Direct Satellite TV Blog

DIRECTV Launches NBA TV HD

Leagues 24-Hour Network is Now Available in HD 24x7 and Will Include More Than 72 Games in HD

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 31, 2007 — Continuing to box out the competition as the leading provider of HD sports programming, DIRECTV has launched NBA TV HD with plans to offer more than 72 games in HD and other NBA programming in HD, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

With the addition of NBA TV HD, DIRECTV now offers 74 full-time national HD channels, including 16 sports networks in HD, significantly more than any other television provider. DIRECTV will continue to expand its national HD lineup throughout the rest of the year and is expected to have up to 100 national HD channels by year-end.

"Sports fans continue to be the most enthusiastic consumers of HD, and DIRECTV and the NBA are taking that excitement up a notch with the addition of NBA TV HD to our industry-leading HD lineup," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV, Inc. "We're sure most hoop fans will agree that NBA players will look even more spectacular in HD, along with the rest of NBA TV's all-things basketball content."

"High definition is ideal for showcasing NBA basketball," said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Adam Silver. "NBA TV in HD provides DIRECTV's subscribers with a full schedule of NBA games and insider programming."

The NBA TV HD simulcast, available on DIRECTV viewer channel 601, will continue to feature live NBA games every week, basketball news and information, exclusive interviews with the game's greatest stars and legends, and original series spotlighting today's players and coaches as well as the most memorable moments in the NBA's history.

About NBA TV:
Launched in 1999, NBA TV is a fan's all-access network for everything basketball. The network offers over 400 games annually including more than 100 NBA regular season and playoff games, WNBA action, D-League competition, weekly Euroleague Games, and major international events like the FIBA Americas Championship. The network, which can be seen in 73 countries, features more than 20 original series; exclusive access to NBA events; news from around the world of basketball; nightly highlights; Top 10 Plays of the Day; interviews with the game's insiders, including current stars and legends; and exciting new technology such as High Definition. In addition, NBA TV offers real-time statistics, the latest fantasy basketball and video game news, and Video-On-Demand.

DIRECTV HD™ Revolution Begins

DIRECTV Customers Now Have Access to Over 70 National HD Channels — Significantly More Than Any Other Television Provider In The Nation

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 15, 2007 - DIRECTV, the nation's leading satellite television service provider, is now offering 72 national HD channels — significantly more than any other television provider in the nation. This is the first wave in DIRECTV's unprecedented expansion of HD services that is building towards up to 100 HD channels by year-end*.

"If you own a high-definition television, or are thinking about buying one, you can now watch your favorite channels in crystal-clear DIRECTV HD™," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV, Inc. "The DIRECTV HD programming expansion that consumers have been waiting for has become a reality. We overwhelmingly lead the industry in terms of both quantity and quality of HD programming. There simply isn't a better television experience on the planet."

The full DIRECTV HD programming lineup, including the new channels, and details on receiving equipment needed for the new DIRECTV HD services, are available by calling 1-800-201-5113 or visiting www.satex.com.

DIRECTV's current HD lineup includes:

A&E HD	The History Channel HD
Animal Planet HD	HGTV-HD
ABC HD NY **	MGM HD
ABC HD LA **	MHD
Big Ten Network HD	National Geographic Channel HD
Bravo HD	NBC HD NY **
Cartoon Network	NBC HD LA **
CBS HD NY **	NESN HD
CBS HD LA **	NFL Network HD
Cinemax HD East	Sci-Fi Channel HD
Cinemax HD West	SHO Too HD
CSN Chicago HD	Showtime HD
CSN Mid-Atlantic HD	Showtime HD West
CNBC HD+	Smithsonian Channel HD
CNN HD	Speed Channel HD
Discovery Channel HD	SportsNet New York HD
ESPN HD	Starz Comedy HD
ESPN2 HD	Starz Edge HD
Food Network HD	Starz HD East
Fox HD NY **	Starz HD West
Fox HD LA **	Starz Kids & Family HD
Fox Business Network HD	TBS in HD
FSN Detroit HD	The Movie Channel East HD
FSN Prime Ticket HD	The Science Channel HD
FSN Southwest HD	The Weather Channel HD
FSN West HD	TLC HD
Fuel TV HD	TNT HD
FX HD	Universal HD
HBO HD East	USA Network HD
HBO HD West	Versus HD/Golf Channel HD
HD Theater	YES HD
HDNet	HD PPV (8)
HDNet Movies

DIRECTV HD customers will continue to pay only a $9.99 access fee, allowing them to receive DIRECTV's premier HD technology and all channels broadcast in HD that are tied to their particular base programming package.

Customers who want the ultimate HD experience can subscribe to the DIRECTV® HD EXTRA PACK for an additional $4.99 per month. This new addition of HD-only channels is for the true HD fan and includes: HDNet, HDNet Movies, Universal HD, MHD, Smithsonian HD and MGM HD.

