DISH Network Launches Local Channels to 33 Percent of U.S. Households
Business and Entertainment Editors
LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 1999--EchoStar
Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) announced that DISH
Network(TM) will begin beaming local channels by satellite at noon on
Monday, Nov. 29, to 13 of the nation's largest markets as President
Clinton signs the satellite TV legislation into law. DISH Network can
now offer true competition to cable TV by providing ABC, CBS, NBC and
FOX local network channels in these 13 selected cities covering
approximately 33 percent of the total U.S. households. DISH Network
will also launch local channel service to seven additional cities
before the end of 1999 and to 13 additional cities during the first
quarter of 2000, bringing local channels to over 30 of the nation's
largest markets which reach approximately 60 percent of the U.S.
households. With EchoStar's new DISH 500 satellite TV systems,
consumers can now subscribe to hundreds of all-digital channel
choices, including local broadcast networks, using a convenient,
single small dish.
Starting Monday, DISH Network will offer consumers local channel
packages in the following 13 cities for only $4.99 per month: New
York; Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; Boston; Washington, D.C.;
Dallas/Ft. Worth; Atlanta; Miami; Phoenix; Denver; Pittsburgh and Salt
Lake City.
EchoStar also plans to offer local channel service in
approximately 20 of the following 30 cities, depending upon favorable
retransmission consent agreements with network broadcasters in these
cities: Philadelphia; Detroit; Houston; Seattle/Tacoma; Cleveland;
Minneapolis; Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; St.
Louis; Orlando, Fla.; Baltimore; Portland, Ore.; Indianapolis; San
Diego; Hartford, Conn.; Charlotte, N.C.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.;
Cincinnati; Nashville, Tenn.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas
City, Mo.; Roanoke, Va.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Las
Vegas; Memphis, Tenn.; New Orleans; Jacksonville, Fla.; and San
Antonio.
"DISH Network now gives consumers a real alternative to the
rising rates and poor customer service of cable TV," said Charlie
Ergen, chairman and CEO of EchoStar. "With the president's signature
on the new satellite TV law, DISH Network can now offer a clear choice
to consumers who want their local broadcast networks along with
hundreds of crystal-clear, all-digital channels."
EchoStar also plans to offer popular independent network channels
in some markets along with the ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX network stations
and a national PBS feed.
To find out how you can get your local channels along with
hundreds of channels of popular satellite television programming,
visit www.dishnetwork.com, call 1-800-333-DISH (3474) or contact your
local DISH Network retailer.
DISH Network is also breaking the price barrier by reducing the
MSRP of a multiroom-ready Model 3822 DISH 500 satellite TV system from
$249 to $199! EchoStar's new Model 3822 satellite TV receiver includes
a DISH 500 small dish antenna and will be offered for only $199 during
a special DISH 500 promotion for new customers from Nov. 29 through
Jan. 31. Equipped with dual amplifiers, DISH 500 is designed to
receive signals from EchoStar satellites located at both 119 degrees
West Longitude and 110 degrees W.L., offering customers hundreds of
channels, including local channels, without requiring additional
equipment. DISH Network also offers the Model 3822 for FREE after
rebate in conjunction with DISH Network's One-Rate Plan through Dec.
31, 1999.
DISH Network's all-digital programming packages start as low as
$19.99 per month. DISH Network One-Rate Plans are subject to certain
terms and conditions and are only available to qualifying customers.
Call 1-800-333-DISH (3474) or go to www.dishnetwork.com for more
information about DISH Network One-Rate Plans and the new DISH 500
satellite TV system.
DISH Network is EchoStar's state-of-the-art direct broadcast
satellite system that is capable of offering over 500 channels of
digital video and CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB
compliant hardware and installation. DISH Network was also ranked
number one in customer satisfaction among satellite/cable TV
subscribers by the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Cable/Satellite TV
Customer Satisfaction Study. EchoStar V, EchoStar's newest high-power
direct broadcast satellite, launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS
rocket on Sept. 23, 1999, to the 110 degrees W.L. orbital location. In
addition to local channels, EchoStar V allows DISH Network to offer
500 channels, including high-definition television, Dolby Digital
surround sound, Internet and high-speed interactive television and
data services, all on a single dish. DISH Network, which currently
serves over 3.1 million customers, is a trademark of EchoStar
Communications Corporation. DISH Network is located on the Internet at
www.dishnetwork.com.
--30--djm/dx*
CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corp.
Judianne Atencio, Communications Director
303/723-2010
judianne.atencio@echostar.com
or
Marc Lumpkin, Communications Manager
303/723-2020
marc.lumpkin@echostar.com
KEYWORD: COLORADO GEORGIA MASSACHUSETTS ILLINOIS TEXAS FLORIDA
CALIFORNIA NEW YORK PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ARIZONA UTAH
MICHIGAN WASHINGTON OHIO MINNESOTA MISSOURI MARYLAND OREGON INDIANA
CONNECTICUT NORTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE WISCONSIN VIRGINIA OKLAHOMA NEW
MEXICO NEVADA LOUISIANA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION/RADIO
Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet
with Hyperlinks to your home page.
URL: businesswire.com
|
