DirecTV Driving Satellite HDTV Expansion
With a huge subscriber base and plenty of existing HD content, DirecTV has been a major force in bringing HD to millions of people through various programming offerings. And it’s about to get even bigger.
About a month ago, DirecTV launched a new satellite to allow them to expand their HD content. So far it’s "going well" and they are on track to rollout a 70-plus HD channel package by the end of 3Q 2007 and build to 100 HD channels by the end of the year, according to notes from a recent investor call. Combined with the lowering costs of HD DVRs also mentioned on the call, the end of 2007 is shaping up to be the beginning of a new HD era for DirecTV.
A large factor driving DirecTV’s current HD success is its "NFL Sunday Ticket" package. DirecTV offers fans the chance to watch every single NFL game live, many in High Definition, making for very busy Sundays in the fall for many NFL fans. With the launch of the "Superfan" package in 2005, fans have been able to watch up to 9 games in HD and can watch games online over a broadband connection and see highlights and clips on their video-enable mobile phones. DirecTV’s new satellite launch and significant HD expansion will make the service even better, possibly increasing the number of available HD games and increasing the available bandwidth to deliver NFL content.
"NFL Sunday Ticket" has no doubt been a huge success for DirecTV. It currently has over 2 million subscribers and has successfully won over many DirecTV subscribers in areas where basic cable fails to meet the demands of NFL fans. The big takeaway here though is that DirecTV’s programming has pushed the industry as a whole to offer more HD content. As Scott Greczkowski from Multichannel News explains:
…I still feel that DirecTV deserves credit for waking up the industry, which is helping to accelerate the rollout of many new high definition channels on all providers. No matter who your cable or satellite provider is ultimately you can thank DirecTV for all the new HD content you will be seeing this fall.
More HD programming means better options for consumers. And in this area, DirecTV is clearly leading the way.
Stay tuned for more on NFL satellite programming later this week. Also, download the MP3 attached to this post for a quick football fix from our favorite sports song.
