ExpertSatellite

First Drivers Get on Board for Exclusive New NASCAR HOTPASS(TM) Only on DIRECTV

Satellite Television Leader Also Debuts National Advertising Campaign Featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the Debut of the Service Draws Near

In 2007, DIRECT TV will take the NASCAR television experience to another level as it debuts the highly anticipated and exclusive NASCAR HOTPASS(TM) only on DIRECTV during the Daytona 500 on February 18 at Daytona International Speedway. Today, the nation's leading satellite television service provider announced the first five drivers for the debut of this new interactive television service that will enable fans to ride shotgun with their favorite drivers by literally taking them into the cars and pits of the top drivers and teams in NASCAR.

NASCAR HOTPASS(TM) only on DIRECTV, will feature five channels (DIRECTV channels 794-799) completely devoted to specific drivers and their racing teams each week. The service will debut at the Daytona 500 with the following lineup of top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers:

* Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Dale Earnhardt Incorporated
* Kevin Harvick - Richard Childress Racing
* Jimmie Johnson - Hendrick Motorsports
* Tony Stewart - Joe Gibbs Racing
* Michael Waltrip - Waltrip-Jasper Racing

"We're proud that the first five drivers who have decided to participate in this incredible new service are among NASCAR's most elite competitors," said David Hill, president of entertainment for DIRECTV. "The drivers are energized and excited about this new way to translate the incredible NASCAR experience, but it is the fans who are in for a truly amazing experience."

To drive national awareness for this exciting and exclusive new package, DIRECTV has completed its first national advertising campaign for the service, featuring the sport's most popular personality, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The spot is set to debut just before the Daytona 500 and is a continuation of DIRECTV's "Fourth Wall" campaign where top actors and athletes recreate a scene from a famous movie or a noteworthy moment of sports competition.

The resulting effect in this case will be Earnhardt Jr. directly addressing the viewing audience while in the middle of a Victory Lane celebration following an actual NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race victory. This same technology was employed in previous DIRECTV spots using footage from popular films such as "Star Trek-The Undiscovered Country," "Dukes of Hazard," "Back to the Future" and recently, NFL game footage featuring Colts quarterback and DIRECTV NFL SUNDAY TICKET spokesman Peyton Manning.

With NASCAR HOTPASS(TM) only on DIRECTV, each of the five dedicated driver channels will offer multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry, in-car audio communication and a dedicated announcer team. The new service, combined with race day telecasts and nascar.com coverage, will give fans the most comprehensive and powerful NASCAR experience possible.

DIRECTV customers can now purchase NASCAR HOTPASS only on DIRECTV(TM). The full-season price of the package is $99, but customers can take advantage of an Early Bird offer by purchasing the package by Jan. 31, 2007 for $79. The exclusive service is also available on a pay-per-week basis for $29.99. More information is available on www.directv.com/hotpass.

DIRECTV is an official sponsor of NASCAR and an official sponsor of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and the # 07 car.

SOURCE: DIRECTV
================================================
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from Retail Bridge...........

Beginning next month, race fans will have another reason to get fired up when DIRECTV and NASCAR launch their new HOTPASS service at the 2007 Daytona 500.

"NASCAR fans are the most passionate and committed fans in all sports," said DIRECTV Entertainment president David Hill. "Their depth of knowledge of what it takes to win is matched only by their commitment to their favorite driver. We're giving the fans of five drivers a race, the chance to live the entire race sitting next to their favorite driver. They'll hear driver conversations with the spotter and crew chief, they'll hear and experience every decision, and watch every move they make—right or wrong. For NASCAR fans, this is the ultimate thrill ride. Like the crew chief, they'll know where the driver stands in the field because both the network broadcast and the driver cameras will be on the same screen. It's a whole new way of looking at NASCAR."

The service package will put fans "behind the wheel, in the pits and around the track with their favorite NASCAR drivers and teams," by offering five separate channels of race coverage each week featuring five different drivers. Each of the five dedicated driver channels will offer multiple camera angles, real-time statistics, in-car audio and a dedicated announcer team. Through the agreement, DIRECTV and NASCAR will offer the HOTPASS service exclusively to the satellite provider's subscribers for the next three years.

