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Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rodney beasley who wrote (16599)	5/11/1999 1:48:00 PM
From: KYA27	Respond to of 41369

Hughes Electronics Teams With America Online EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 1999--Hughes Electronics Corp., the world's leading provider of digital television entertainment, and satellite and wireless systems and services, Tuesday announced partnership agreements with America Online Inc., that are key to the ongoing development of AOL TV. Two of Hughes' units, DIRECTV Inc. of El Segundo and Hughes Network Systems of Germantown, Md., will collaborate with AOL to extend connected interactivity to television. DIRECTV, the nation's leading digital television service provider, will work with AOL on a new service that combines digital satellite television programming from DIRECTV with AOL's enhanced interactive television Internet service. DIRECTV recently completed the acquisition of PRIMESTAR's medium-power direct broadcast satellite business bringing the number of DIRECTV subscribers to 7 million. Completion of DIRECTV's merger of United States Satellite Broadcasting Co. (USSB) is pending. Hughes Network Systems, the world's second largest manufacturer of the DIRECTV System and the world leader in satellite products and network systems, will design and build the dual purpose AOL TV/DIRECTV set-top receiver. AOL TV will give its members the ability to connect to a new AOL interactive service designed to enhance the television-viewing experience. The set-top boxes will be connected to AOL through built-in 56K modems over standard phone lines, and will be enabled for digital subscriber line (DSL) connectivity as well. ''Hughes' partnership with AOL, the world's leading online service, will allow DIRECTV to offer its subscribers connected interactivity, a benefit that gives them a far more enriched television experience and access to a wealth of information,'' said Michael T. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Hughes Electronics. ''HNS' expertise in convergence technology will result in the design of high-quality AOL TV/DIRECTV product.'' Barry Schuler, president of AOL's Interactive Services Group, said in a statement earlier Tuesday: ''AOL has always focused on making the online experience a key part of our members' lives. As consumers want to extend that interactive experience to connected non-PC devices, we will continue to deliver our hallmark ease-of-use and convenience. This extension of the AOL brand also will provide new opportunities to our advertising and commerce partners.'' The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock. Visit Hughes, DIRECTV and HNS on the World Wide Web at www.hughes.com, www.directv.com and www.hns.com, respectively.