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To: Stoctrash who wrote (38772)	2/3/1999 1:05:00 PM
From: DiViT	Respond to of 50808

EchoStar Acquires Media4, Inc.; Technology/Service Offering to Revolutionize Satellite PC Market 02/02/99 Business Wire (Copyright (c) 1999, Business Wire) LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 1999--EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) announced today that it has completed its agreement to acquire privately-held Media4, Inc., of Atlanta, Ga., a supplier of broadband satellite networking equipment for personal computers. EchoStar issued approximately 170,000 shares of DISH common stock for 100 percent ownership of Media4. "Media4 is an integral link in our continuing effort to bring interactive television to consumers and helps to establish EchoStar as a leader in educational, business television and data delivery applications," said Charlie Ergen, chairman and CEO of EchoStar. Media4, founded in 1995, is a supplier of PC-based, digital video broadcast (DVB) compatible satellite transmission products. Its flagship product line, MediaStream(R), provides a complete software-driven, DVB-compatible satellite uplink system along with low-cost, PC-resident DVB receiver technology and application software. MediaStream includes a wide range of satellite uplink and downlink products that allow private network operators and service providers to take advantage of both digital video compression technology and multimedia-capable personal computers. EchoStar hopes to begin broadband data delivery of interactive channels in the summer of 1999, providing subscribers with higher quality video, audio and multi-media than that offered in wire-based technology. By converging the capabilities of TV and the Internet, EchoStar is working to develop a new medium for producers, broadcasters and viewers to create interactive content for nationwide broadband delivery, allowing subscribers to interact with programming and other viewers at the same time via personal computers. Media4 will continue to market its MediaStream products to private network operators and corporations around the world which need to deliver broadband IP traffic over satellite for use in such applications as video distribution, distance learning, remote caching and broadband Internet access. Additionally, Media4 plans to build on EchoStar's direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service platform in the United States to enable customers to add broadband video and data solutions to their networks. Media4's approximately 35 employees have become part of EchoStar Communications Corporation and provide an Eastern U.S. presence for EchoStar's engineering and satellite services organizations. EchoStar Communications Corp., includes three interrelated business units: - 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.