DirecTV in the News

Atlanta School to be Charter School For Classroom TV Program

More Than 65 Channels of Free Educational Programming Available to Students and Teachers from DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL (TM)

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2001-- DIRECTV Inc. today announced that Tilson Elementary School has been selected as a charter school for the launch of the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL(TM) program.

DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL is a public service initiative that will provide up to 50,000 qualifying K-12 educational institutions around the country with free access to more than 65 channels of news, educational and informational programming. DIRECTV will inaugurate the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program at Tilson Elementary School with a special event today. DIRECTV operates a regional sales office in Atlanta.

Tilson Elementary School will receive complimentary DIRECTV® programming and equipment, including a DIRECTV Receiver with TiVo service. In addition, TiVo Inc. has agreed to provide Tilson Elementary School with a free lifetime membership to its TiVo Personal TV service.

The DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program provides participating schools with a free customized programming package called SCHOOL CHOICE(TM), which offers more than 65 channels of educational programming from networks such as CNN, TNT, TCM, C-SPAN, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, The History Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic Channel, Noggin, Odyssey Network, Lifetime and The Learning Channel.

The DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program is an educational tool for teachers that allows them to record educational programming, edit the content and replay it later to supplement and enhance their curriculum.

"With the addition of the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program, our school has the opportunity to utilize a new visually-based teaching tool that will help enhance our current curriculum," said Davis Cooper, principal of Tilson Elementary School. "We are very excited to make the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program a part of Tilson Elementary School and to be partnering with DIRECTV on this exciting program."

In a recent survey conducted for DIRECTV by CARAVAN®/Opinion Research, more than 75 percent of students polled stated that television in the classroom makes learning easier. The survey also confirmed the following: television is seen as the best medium to aid students in remembering new concepts and school subjects, in-class educational television programming is a valuable learning tool and, that students see their teachers playing the most valuable role in the education process, despite the emergence of new technological mediums. The CARAVAN telephone survey was conducted Feb. 1-4, 2001 among a random sampling of 500 U.S. males and females, ages 6-11.

"The needs of our nation's schools are a high priority," said Odie Donald, president, DIRECTV Inc. "With all of the educational programming available from programmers today, we believe that the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program will truly enhance schools' current curriculums and deliver the most robust lineup of educational programming available."

DIRECTV will print special issues of DIRECTV-The Guide(TM), a 350-page companion to the on-screen guide, which focuses on the DIRECTV GOES TO SCHOOL program and features articles on the educational programming provided in the SCHOOL CHOICE package. DIRECTV-The Guide will be provided free of charge to schools participating in the program.

DIRECTV with TiVo Service

Participating schools that purchase a DIRECTV Receiver with TiVo service will receive a lifetime TiVo service membership provided by TiVo Inc., free of charge. With TiVo, educators can digitally record the programming they wish to utilize in their classrooms and watch it when they need it most, without the need for videotapes. The new DIRECTV Receiver with TiVo combines both the DIRECTV® programming service and TiVo Personal Video Recording service in one integrated set-top box and uses a large disk drive to store up to 35 hours of digital video content. Actual recording time may vary depending on the type of programming being recorded on the DIRECTV with TiVo Receiver.