DIRECTV NewsA Blog on Satellite TV News

Spanish Broadcasting System owned Mega TV is available to Spanish speaking audiences in Puerto Rico, starting November 1. Mega TV’s launch in Puerto Rico was possible due to acquisition of new technology by Spanish Broadcasting System.

Mega TV can be viewed on following channels on different operators:

Cable and satellite users can watch Mega TV on:

DirecTV – Channel 169

Dish Network - Channel 60

Choice – Channel 16

Liberty – Channel 45

OneLink – Channel 60

Luis Roldan, Senior Vice President, and General Manager for SBS and Mega TV in Puerto Rico, said “With these new signals, not only will everyone on the Island be able to watch our programming; we will also have a clearer image. For geographical reasons, most of our households without cable or satellite couldn’t receive our signal in the past. With this new technology, everyone on the island will enjoy Mega TV’s popular and impactful programming. We are very pleased with the acceptance that the Puerto Rican community has given us and we are committed to keep on bringing excellent programming.”

Cynthia Hudson-Fernandez, Chief Creative Officer and Executive Vice President for SBS and Managing Director of Mega TV, said “We believe that these new affiliates in Puerto Rico will enormously help our growth plan, and will guarantee our position as a leading competitor in Hispanic television. Our audience on the island has been faithful to our programming from day one, and we promise to reciprocate with the best we can offer.”

Dish Network has launched History Interactive, which will deliver subscribers with 24/7 interactive TV (iTV) experience. The satcaster has partnered with History and Ensequence to launch HISTORY Interactive. Subscribers must have an OpenTV-enabled receiver to use the iTV application.

Michael Kelly, executive vice president for Dish Network said “Dish Network continues to enhance its iTV platform, and the addition of History Interactive and ‘Battles BC’ will provide new and engaging experiences for our subscribers, as interactive television applications and sponsorship opportunities merge, we will also find new ways to deliver more targeted results for our clients.”

Dish Network settled its carriage dispute with Young Broadcasting bringing standard and high-definition channels in eleven markets. The sat caster is facing problem with Seattle based Fisher Communications and removed local high-definition channels in seven markets.

Dish Network said that the negotiations with Fisher Communications has broken down as they were seeking more pricing for the local channels. Dish customers in the following cities will not be able to watch Fisher Communications’ standard-definition and high-definition signals :

Bakersfield, California – CBS and Fox affiliates

Boise, Idaho – CBS affiliate

Eugene, Oregon – CBS affiliate

Idaho Falls, Idaho – CBS affiliate

Portland, Oregon – ABC affiliate

Seattle, Washington – ABC affiliate

Yakima, Washington – CBS affiliate

Already the satellite television provider is lacking behind in providing national HD channels and they seem to be in trouble in providing local HD stations also. Dish subscribers are really confused as how DirecTV is able to provide local stations without any dispute.
Dish has to explain this to their subscribers, otherwise many customers will be searching for other providers and the sat caster will end up with subscriber loss.

Dish Network has announced that they will pay Tivo approximately $104 million as the Supreme Court denied to consider their appeal of a patent judgment. Dish also said that the Supreme Court’s decision now ends the dispute, TiVo filed a DVR patent infringement against Dish Network in 2004 and the Texas jury found the case in TiVo’s favor. The satcaster said the money is in escrow account and will be released to Tivo in the next few days. Dish’s subscribers can continue using their DISH DVRs. The satcaster in a statement said “We believe that the design-around does not infringe Tivo’s patent and that Tivo’s pending motion for contempt should be denied. We look forward to that ruling in the near future.”

