Post by dkennedy on Jan 14, 2008 6:14:08 GMT -5
Did DIRECTV Fool HDTV Viewers?
The satcaster said it would offer 100 HD channels by the end of 2007, but didn't.
January 13, 2008
By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com
DIRECTV last year launched a marketing campaign boasting that it would offer 100 HD channels by the end of 2007.
Problem is, the satcaster fell short of the target, ending the year with 87 high-def channels.
But DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey says the '100 HD Channels' campaign was a huge success, generating more subs and better-paying customers.
"The marketing group for DIRECTV did a very good job at sort of having a message that resonated with the marketplace," Carey told an investors conference last week, according to MediaPost.com. "The 100 channels was relatable, was understandable -- and, I think, grabbed people."
Carey's remarks might lead some to question if the satcaster used the phrase, '100 HD Channels,' in its ad campaign because it sounded better than 87, or some other number that's less than 100.
By saying the round number of 100, more high-def viewers may have been attracted to the satcaster's service.
But DIRECTV recently told MediaPost.com that it did not reach the 100 mark because some channels didn't launch high-def networks as expected.
The satcaster could have reached the 100 mark by adding from up to two dozen current HD channels that have yet to find spots in DIRECTV's lineup, including a 15-channel suite from Voom Networks.
But DIRECTV says it didn't want to add channels just to be adding them.
MediaPost.com writes that Carey didn't refer to DIRECTV's failure to hit the 100 mark in his address before the investors.
Although DIRECTV failed to offer 100 HD channels by the end of 2007, Carey said as late as September that it would hit the century mark.
Despite falling short of the 100 mark, DIRECTV now offers more high-def channels than any other TV provider.
The satcaster said it would offer 100 HD channels by the end of 2007, but didn't.
January 13, 2008
By Phillip Swann, tvpredictions.com
DIRECTV last year launched a marketing campaign boasting that it would offer 100 HD channels by the end of 2007.
Problem is, the satcaster fell short of the target, ending the year with 87 high-def channels.
But DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey says the '100 HD Channels' campaign was a huge success, generating more subs and better-paying customers.
"The marketing group for DIRECTV did a very good job at sort of having a message that resonated with the marketplace," Carey told an investors conference last week, according to MediaPost.com. "The 100 channels was relatable, was understandable -- and, I think, grabbed people."
Carey's remarks might lead some to question if the satcaster used the phrase, '100 HD Channels,' in its ad campaign because it sounded better than 87, or some other number that's less than 100.
By saying the round number of 100, more high-def viewers may have been attracted to the satcaster's service.
But DIRECTV recently told MediaPost.com that it did not reach the 100 mark because some channels didn't launch high-def networks as expected.
The satcaster could have reached the 100 mark by adding from up to two dozen current HD channels that have yet to find spots in DIRECTV's lineup, including a 15-channel suite from Voom Networks.
But DIRECTV says it didn't want to add channels just to be adding them.
MediaPost.com writes that Carey didn't refer to DIRECTV's failure to hit the 100 mark in his address before the investors.
Although DIRECTV failed to offer 100 HD channels by the end of 2007, Carey said as late as September that it would hit the century mark.
Despite falling short of the 100 mark, DIRECTV now offers more high-def channels than any other TV provider.
