SkyPerfecTV is killing DirecTV in Japan. 100,000 new boxes in the last 2 months(nearly $3M of revenue for C-Cube this Q)...............
biz.yahoo.com
The Japanese monthly magazine ''Foresight'' reported in its June issue that about 30,000 to 40,000 viewers who were given free DirecTV tuners and dish sets chose instead to join SkyPerfecTV by purchasing hardware costing nearly 60,000 yen.
SkyPort and DirecTV declined to confirm the figures given in the magazine.
''If the report is true, it could mean DirecTV's content is weak and it should strengthen original programming,'' said Nanako Sakaguchi, analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson.
''The magazine report confirms industry views that there is no chance of DirecTV making a victorious comeback,'' said an analyst who asked not to be identified.
DirecTV, which currently offers 88 channels, has said its viewership topped 100,000 in the middle of May, five months after it launched its service.
SkyPerfecTV, which offers 171 channels, says it has boosted its viewership by more than 100,000 in the past two months alone. It claims it has amassed 731,000 subscribers since its launch in late 1996.
However, both broadcasters say the break-even line for profitability is 1.5 million to two million subscribers.
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