In addition to the national HD channels listed above, DIRECTV also offers 245 local HD channels across 61 cities, representing more than 70 percent of U.S. TV Households.

The DIRECTV 11 satellite will be launched early next year to support further HD expansion. With the two satellites, DIRECTV will have the ability to deliver 150 national HD channels and 1,500 local HD and digital channels in addition to new advanced programming services for customers.

21 New HD Channels Launched...More to Follow

Great news,

The following 21 HD channels have just been launched:

A&E HD
265

The History Channel HD
269

Animal Planet HD
282

Discovery Channel HD
278

The Science Channel HD
284

The Learning Channel HD
280

Big Ten Network HD
220

The Weather Channel HD
362

NFL Network HD
212

CNN HD
202

TBS in HD
247

Showtime HD West
540

SHO Too HD
538

The Movie Channel HD
544

VERSUS HD / GOLF CHANNEL HD
604

Starz HD East
520

Starz Edge HD
522

Starz HD West
521

Starz Comedy HD
519

Starz Kids & Family HD
518

Smithsonian Channel HD
267

50 more channels will be launched in the next few weeks.

Premiering on Pay Per View in October

Delta Farce
Larry The Cable Guy stars in this comedy about four Georgia "weekend warriors" shipped off to Iraq. Somehow, between Georgia and Fallujah, the pilot drops the National Guardsman off in Mexico. Although confused they somehow liberate a town from the corrupt Federales.
Premieres October 3

Finishing the Game
Bruce Lee's untimely death left studio executives scrambling madly to finish Game of Death out of the twelve minutes of film he had begun. This movie presents a sharp look at 70's Hollywood through the eyes of five aspiring actors.
Premieres October 5

Perfect Stranger
How far would you go for the truth? A journalist (Halle Berry) goes undercover to ferret out businessman Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis) as her best friend's killer. Posing as a temp, she enters into a game of online cat-and-mouse in this stylish, sexy thriller.
Premieres October 3

Away From Her
An award-winning romantic drama, starring Julie Christie, about a couple separated by the wife's onset of Alzheimers. It's up to her spouse Grant (Gorden Pinsent) to make an extraordinary sacrifice to ensure her happiness—if he can.
Premieres October 12

Blades of Glory
Two Olympic skaters (Will Ferrell and Jon Heder) are set to kick some ice when they discover they've been stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from the games. That is, until they find a loophole that allows them to qualify as a pairs team.
Premieres October 10

The Reaping
It's up to a former Christian missionary, Hillary Swank, who specializes in debunking religious phenomena, to refute the idea a series of bizarre occurrences once known as the Ten Biblical Plagues are back. Can she fend off locusts, a river of blood and frogs—or not?
Premieres October 12

The Condemned
Stone Cold Austin stars as an inmate awaiting death in a Mexican jail when he is purchased by a wealthy TV producer and taken to a desert island to fight against killers from all corners of the world. The prize is freedom for the one man who survives.
Premieres October 17

Out of the Blue
On a November day in 1990 in a seaside New Zealand town, a lone killer with a high-powered rifle stalked his victims for 24 hours. Based on a true story, ordinary people and a few unprepared local police risked their lives to stop him. Yet, by dawn, 13 people lay dead.
Premieres October 18

Georgia Rule
You can't leave your problems at home, even when it's in Idaho. Jane Fonda, Lindsey Lohan and Felicity Hoffman star in the story of a dysfunctional family's revelations and the ties that bind them — regardless of how far they've moved to escape them.
Premieres October 18

The Lives of Others
This twists-and-turns—thriller about a loyal East German playwright having second thoughts, his actress girlfriend and the secret police mole who must decide their fate won (among numerous other awards) the 2006 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film.
Premieres October 20

Bug
William Friedkin directed this chilling thriller about a lonely waitress (Ashley Judd) who escapes her abusive husband (Harry Connick) only to hook up with an unhinged war veteran (Michael Shannon) in a run-down motel where they must take on the bugs just for room to beathe.
Premieres October 24

In The Land Of Women
Devastated by a breakup with his actress girlfriend, an LA soft-core porn writer (Adam Brody) moves to Detroit to care for his ailing grandmother. The mother next door, her teenage daughter and her little girl each develop a crush on him. Together they help him find his way back.
Premieres October 30

License to Wed
First came love — then came Reverend Frank. A reverend (Robin Williams) puts an engaged couple (Mandy Moore and John Krasinski) through a grueling marriage preparation course to see if they are meant to be married in his church if they survive.
Premieres October 30

Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
The Fantastic Four should be high on cloud nine. Reed and Sue are getting married and Von Doom is back in his old homeland. Only the Silver Surfer's news can put a damper on their day: now they must wipe out an old foe plus the planet eating "Gah Lak Tus."
Premieres October 30