NFL Sunday Ticket: ~100 Games in HD !

[Todd Wiedemann]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 2004--DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading digital multichannel television service provider, and exclusive provider of the NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM) subscription package, announced today it will offer up to 100 high-definition (HD) broadcasts of 2004 NFL SUNDAY TICKET regular season games on its DIRECTV® service -- the largest selection of HD NFL broadcasts ever available through a multichannel television service. In addition, the company announced its 2004 fall offer for new customers.

HD broadcasts of NFL SUNDAY TICKET regular season games -- provided by FOX Sports, which is broadcasting the majority of the HD games, and CBS Sports -- will be available to DIRECTV residential and commercial customers who subscribe to the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package and are equipped with DIRECTV HD system equipment. NFL SUNDAY TICKET HD broadcasts will be available on DIRECTV channels 70-89. HD game selections will be determined on a week-to-week basis and listed on channel 753 by each Thursday during the regular season.

"This is five times as many NFL HD games as we offered last season and is yet another example of DIRECTV giving consumers programming that cable can't match," said Stephanie Campbell, executive vice president, Programming, DIRECTV, Inc. "Our commitment to leadership in cutting-edge programming and technology is as evident with this announcement of HD NFL broadcasts in 2004, as it was in 1994, when DIRECTV introduced the concept of out-of-market sports broadcasts with NFL SUNDAY TICKET. Now ten years later, out-of-market broadcasts are a pay TV staple for consumers. We see HD on the same growth trend and are committed to leadership in this area."

As in years past, the company's fall offer is highlighted by its exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET package of weekly out-of-market broadcasts of NFL regular season games.

New DIRECTV residential customers who purchase the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package for $249 will receive four free months of the DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE® PREMIER with Local Channels package, a value of more than $360. The DIRECTV Fall offer is also available to new customers who subscribe to the DIRECTV PARA TODOS(TM) Spanish-language service.

To qualify for the DIRECTV Fall offer, new customers must:

    * Purchase a DIRECTV System from a participating retailer before Oct. 30, 2004.
    * Activate 2004 NFL SUNDAY TICKET at the retail offer price of $249 (or four payments of $62.25) and DIRECTV's TOTAL CHOICE PREMIER with Local Channels or OPCION PREMIER con Canales Locales programming package within 30 days of equipment purchase.
    * Commit to one year of any TOTAL CHOICE® package at $36.99 per month or OPCION EXTRA ESPECIAL® at $33.99 per month.

NFL SUNDAY TICKET subscribers have the choice of nearly every NFL game on Sundays during the regular season (blackout restrictions and other conditions apply) on channels 702-719. NFL SUNDAY TICKET is not available on cable or through any other multichannel television service.

[smack]

Nice.  Very Nice:rock:

smack

[Tom Snyder]

So where is all this bandwidth gonna come from?

[smack]

The new 7S satellite is apparently getting ready to go.

Last year they would pull a HD PPV channel for the CBS HD game of the week, and I bet with 7S it just opens a lot more bandwidth because they moved a lot of the locals off of 101 bird.

They gave customers in those markets affected by the switch off of the 101 slot I believe until the end of August to get the oval dish.  Then they are cutting them off of locals if they haven't gotten the new dish by then.

I just hope they don't black out the HD games on NFL ST.  Last year they didn't black out the CBS HD game of the week on D*.  Hopefully they will do the same for the FOX HD games this year.

smack