"NASCAR is always breaking ground in presenting new ways for our fans to become fully immersed in the NASCAR experience," said NASCAR's vp of broadcasting and new media, Dick Glover. "DIRECTV is a company consistently on the leading edge of sports television innovations, so this was a perfect fit."

For subscription information and a complete schedule visit: http://directv.com/hotpass.
====================================================
Call Expert Satellite toll free at 800-431-1221 to make the switch to Better TV.

CBS Corporation And DIRECTV Reach Expansive Sports Programming Agreement

Multi-Year Agreement Extends DIRECT TV's NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS® Package, The Exclusive National Television Source for CBS Sports Coverage of NCAA® Out-Of-Market Games CSTV Now Available to More DIRECTV Customers; Expands Total Household Reach to More Than 20 Million

DIRECTV and CBS Corporation today announced a multi-year agreement in which DIRECTV will continue to be the premier national television source for NCAA out-of-market games during CBS Sports' broadcast of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

DIRECTV customers purchasing the NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS® package will receive up to 37 out-of-market CBS-produced broadcasts, including those in High Definition, from the first three rounds of the championship. The package allows DIRECTV customers the opportunity to see all 64 games of the NCAA tournament. The programming on the satellite service will be supplemental to CBS's broadcast of the games, and marks an extension to a previous agreement the two companies have had over satellite broadcasts of NCAA games.

At the same time, DIRECTV announced that CBS's CSTV is now available to more than 8 million DIRECTV customers. CSTV, the experts in college sports and leading provider of college sports across multiple media platforms, now has a total household reach of more than 20 million homes nationally. DIRECT TV was CSTV's first affiliate. "From its inception, exclusive sports programming has set DIRECTV apart as the leading multi-channel provider of the world's most important and exciting sporting events," said Chase Carey, President and CEO, DIRECTV, Inc. "The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship is one of those unique events that captures the attention of sports fans throughout the country and DIRECTV will bring our customers every upset, buzzer beater and Cinderella story." "We continue to monetize our content across many of our programming genres, including Sports, and this latest agreement with our partners at DIRECTV is yet another example," said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. "We're not only generating new revenues through the NCAA satellite package, but by offering CSTV to more than 8 million DIRECTV customers, we've significantly expanded its reach."

"I'm very pleased to extend our agreement with DIRECTV over the transmission of outof- market NCAA games, and making CSTV available to more DIRECTV customers," said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. "DIRECTV has been a superb partner in providing satellite carriage of the NCAA championship, which has become an important component to our overall coverage, and we look forward to working with them for many more years to come." "We're significantly increasing our household reach with CSTV and gaining exposure to millions more TV viewers," said Brian Bedol, President, CSTV. "In just the past year we've made important strides in increasing our carriage with the nation's cable and satellite providers,
and that's helped us develop a very strong audience of college sports fans from coast to coast." CSTV, the first company dedicated exclusively to covering college athletics, broadcasts hundreds of live events each year, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports. CSTV is the primary rights holder for the Mountain West Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference, Conference USA as well as Navy athletics, plus features games and events from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and nearly a dozen other conferences. The network also produces live studio shows, documentaries and realityprogramming.

In addition, the network created the Collegiate Nationals, which crowns the champion in several extreme and emerging college sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding and triathlon. CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW -- a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products).

Source: DIRECTV

from skyREPORT.......

DIRECTV Slam Dunks March Madness Extension

Oh baby! DIRECTV and CBS swished a new multi-year agreement to extend the satellite company's NCAA March Madness package and continue to be the exclusive national TV source for CBS Sports' coverage of the college basketball tournament.

According to the companies, DIRECT TV customers purchasing the NCAA Mega March Madness package will receive up to 37 out-of-market, CBS-produced broadcasts - including those in HD - from the first three rounds of the championship. The package allows DIRECTV subs the opportunity to see all 64 games.

