US Satellite Broadcasters
 

EchoStar and DirecTV, the two competing satellite broadcasters in the United
States, have both announced increases in their number of subscribers.

EchoStar added around 325,000 new subscribers to its Dish Network in the
first quarter of the 2005, bringing its total number of satellite customers
to 11.23 million. The company reported total revenue of just over $2
billion, which represents a 28 per cent increase on the same period the
previous year.

DirecTV added over half a million subscribers in the United States in the
same period, an increase of over 20 per cent on the previous year. At the
end of March, DirecTV had a total of 14.45 million customers, a 14 per cent
increase on a year previously.

Quarterly revenues stood at $2.8 billion, up 35 per cent on the previous
year. The DirecTV group as a whole reported quarterly revenues of $3.15
billion, narrowing operating losses to $41 million.

Chase Carey, president and chief executive of DirecTV, said: "We will roll
out our new interactive digital video recorder in the summer, followed
shortly thereafter by the launch of a suite of enhanced new services for our
exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package.

"We believe that the enhancements we are making to our service will bring us
closer to our goal of making DirecTV the best television experience in the
world."

(Waveguide)