GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2001--Hughes Network Systems (HNS), a leading manufacturer of DIRECTV® System hardware, today announced the shipment of its six-millionth system.

Hughes Network Systems, a subsidiary of HUGHES, is also the provider of the award-winning DirecPC broadband satellite Internet service.

The HNS-branded DIRECTV set-top boxes enable TV viewers to experience enhanced satellite entertainment, with access to 225+ channels for movies, sports and pay-per-view events. HNS hardware brings DIRECTV viewers crystal-clear digital pictures and CD-quality sound.

"HUGHES, the leader in satellite technology, continues to push the envelope by combining the best in satellite TV with the most impressive digital receiving technology on the market today,'' said Paul Gaske, executive vice president and general manager of Hughes Network Systems' Consumer Division.

The boxes feature several trademarked capabilities that allow consumers to optimize their TV-viewing experience. OneLine(TM) Guide presents on-screen program information for any channel in the system without disrupting the channel being watched, making channel surfing quick and easy.

Turbo Tune(TM) allows users to pre-select their nine favorite channels for quick access, while StarSight® One-Button Record enables users to select programs to record in advance.

"HNS focuses on anticipating the next wave of consumer demand and upgrading our set-top boxes accordingly,'' noted Gaske. "Clearly, the strategy's working -- we shipped our millionth box in January 1999 and now -- just twelve months later -- our six-millionth box.''

Gaske cites this rapid growth as a reflection of a sharp increase in consumer demand for satellite television products over the past six months. ``Our sister company, DIRECTV, is the leading digital satellite entertainment provider in the U.S. because it continues to offer its users a superb package. Our success is also a reflection of DIRECTV's leadership,'' he added.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems is a leading provider of satellite-based broadband services and applications worldwide.

The company's high-speed data services and convergence products include the award-winning DirecPC consumer Internet satellite service, the first-of-its-kind DirecDuo antenna - capable of receiving both DirecPC and DIRECTV service, and the high-performance DirecWay(TM) platform for multimedia-rich enterprise applications.

Hughes Network Systems is also a major manufacturer of receivers and systems for the DIRECTV satellite television service.

Hughes Network Systems is winner of the 2000 Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Technology Leadership Award for its pioneering efforts in creating the DirecPC product line. HNS is a unit of Hughes Electronics, a subsidiary of General Motors corporation. Hughes Electronics' earnings are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors Class H common stock.

To learn more about Hughes Network Systems, please visit www.hns.com.

DirecPC is a registered trademark and DirecWay is a trademark of Hughes Electronics Corporation.