DIRECTV said its programming will be supplemental to CBS' broadcasts, and marks an extension to a previous arrangement the two companies had over satellite broadcasts of NCAA games.

In related news, DIRECTV said that CBS' college sports network CSTV now has a total household reach of more than 20 million homes nationally. DIRECTV was CSTV's first affiliate and now is available to more than 8 million of the satcaster's customers.
===========================================
Call Expert Satellite toll free at 800-431-1221 to make the switch to Better TV.

from Retail Bridge...........

Beginning next month, race fans will have another reason to get fired up when DIRECTV and NASCAR launch their new HOTPASS service at the 2007 Daytona 500.

"NASCAR fans are the most passionate and committed fans in all sports," said DIRECTV Entertainment president David Hill. "Their depth of knowledge of what it takes to win is matched only by their commitment to their favorite driver. We're giving the fans of five drivers a race, the chance to live the entire race sitting next to their favorite driver. They'll hear driver conversations with the spotter and crew chief, they'll hear and experience every decision, and watch every move they make—right or wrong. For NASCAR fans, this is the ultimate thrill ride. Like the crew chief, they'll know where the driver stands in the field because both the network broadcast and the driver cameras will be on the same screen. It's a whole new way of looking at NASCAR."

The service package will put fans "behind the wheel, in the pits and around the track with their favorite NASCAR drivers and teams," by offering five separate channels of race coverage each week featuring five different drivers. Each of the five dedicated driver channels will offer multiple camera angles, real-time statistics, in-car audio and a dedicated announcer team. Through the agreement, DIRECTV and NASCAR will offer the HOTPASS service exclusively to the satellite provider's subscribers for the next three years.

"NASCAR is always breaking ground in presenting new ways for our fans to become fully immersed in the NASCAR experience," said NASCAR's vp of broadcasting and new media, Dick Glover. "DIRECTV is a company consistently on the leading edge of sports television innovations, so this was a perfect fit."

For subscription information and a complete schedule visit: http://directv.com/hotpass.
====================================================
Call Expert Satellite toll free at 800-431-1221 to make the switch to Better TV.

CBS Corporation And DIRECTV Reach Expansive Sports Programming Agreement Multi-Year Agreement Extends DIRECT TV's NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS® Package, The Exclusive National Television Source for CBS Sports Coverage of NCAA® Out-Of-Market Games CSTV Now Available to More DIRECTV Customers; Expands Total Household Reach to More Than 20 Million DIRECTV and CBS Corporation today announced a multi-year agreement in which DIRECTV will continue to be the premier national television source for NCAA out-of-market games during CBS Sports' broadcast of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. DIRECTV customers purchasing the NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS® package will receive up to 37 out-of-market CBS-produced broadcasts, including those in High Definition, from the first three rounds of the championship. The package allows DIRECTV customers the opportunity to see all 64 games of the NCAA tournament. The programming on the satellite service will be supplemental to CBS's broadcast of the games, and marks an extension to a previous agreement the two companies have had over satellite broadcasts of NCAA games. At the same time, DIRECTV announced that CBS's CSTV is now available to more than 8 million DIRECTV customers. CSTV, the experts in college sports and leading provider of college sports across multiple media platforms, now has a total household reach of more than 20 million homes nationally. DIRECT TV was CSTV's first affiliate. "From its inception, exclusive sports programming has set DIRECTV apart as the leading multi-channel provider of the world's most important and exciting sporting events," said Chase Carey, President and CEO, DIRECTV, Inc. "The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship is one of those unique events that captures the attention of sports fans throughout the country and DIRECTV will bring our customers every upset, buzzer beater and Cinderella story." "We continue to monetize our content across many of our programming genres, including Sports, and this latest agreement with our partners at DIRECTV is yet another example," said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. "We're not only generating new revenues through the NCAA satellite package, but by offering CSTV to more than 8 million DIRECTV customers, we've significantly expanded its reach." "I'm very pleased to extend our agreement with DIRECTV over the transmission of outof- market NCAA games, and making CSTV available to more DIRECTV customers," said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. "DIRECTV has been a superb partner in providing satellite carriage of the NCAA championship, which has become an important component to our overall coverage, and we look forward to working with them for many more years to come." "We're significantly increasing our household reach with CSTV and gaining exposure to millions more TV viewers," said Brian Bedol, President, CSTV. "In just the past year we've made important strides in increasing our carriage with the nation's cable and satellite providers, and that's helped us develop a very strong audience of college sports fans from coast to coast." CSTV, the first company dedicated exclusively to covering college athletics, broadcasts hundreds of live events each year, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports. CSTV is the primary rights holder for the Mountain West Conference, the Atlantic 10 Conference, Conference USA as well as Navy athletics, plus features games and events from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and nearly a dozen other conferences. The network also produces live studio shows, documentaries and realityprogramming. In addition, the network created the Collegiate Nationals, which crowns the champion in several extreme and emerging college sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding and triathlon. CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company with constituent parts that reach back to the beginnings of the broadcast industry, as well as newer businesses that operate on the leading edge of the media industry. The Company, through its many and varied operations, combines broad reach with well-positioned local businesses, all of which provide it with an extensive distribution network by which it serves audiences and advertisers in all 50 states and key international markets. It has operations in virtually every field of media and entertainment, including broadcast television (CBS and The CW -- a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), cable television (Showtime and CSTV Networks), local television (CBS Television Stations), television production and syndication (CBS Paramount Network Television and CBS Television Distribution), radio (CBS Radio), advertising on out-of-home media (CBS Outdoor), publishing (Simon & Schuster), interactive media (CBS Interactive), music (CBS Records), and consumer products (CBS Consumer Products). Source: DIRECTV

