DIRECTV: 100 HDTV Channels In 2007

[dkennedy]

DIRECTV: 100 HDTV Channels In 2007

The satcaster says it has carriage agreements with 60 channels.

January 8, 2007

By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com

DIRECTV says it plans to offer 100 High-Definition TV channels in 2007 -- and it has already secured carriage agreements with 60, including CNN HD and The Sci-Fi HD Channel.

The high-def expansion is expected to take place in mid-year when the satcaster's two new satellites are operational.

DIRECTV says the new HD channels will include high-def versions of several well-known networks, including those owned by NBC Universal and Time Warner's Turner Networks.

The HDTV additions will include:

Sci-Fi HD
CNN HD
Weather Channel HD
Food Network HD
Cartoon Network HD
Speed HD
FX HD
TBS HD
USA HD Network
NFL HD Network
YES Sports HD Network
HBO HD*
Cinemax HD*
Starz HD*
Encore HD*
Showtime HD*
TMC HD*

*all premium movie networks in HD.

TVPredictions.com has learned that DIRECTV officials have been meeting with numerous cable networks over the last few months to arrange the high-def agreements.

"Where the world is going is into HD. None of the wireless products is going to bring you 100 channels of HD," Eric Shanks, executive vice president of entertainment for DIRECTV, told Reuters.

David Hill, DIRECTV's president of entertainment, told TVPredictions.com late last year that the satcaster would have at least 40 national high-def networks in mid-year.

[dkennedy]

Will DIRECTV Force Cable to Add HDTV?

The satcaster's announcement that it will carry 100 national high-def channels raises the stakes for its cable rivals.

January 9, 2007

By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com

DIRECTV yesterday said it plans to carry 100 national High-Definition TV channels by year's end.

However, the announcement could mean that your local cable operator will offer dozens of high-def channels in 2007 as well.

How come?

The cable operators will be forced to expand their high-def lineups to keep pace with the nation's leading satellite TV service

While cable will not have as much capacity as DIRECTV -- the satcaster is launching two new satellites this year, largely for high-def -- the industry can create room for more channels by jettisoning unpopular channels and multiple feeds of existing networks such as the premium movie channels.

Some subscribers may be upset at losing the multiple feeds. But with HDTVs now in roughly 35 million homes, the high-def audience is becoming a beast that must be fed. Some cable operators are now only offering around 10-15 HD channels and that just won't cut it later in the year when DIRECTV expands.

DIRECTV is expected to begin adding high-def channels in mid-year when the new satellites are operational. The satcaster says it has secured carriage agreements with 60 national HDTV channels, including CNN HD, FX HD, TBS HD, USA HD Network and The Sci-Fi HD Channel.

These are all highly popular channels -- and the cable operators will have to carry the high-def editions when they are available. Failure to do so will tempt many cable high-def subscribers to switch to satellite.

So while you may not see 100 national HDTV channels from your cable operator by year's end, you should see more. Plenty more.

[dkennedy]

Comcast: 'We're Not Worried About DIRECTV HDTV'

The cable op's COO says DIRECTV's plan for 100 national high-def channels will not change their strategy.

February 1, 2007

By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com

Comcast COO Steve Burke said today that he isn't worried about DIRECTV's plan to offer 100 national HDTV channels by year's end.

The cable operator now offers less than 20 national high-def networks in most markets. But Burke told Wall Street analysts that Comcast will not try to match DIRECTV's HD lineup which is expected to include a large number of variety channels.

"We're not going to radically change our game plan," he said in an investors conference call. "We think we offer a superior HD experience."

Burke instead said Comcast will focus more on high-def movies, sports and local channels, which he said are most popular among his subscribers.

"We'd rather allocate the (extra) bandwidth to what the customer wants," Burke said.

Despite the reluctance to match DIRECTV channel for channel, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did say the cable operators would increase spending on high-def services in 2007.

DIRECTV says it plans to launch two satellites this year to expand its high-def capacity. Sea Launch, a consortium company that's scheduled to launch one of the satellites, suffered a setback this week when one of its rockets blew up on the platform. But the satcaster said last night that that would not affect its high-def plans.

Burke also said today that he's not concerned that CBS and some broadcast groups such as Sinclair, Belo and LIN TV are demanding fees to carry their high-def channels. To date, Comcast and other cable operators have agreed to buy advertising space rather than give cash for a local station's signals.

"We would assume that the current arrangements would continue until proven otherwise," said Burke.

[dkennedy]

DirecTV CFO: HD Plans Moving Along

Direct-Broadcast Satellite Provider Counts NFL Sunday Ticket Channels

March 28, 2007

By Mike Farrell & Linda Moss, Multichannel News

DirecTV Group chief financial officer Michael Palkovic said the direct-broadcast satellite giant is moving ahead in its plans to launch 100 HDTV channels by the end of the year, but he conceded that some of those channels will be multiple feeds from sports packages like NFL Sunday Ticket.

Palkovic said DirecTV already has about 70 HD channels under contract and that number is growing. But when asked whether Sunday Ticket would count as 13 separate HD channels -- the package airs 13 out-of-market games each week -- he said it would.

“That’s the way you would count that,” Palkovic said, adding that 70 or 80 of the HD channels would be considered year-round channels.

Palkovic added that DirecTV’s HD offerings will be far and above those from cable operators and other DBS companies. He noted that there are currently about 10 national HD channels, and its DBS competitor, EchoStar Communications, offers those packages, as well as about 10 Voom channels, the HD offering from Rainbow Media Holdings. Further differentiating DirecTV’s HD package is that the channels will be compelling.

“First of all, there are no Voom channels, there is nothing like that that people would consider not really quality channels,” Palkovic said. “We’re talking USA [Network], Sci Fi [Channel], some of the Turner [Broadcasting System] networks, The Weather Channel, mainstream programming that’s been around for a long time that’s going to make the leap to HD.”

In other DirecTV HD news, the DBS provider Wednesday began offering local HDTV programming from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC to customers in Greenville, S.C.;Harrisburg, Pa.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Spokane, Wash.

DirecTV now offers local HDTV broadcast channels in 53 cities, representing more than 67% of U.S. TV households.

When DirecTV’s capacity expansion is completed next year, it will offer more than 1,500 local HDTV channels and more than 150 national HDTV channels.