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Echostar, Loral Skynet Team Up to Launch New Satellite Television
Service
LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 1998--
Premium Direct-to-Home TV Service, SKY VISTA, to Encompass Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories in Caribbean
EchoStar Communications Corp., (NASDAQ:DISH, DISHP) announced today the launch of SKY VISTA, a direct
broadcast satellite (DBS) television service offering up to 27 channels of popular satellite programming in crystal-clear digital
video and CD-quality audio to viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"EchoStar's SKY VISTA is pleased to offer high-quality programming to residents in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories
in the Caribbean who lack access to satellite-delivered, multi-channel digital programming," said Mark Jackson, senior vice
president for EchoStar's Satellite Services Division. "By delivering this programming on a small dish satellite system sold for
less than $400, EchoStar significantly enhances the attractiveness and affordability of popular programming services to
customers who are left without access to important U.S. news and entertainment through standard network broadcasts or
cable. At the same time, SKY VISTA offers EchoStar an opportunity to expand its ethnic programming services," Jackson
added.
Customers can purchase a complete SKY VISTA satellite system for a suggested retail price of $399, which includes a 90-cm
dish antenna and a Model 1000 satellite TV receiver with an on-screen programming guide and V-chip technology for parental
control. Installation is available at an additional cost.
SKY VISTA will offer a 20-channel "Best of Satellite" package for $19.99 per month. The service includes The Disney
Channel, The Weather Channel, MTV, CNN, Discovery, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, A&E, VH1, TNT, WPIX (New York),
Cartoon Network, USA Network, TBS Superstation, CNN Headline News, Lifetime, WGN, FOX Family Channel and
American Movie Classics (AMC), with more channels to come. SKY VISTA also offers a premium movie channel of HBO
for an additional $9.99 per month.
SKY VISTA will also provide, for eligible subscribers, five network broadcast channels for $5.99 per month, which includes
East Coast affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and a national feed of PBS.
EchoStar plans to expand SKY VISTA's program offerings soon by offering ethnic programming services to customers in the
continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean.
SKY VISTA's services will be transmitted from Loral Skynet's Telstar 5 satellite positioned at 97 degrees West Longitude
while EchoStar will provide uplinking and programming distribution services from its state-of-the-art facilities in Cheyenne,
Wyo. EchoStar will also conduct order processing, set-top box authorization and billing from its customer service centers in
Littleton, Colo.
Customers may order these services or find the location of the nearest SKY VISTA retailer by calling 1-877-444-4SKY
(4759). Information about SKY VISTA can also be found at www.skyvista.com.
EchoStar Communications Corp., includes three interrelated business units:
o DISH Network(TM) is EchoStar's state-of-the-art DBS system that offers customers over 300 channels of digital video and
CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware, installation, financing and leasing.
o EchoStar Technologies Corporation (ETC, formerly HTS(TM) - Houston Tracker Systems, Inc.), designs, manufactures
and distributes DBS set-top boxes, antennas and other digital equipment for the DISH Network and various international
customers that include ExpressVu Canada and Telefonica's Via Digital system in Spain. ETC also provides uplink center
design, construction oversight and project integration services for customers internationally.
o Satellite Services provides the delivery of video, audio and data services to business television customers and other satellite
users. These services include satellite uplink, satellite transponder space usage, and other services. Satellite Services also
administers SKY VISTA, a direct broadcast satellite service offering up to 27 channels of popular digital satellite television
programming to viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean.
The DISH Network currently serves over 1.7 million customers. DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications
Corporation. HTS is a trademark of Houston Tracker Systems, Inc. DISH Network is located on the Internet at:
dishnetwork.com.
Loral Skynet of Bedminster, N.J., a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, is a leading satellite communications
services provider that owns and operates the Telstar satellites. Loral Skynet's customers lease transponder capacity to
distribute network television programming, collect live video feeds for the reporting of news and events, and to offer
direct-to-home and pay-per-view programming, distance learning, educational, and other business television services.
CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corp.
Judianne Atencio, 303/723-2010
Communications Director
e-mail: judianne.atencio@echostar.com
or
EchoStar Communications Corp.
Marc Lumpkin, 303/723-2020
Communications Manager
e-mail: marc.lumpkin@echostar.com
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