Tuesday November 2, 10:39 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: TV Guide, Inc.
TVG Network Signs Ten Year Agreement With EchoStar; TVG to be Available Immediately in the Nation's Fastest Growing DBS Service
TULSA, Okla., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- TVG (TV Games Network), a subsidiary of TV Guide, Inc. (Nasdaq: TVGIA - news), today announced the completion of a ten year affiliation agreement with EchoStar, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISH - news), the nation's fastest growing digital satellite television service. The affiliation agreement outlines the terms for carriage of TVG, the live horse racing and interactive wagering network launched in July, on EchoStar's direct broadcast satellite (DBS) DISH Network service. DISH will be placing TVG in their most widely distributed packages that will make it available to virtually all of their 3 million subscribers next month.
''We are truly excited about adding TVG to DISH Network, the nation's favorite and fastest growing high power service,'' said Charlie Ergen, Chairman and CEO of EchoStar. ''The addition of TVG programming to the substantial majority of our customers is our first significant example of an exciting new interactive service that realizes multiple revenue streams for our shareholders.''
''We are very pleased that we have completed this long term affiliation agreement that puts TVG in three million homes immediately with a world-class company like Echostar,'' said Peter C. Boylan III, President and COO of TV Guide, Inc., parent to TVG. ''TV Guide has committed substantial resources to build and launch TVG over the past year and believes it has the potential to become a valuable and very important interactive service for multi-channel video operators.''
''This agreement is yet another defining moment in the evolution of racing as mainstream entertainment,'' said Mark D. Wilson, President and CEO of TVG. ''EchoStar's DISH Network has the ability to offer our sport to millions of satellite television viewers immediately, facilitating new ways for fans to participate in the sport and opening it to higher levels of popularity as horse racing fans across the country follow their favorites from home.''
An Official Marketing Partner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), TVG features live, hosted Thoroughbred, harness and quarter horse racing from America's premier racetracks. TVG has exclusive long-term agreements with the following racetracks: Aqueduct Race Track, Arlington International, Bay Meadows, Belmont Park, Calder Race Course, Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Ellis Park, Emerald Downs, Fairplex Park, Gulfstream Park, Hollywood Park, Hoosier Park, Keeneland Race Course, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park, Los Alamitos, Oak Tree at Santa Anita, Pimlico, Portland Meadows, Ruidoso Downs, Saratoga Raceway, Saratoga Race Course, Suffolk Downs, Turf Paradise and Turfway Park. Non-exclusive racetrack partners include Fair Grounds, Great Lakes Downs and Northfield Park.
Co-produced with FOX productions, TVG's programming also includes expert commentary, tutorials and behind-the-scenes features on the horses and celebrities of racing. TVG's interactive wagering interface supports pari- mutuel wagering and provides handicapping data, real-time track odds, weather conditions, equipment/jockey changes and more through television, telephone and PC platforms.
EchoStar Communications Corp., includes three interrelated business units:
DISH Network(TM) 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. DISH Network, which currently serves over 3 million customers, is located on the Internet at www.dishnetwork.com.
EchoStar Technologies Corporation 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 the Via Digital system in Spain. ETC provides construction, oversight and project integration services for customers internationally. ETC also oversees EchoStar Data Networks Corporation in Atlanta, a leading supplier of MediaStream® technology for distributing Internet content over satellite networks.
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 popular digital satellite television programming to viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean.
TV Guide, Inc. is a global diversified media and communications company that operates three primary business units: TV Guide Entertainment Group, TV Guide Magazine Group, and United Video Group. TV Guide markets and distributes products in the United States to over 100 million cable and satellite homes every week. TV Guide also markets its products internationally in 45 countries. TV Guide magazine and TV Guide Channel are the largest print and electronic guidance products in the world. TV Guide has unparalleled consumer reach with such products and cable/satellite services as:
-- TV Guide magazine -11 million circulation -31 million weekly
readers
-- TV Guide Channel -50 million subscribers -28 million weekly
viewers
-- TV Guide Interactive -34 million homes passed -2.5 million
subscribers
-- TV Guide Online -37 million page views/month ->82,000 unique users
per day
-- The Cable Guide -4 million subscribers -10 million weekly
readers
-- Sneak Prevue -34 million subscribers
-- WGN -47 million subscribers
-- KTLA -3 million subscribers
-- WPIX -3 million subscribers
-- Denver 6 Services -4 million subscribers
TV Guide operates several other business units including:
-- SpaceCom Systems - SSDS - TV Guide Media
Sales
-- TV Guide Affiliate - TV Guide Enterprise - TV Guide
Sales Solutions International
-- MMDI - Superstar Netlink Group LLC- InfoMedia
-- Television Games Network
On October 4, 1999, TV Guide, Inc. and Gemstar International Group Limited (Nasdaq: GMST - news) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which TV Guide, Inc. will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Gemstar.
For up to date information about TV Guide companies, please access the company's Internet home page at www.tvguideinc.com. TV Guide trades on the Nasdaq stock market under the symbol TVGIA.
SOURCE: TV Guide, Inc.
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More Quotes
and News: Echostar Communications Corp (NasdaqNM:DISH - news)
Gemstar International Group Ltd (NasdaqNM:GMST - news)
TV Guide Inc (NasdaqNM:TVGIA - news)
Related News Categories: entertainment, retail, telecom
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