Cable television viewers in Lufkin had a surprise in their first bill of the new year — a rate hike of $2.

The increase is because of an increase in programming costs, said Gene Regan, spokesperson for Suddenlink Communications. Programming costs are the fees the cable company pays to networks to carry their programs, he said.

Programming costs went up 8 percent last year, Regan said, and about 20 percent in the last two to three years.

There has been an increase in other costs, too, such as fluctuating gas prices and normal business expenses other than programming costs, he said.

Last year, the rate for basic cable television in Lufkin went up $3.10 a month.

"We increased our rates last year, and before that it had been two years (since an increase)," Regan said.

Limited basic cable now costs $14.99, up from $12.99, and complete basic cable costs $44.99, up from $42.99.

The increase in Lufkin is below the average increase in East Texas and other areas which saw cable prices go up by 6.4 percent, Regan said. The increase in Lufkin was 4.7 percent.

He said the company was "doing everything to keep costs down." These measures included "looking for operating efficiencies" and providing more and better services more economically, Regan said. The company is also investing more than $200 million nationally to upgrade its network in different places, he said.

In spite of rising cable rates, Regan said, rates of high speed internet and DVR have remained the same.

Suddenlink serves about 11,000 customers in Lufkin.
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Order DIRECT TV service from Expert Satellite, DIRECTV's Preferred Online Retailer - call toll free 800-431-1221 and receive numerous benefits such as free Direct TV installation and delivery at no cost, instant rebates on advanced equipment - DIRECT TV HD or DIRECT TV DVR receivers as well as your choice of a free gift: iPOD, personal DVD, or $50 Gift Card.

from SkyREPORT...

Last month, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) - former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee - made a point of expressing his displeasure with the idea that DIRECTV has exclusive carriage of professional football's NFL Sunday Ticket. Since then the Democrats have taken control of Congress, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is the new committee chair, and DIRECTV may be on the verge of signing another exclusive deal for another professional sports package: Major League Baseball's Extra Innings.

Industry press reports have hinted that DIRECT TV and MLB seem to be getting very close to finalizing a multi-year agreement that would make the league's MLB Extra Innings exclusive to the country's largest satellite provider. Although DIRECTV has declined to comment, sources close to the deal said the two sides have been meeting over the past few days to try and iron out the last wrinkles - one being digital rights management.