Warner Bros has added 85 classic movies to its Video on Demand (VOD) celebrating Warner Bros. Entertainment’s 85th Anniversary. These movies will be available first time in high definition on VOD. “Superman: The Movie,” “Casablanca” and “Full Metal Jacket” were launched in satellite providers DirecTV and DISH Network and also on cable operators like Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Cable, Time Warner Cable and Rogers Cable (Canada).
Following are the Titles offered :
Absolute Power
All the President’s Men
An American in Paris
Analyze This
Any Given Sunday
Arthur
Beetlejuice
Ben Hur
Blade Runner
Blazing Saddles
Blood Work
Bonnie and Clyde
Casablanca
Chariots of Fire
A Clockwork Orange
Collateral Damage
Constantine
Cool Hand Luke
Deliverance
Devil’s Advocate
Dial M for Murder
Dirty Harry
Doctor Zhivago
Dog Day Afternoon
Enter the Dragon
Eraser
The Exorcist
Fear dot com
The Fugitive
Full Metal Jacket
Goodfellas
Green Mile
Grumpy Old Men
Horror of Dracula
I Confess
Interview with the Vampire
The Killing Fields
Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 4
Little Shop of Horrors
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Maltese Falcon
Mars Attacks!
Matrix Reloaded
Matrix Revisited
Matrix Revolutions
Million Dollar Baby
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Natural Born Killers
Ocean’s Eleven (1960)
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Ocean’s Twelve
Once Upon a Time in America
Pale Rider
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
The Philadelphia Story
Presumed Innocent
The Road Warrior
Rebel without a Cause
The Right Stuff
Risky Business
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shining
Singin’ in the Rain
Space Jam
Spies Like Us
Stage Fright
Strangers on a Train
Streetcar Named Desire
Superman II
Superman III
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman: The Movie
Suspicion
Three Kings
Training Day
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Troy
Twilight Zone: The Movie
Under Siege
Unforgiven
The Wrong Man

NBC Universal (NBCU) has selected Ensequence and DISH Network to transform NBCU’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games into a fully interactive experience. NBCU has chosen Ensequence to provide a separate interactive application on DishHOME on DISH Network Channel-100. NBCU’s 2008 Beijing Olympic Games experience wraps interactivity around live programming on DISH Network.

DISH Network will offer NBCU’s 2008 Beijing Olympic Games coverage through its Interactive TV mosaic, a multiple-screen showcase, available to more than 12 million iTV-enabled DISH Network subscribers from August 8 – August 24, 2008. The iTV mosaic will broadcast from six NBCU channels: CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network and two Olympic highlight channels. DISH Network subscribers can watch all six screens simultaneously or select one channel to watch in full-screen.

NBCU and Ensequence are teaming up for the second time to deliver interactive television to viewers. DISH Network viewers are able to use their remote control to instantly access athlete profiles, learn more about Beijing and the event venues, learn more about featured sponsors, read late-breaking news, see the team USA Report, track each country’s medal counts and view video highlights of the day’s events.

“NBC Universal and DISH Network continue to set the pace for the entire industry with interactive television and we’re excited to be partnering with them to create and deliver the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games interactive television experience,” said Dalen Harrison, Ensequence CEO. “The world’s most innovative programmers such as NBC Universal are realizing that interactive television delivers the engagement and accountability of the internet, giving them the best of both worlds.”

DISH Network and NBC Universal (NBCU) have reached an agreement to bring 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in various platforms. DISH Network will deliver Beijing Olympic Games in HD on speciality channels solely dedicated to the Olympic games.

NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and

NBC Olympic Basketball Channel

are the channels available on channel 99 and 98 respectively on DISH programming line-up which will bring Soccer and Basketball games 24 hours a day during Beijing Olympic Games. DISH Network will also broadcast the games on Video On Demand. The satcaster will bring 800 hours of Olympic game content on NBCU network channels and VOD. DISH Networks will bring Olympic games on different channels like NBC HD – 225 hours, USA HD – 165 hours, CNBC HD – 95.5 hours and Universal HD – 379 hours.
DISH Networks Olympic channels could be called with “OLYMPB” on program guide.

DirecTV is launching more than 30 high-definition channels starting from August 14. DirecTV’s main competitor DISH Network has already announced that they will launch 17 HD channels on August 1 to become first satellite provider to deliver 100 HD channels. At present DirecTV is offering 95 national high-definition channels. This new HD channels addition will take the DirecTV’s tally to 125 HD channels.

DirecTV’s new HD channel will include

ABC Family HD

Planet Green HD

Showtime Extreme HD

Showtime Showcase HD and

DIRECTV HD pay per view channels

Apart from these channels, DirecTV will also add 23 high-definition Regional Sports Networks (RSNs). The satcaster will be first in the industry to broadcast all its high-definition programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding standard.

