Fireproof The company now has 6 million total subscribers

Fireproof

The company now has 6 million total subscribers. DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey said his company has been immune to the economic recession which has hurt other TV providers. Wall Street analysts yesterday suggested that DIRECTV is taking new customers from their cable and satellite rivals. But Carey added: I expect the economy to put pressure on us. DIRECTV has seen its subscriber totals rise steadily since it began expanding its high-def lineup in the fall of 200 The satcaster now claims more than 130 HD channels, although a Pike Fischer study yesterday said the number is actually 10 DIRECTV includes Pay Per View channels in the total. The company has been slower to add HD channels in the last several months due to capacity issues and programming costs. But CEO Carey yesterday reminded analysts in the investors call that his company will launch a new satellite this year that will offer more capacity. Well launch a satellite latter this year that will enable us to continue to add to our HD experience or continuing to build on our leadership in sports and add to the richness of our content with events like Friday Night Lights. Our VOD offering will improve in both richness to the offering and functionality in terms of things like faster access and a more integrated experience, Carey said. Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 02:18 PM Who s the Real HDTV Leader? A new study says DIRECTV s top ranking is under challenge. Washington, February 10, 2009 Verizon s FiOS TV service is challenging DIRECTV s position as the TV provider with the most High-Definition channels, according to a new study from market research firm Pike Fischer. The study says that, as of January 2009, DIRECTV offered 104 high-def channels. The satcaster claims to offer more than 130 HD channels, but its total includes a number of Pay Per View channels and distant network signals that few count as real channels. But Verizon had 103 HD channels in January 2009, just one Fireproof than DIRECTV, the company said. DIRECTV has established itself as the leading provider of High-Definition channels for the past year after it dramatically expanded its high-def lineup in the Fall of 200 But Verizon last year boosted its HD lineup in several cities and now offers more than 100 HD channels in every market it serves. The Pike Fischer study says Comcast, the nation s largest cable operator, has one of the smallest selections of HD channels, offering fewer than 40 HD channels in some markets. Comcast has recently ncreased that number in several markets. Cable networks do not have the same capacity as Verizon s all-fiber infrastructure and DIRECTV s satellite coverage, and thus face more constraints on bandwidth for HD channels, the company says in a press release. Although Verizon and DIRECTV may offer more high-def channels than their cable counterparts, P F notes that Cablevision and Time Warner are among a group of cable ops that offer a substantial number of HD channels for providers have clearly assembled both the physical plant and the contracts with content owners to provide more HD content than their competitors. But it is important to look at what content is actually being offered, and at what price. Digital TV: What Is Obama Waiting For? Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 05:49 AM Digital TV: What Is Obama Waiting For? The president needs to sign the delay bill now. Washington, February 10, 2009 Congress last Wednesday approved legislation that would delay the Digital TV transition from Feb. 17 to June President Obama, who requested Fireproof delay, has promised to sign that bill. However, as of this writing, the president has yet to approve it and the transition is still scheduled to take place next week, leaving a whole lot of people confused. For instance, Multichannel News reports that the National Telecommunications Information Administration, which runs the government s DTV converter box program, is saying at its web site that the transition will take place on both days. The FCC says at its web site that some local TV stations may switch to digital on Feb. 17 while others may switch sometime before June Dozens of newspapers are still reporting that the transition will occur on Feb. 17 while dozens more are saying it will be June The mixed messages are just making it more difficult for the roughly seven million people who haven t prepared for the switch to start taking action. With the government Fireproof perhaps their local newspaper and other media saying confusing and conflicting things, they will likely start tuning out anything related to Digital TV. And if that occurs, good luck in getting them to buy converter boxes or Digital TVs before June I realize that the president is busy these days, but he needs to sign the legislation immediately.