If an agreement is reached, DIRECTV would have exclusive coverage of both the NFL's and MLB's full season programming packages. What remains to be seen, sources said, is that the satcaster may not receive digital streaming rights for the games, and the league's MLB.tv - a broadband subscription service showing out-of-market games, continues to be a favorite with fans.

Just around the time Specter had said he was going to sponsor legislation to strip the NFL of its antitrust exemption that permits the league to negotiate its television contracts for all 32 franchises, the Sports Business Journal broke the story that professional baseball was on deck for DIRECTV. As of press time, nothing has been finalized and neither side has made any announcements about the deal.
================================================
Call Expert Satellite toll free at 800-431-1221 to make the switch to Better TV.

from skyREPORT.....

How Cable Intends to Keep Up with DBS' HD Plans

One of the big stories to come out of CES last week was that with the expected launch of two new satellites, DIRECTV has plans to offer 100 national and 1,000 local high definition channels by the end of 2007. As company officials dropped this bomb on the Las Vegas crowd, and its aftershocks reached across the pay-TV landscape, many wondered how the cable industry would react and, better still, how would it compete with the expanded offering.

One answer, suggests a new study, is by spending massive amounts of money.

According to research firm ABI, as customers demand more high-definition content from their TV providers, and advanced services like multiplayer gaming continue to gain in popularity, the cable industry will be feeling increased pressure from a "bandwidth crunch." The company's new study says the only way cable operators can expand those types of services is to upgrade the capacity of their digital networks.

ABI estimates total revenues stemming from this necessary expansion will exceed $24 billion in 2012 and reach $80 billion in total investments from 2007 until then.

"The looming bandwidth crunch, which is more pronounced in the United States than elsewhere due to its deeper penetration of digital cable, will present different problems to different operators, and each will need to find its own bandwidth upgrade formula," ABI broadband analyst Michael Arden said. "The severity of the crunch will depend on factors such as the speed with which HDTV is adopted in particular markets, and the extent to which cable operators add extra HDTV channels."
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Order DIRECTV service from Expert Satellite, DIRECTV’s Preferred Online Retailer – toll free 800-431-1221 and receive numerous benefits such as free Direct TV installation and delivery at no cost, instant rebates on advanced equipment – DIRECT TV HD or DIRECT TV DVR receivers as well as your choice of a free gift: iPOD, personal DVD, or $50 Gift Card.

from columbian dot com...........

Comcast bills are going up on March 1, Clark County's cable provider announced Tuesday.

For local cable subscribers with Comcast's standard 71-channel television package, the monthly rate will increase from $47.16 to $50.89, a 7.9 percent increase.

Rates for the company's basic services will rise from $13 to $13.75.

This will be the fourth rate increase in four years in the Oregon-Southwest Washington market for Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider.

Comcast provides television services to about 81,100 subscribers in Clark County, according to CVTV in Vancouver, a local agency that monitors the operation.

In March, Comcast's Digital Plus subscribers will see a rate increase from $62.11 to $65.82 a month.

High-speed Internet and digital voice rates will remain unchanged, said Theressa Davis, Comcast's area director of communications in Portland. Comcast serves about 46,500 of those accounts here.

Specifics about how rates for each of several TV packages will change will go out to customers in an upcoming bill, Davis said.

Although television cable costs are going up by nearly 6 percent, the overall Comcast rate increase is closer to 4 percent because non-TV subscriptions will stay unchanged, Davis said.

Comcast ended 2005 with $22.2 billion in sales. The publicly traded company's stock closed Tuesday at $44.47 a share, up 38 cents.
=====================================
Order DIRECTV service from Expert Satellite, DIRECTV’s Preferred Online Retailer – toll free 800-431-1221 and receive numerous benefits such as free Direct TV installation and delivery at no cost, instant rebates on advanced equipment – DIRECT TV HD or DIRECT TV DVR receivers as well as your choice of a free gift: iPOD, personal DVD, or $50 Gift Card.