“Despite all the sound and fury of confusing HD claims from our competitors, our customers understand that DIRECTV is the destination for the most compelling and complete lineup of HD content,” said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV, Inc. “Our message is clear – DIRECTV is the content leader, and our delivery of the best quality HD via the most advanced technology is one way we continue to dominate this category and offer our more than 17 million customers nationwide an unparalleled entertainment experience.”
DirecTV is also planning to launch a new satellite “DIRECTV 12″ in 2009 and will deliver 200 national HD channels and 1,500 local HD channels.

DirecTV also proves to be the leader in most sports HD programming broadcast with NFL SUNDAY TICKET, NCAA MEGA MARCH MADNESS and NASCAR HOTPASS available in HD. DirecTV will also continue to add HD content to its newly launched DIRECTV on Demand platform.

Cablevision has started adding 15 new high-definition channels to its iO TV HD line-up from Monday, July 28 the addition. The new HD channels comes to Cablevision customers before the DISH Networks scheduled launch of 17 new HD channels, which starts from August 1.Cablevision now offers 60 high-definition channels for its iO TV subscribers for no extra programming fees or equipment. Cablevision’s new addition of 15 new high-definition channels will be completed on August 1, 2008. The Cable operator uses fiber optic network and advanced technology to deliver HD programming has announced that the high-definition expansion will continue and to ultimately deliver all of the channels it carries in HD.Cablevision started adding following HD channels from Monday :
AMC HD

Animal Planet HD

Discovery Channel HD

Fox News HD

FX HD

Hallmark Movie Channel HD

IFC HD

Nickelodeon HD

Science Channel HD

Speed Channel HD

Spike HD

The Weather Channel HD

TLC HD

Travel Channel HD and

WE HD

DISH Network has made an announced on Thursday that the satcaster will launch 17 new high-definition channels on August 1, to to take the HD tally to 100 channel mar. DISH Network, during investors conference in January this year has announced that they would offer 100 national HD channels before the end of 2008. DirecTV is also gearing up to reach the 100 HD channel mark and now it seems DISH will win the race as DirecTV will start its HD expansion with the help of the new satellite DIRECTV 11 only from September and expected to reach 150 HD channels before the year end. Dish Network will launch following HD channels from August 1 :

ActionMax HD – Ch. 313

CBS College Sports HD – Ch. 152

Lifetime HD – Ch. 108

Lifetime Movie Network HD – Ch. 109

Planet Green HD – Ch. 194

Encore HD – Ch. 340

HBO 2 HD – Ch. 301

HBO Comedy HD – Ch. 307

HBO Family HD – Ch. 305

HBO Latino HD – Ch. 309

HBO Signature HD – Ch. 302

HBO West HD – Ch. 303

HBO Zone HD – Ch. 308

Starz Comedy HD – Ch. 354

Starz Edge HD – Ch. 352

Starz Kids & Family HD – Ch. 356 and

Starz West HD – Ch. 351

“In January, we promised our customers that DISH Network would boost our national HD channel lineup to 100 by year’s end. Today, we are proud to say that in less than one year, not only did we deliver on our commitment, but we exceeded it,” said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network. “We continue our pledge to DISH Network subscribers to add more national channels and local HD markets, as well as offer the best sports and movies in HD.”
DISH Network is also planning to introduce only HD programming package called TurboHD and there will be three packages available.
TurboHD Gold – $39.99/month

TurboHD Silver – $32.99/month

TurboHD Bronze – $24.99/month

Subscribers have to pay $5 extra to avail local channels along with HD channels from any of the above TurboHD plans. Apart from these packages, TurboHD Platinum is also available. To add TurboHD Platinum to any qualifying package and receive HD channels that do not have corresponding SD channels with TurboHD Platinum at $10/month extra.

Jessica Insalaco, Chief Marketing Officer for DISH Network said “TurboHD is revolutionary to the industry; we’re changing the way people watch TV by offering them all of the top channels – in HD only – with the best high-definition systems on the market, When consumers add HD programming, their viewing habits change – they don’t like to go back to standard definition – so their viewing switches over to all-HD channels. TurboHD will provide the next-generation high-definition television experience by offering only the best in HD programming and award-winning HD technology at incredible prices.”