DIRECTV Offers ABC HD in ABC's 10 Owned TV Station Markets; DIRECTV N

    Business Editors

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2005--DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and fastest-growing digital television service provider, announced today that it is now offering ABC high-definition (HD) programming - that includes primetime hits such as "Desperate Housewives," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Lost" - to eligible customers in the 10 markets where ABC owns television stations. With the addition of ABC HD programming, DIRECTV now offers the national HD feeds of all four major broadcast networks in select markets.
    As part of an overall carriage agreement with Disney ABC, DIRECTV is offering the national ABC HD feeds (WABC/New York and KABC/Los Angeles) to eligible DIRECTV customers in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh, N.C., Fresno, Calif., Flint, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio. Initially, customers in the Pacific and Mountain time zones will receive the West Coast feeds and those in the Central and Eastern times zones will receive the East Coast feeds, until local HD feeds are available in each of those markets.
    "As a result of this agreement with Disney ABC, our eligible customers in ABC's Owned Television Station markets will now have a significantly expanded primetime HD programming lineup from which to choose," said Stephanie Campbell, executive vice president, Programming, DIRECTV, Inc. "The addition of ABC HD, which rounds out our broadcast network HD lineup of CBS, NBC and Fox, kicks off what will be a year of unprecedented HD programming growth at DIRECTV as we look forward to launching hundreds of HD local channels for our customers in the second half of 2005."
    Customers who subscribe to the DIRECTV local channels package in ABC's Owned Television Station markets will receive this programming free of charge.
    In addition to the broadcast network HD feeds, DIRECTV also offers an HD Package that includes ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater(TM), HDNet, HDNet Movies and Universal HD, and is available by subscription for $10.99 per month. ESPN2 HD will be added to the HD package later this year at no additional charge. DIRECTV customers with HD-enabled equipment can also receive HBO(R) HDTV and SHO(R) HD as part of their premium package subscriptions, as well as HD Pay Per View movies for $4.99 each (when ordered by remote).
    To access DIRECTV HD programming, customers may purchase a DIRECTV-enabled high-definition set-top receiver and a single 18 x 20-inch multi-satellite dish with three LNBs. DIRECTV-enabled HD receivers and triple-LNB satellite dishes are available from authorized DIRECTV retailers, such as Circuit City and Best Buy, nationwide.
    DIRECTV is the nation's leading and fastest-growing digital multichannel television service provider with more than 13.5 million customers. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of The DIRECTV Group Inc. (NYSE:DTV). The DIRECTV Group is a world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment and broadband satellite networks and services. The DIRECTV Group is 34 percent owned by Fox Entertainment Group, which is approximately 82 percent owned by News Corporation. For more information visit www.directv.com.

--30--RJ/la*

CONTACT: DIRECTV, Inc. Robert Mercer, (310) 726-4683

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA MICHIGAN TEXAS PENNSYLVANIA ILLINOIS OHIO NORTH CAROLINA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION/RADIO CABLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOURCE: DIRECTV, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005