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DIRECTV Stokes NASCAR Rivalries With Annual Head2Head Knockout Competition

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:43:16 +0000

DIRECTV will team up with ESPN and NASCAR to open the throttle for a second consecutive year of DIRECTV’s Head2Head Knockout competition – an innovative, bracket-format contest that will showcase existing and new rivalries among 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers.

The high-stakes competition will take place over the course of four races during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning Aug. 7, 2011. DIRECTV, the exclusive provider of the NASCAR HotPass broadcast, will donate a total of $400,000 to driver charities during the four-round event as drivers compete head-to-head each week with the winner moving on to the next bracket.

And drivers won’t be the only ones competing. A participating fan, who fills out a perfect bracket, can win a $1 million. Aside from a perfect bracket winner, the fan who accumulates the most points will win a brand new truck from the manufacturer of the winning driver. Other prizes include a Panasonic 3D Prize Package. Fans can get more information by visiting www.directv.com/nascar and can enter their brackets until Aug. 7 at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

The competition divides 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers into four regional brackets, with each driver going head-to-head against a new competitor each week in a single elimination format. Participating drivers advance to subsequent rounds by finishing higher than the driver they are matched up against each week. In classic “tournament” fashion, rounds one through three will narrow the field down to “The Fastest Four” who will trade paint for DIRECTV’s NASCAR Head2Head Knockout Championship in Bristol, Tenn. on Aug. 27.

Out of the 32 drivers, 12 participated in the 2010 Sprint Cup Chase while the 20 remaining bids were determined by a selection committee.

Following is a schedule for DIRECTV’s NASCAR Head2Head Knockout competition in 2011:

* Round One on Aug. 7 (Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono)
* Round Two on Aug. 14 (Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen)
* Round Three on Aug. 21 (Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan Speedway)
* “The Fastest Four” on Aug. 27 (Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway)

“Coming off last year’s successful Head2Head campaign, we are thrilled to team up with ESPN and NASCAR to create a competition that dials up the rivalries among drivers and also helps a number of important charities around the country,” said Jon Gieselman, senior vice president of Marketing and Direct Sales for DIRECTV. “The bracket style, single elimination competition brings out the best in everyone, especially with bragging rights on the line.”

NASCAR HotPass, DIRECTV’s exclusive broadcast that allows viewers to experience the race from the driver’s vantage point with four dedicated driver channels in HD, will offer fans the ultimate way to track the Head2Head Knockout brackets during the four-week competition. NASCAR HotPass is available only on DIRECTV and is included at no extra charge in every base TV package.

“At NASCAR, we are always looking for ways to collaborate with our official partners to engage our avid, loyal fans and this program is a good example,” said Norris Scott, NASCAR Vice President of Partnership Marketing and Business Solutions. “DIRECTV understands how to create exciting initiatives that help fuel fans’ passion for our sport, while also supporting some of our drivers’ charities – many of which have been impacted over the last several years by a slow economy. Providing fans with a chance to compete for great prizes while directing funds to the non-profit sector is truly a win-win.”

DirecTV To Launch Local HD Channels in Three Markets in June

admin — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:22:40 +0000

DirecTV has announced that it will launch local high-definition channels in three new markets. Following are the new area’s DirecTV is planning to add: Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho Joplin MO-Pittsburg, Kansas Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi Related posts:DirecTV To Offer Local HD Channels in Seven New Markets DirecTV Launches Local HD Channels in Boise, Idaho DirecTV Launches Local PBS [...] Related posts:

DirecTV Launches Local HD Channels in Missoula, Mont.

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:27:10 +0000

DirecTV has launched local high-definition channels to its subscribers in the Missoula, Mont., area. DirecTV delivers local HD channels in 136 markets, representing more than 92 percent of U.S. TV households. Following are the local HD networks available:

FOX/MNT

KECI/NBC

KPAX/CBS

KTMF/ABC and

KUFM/PBS

To receive these local HD channels, DirecTV subscribers must have an H20, H21 or H23 HD receiver, or an HR20, HR21 or HR23 DIRECTV Plus HD DVR and a Ka/Ku band dish.

DirecTV’s Local HD Channels Available in Charleston-Huntington, W. Va.

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:26:00 +0000

DirecTV offers local high-definition channels to Charleston-Huntington, W. Va. subscribers. DirecTV claims that it offers local HD broadcast channels in 132 markets, representing more than 91 percent of U.S. TV households. Following are the local HD channels launches:

WCHS/ABC

WOWK/CBS

WSAZ/NBC and

WVAH/FOX

DirecTV subscribers in Charleston-Huntington must have an H20 or H21 HD receiver or an HR20 or HR21 DIRECTV Plus HD DVR and a Ka/Ku band dish to receive these HD channels.

Starz ‘Crash’ Sneak Previews Available On DirecTV’s The 101 Network From September 12

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:01:21 +0000

DirecTV has announced that The 101 Network will offer sneak previews of the second season of the Starz original series, “Crash,” in high-definition. DirecTV’s The 101 Network available exclusively to DirecTV subscribers will be treated with the first episode of the second season of “Crash” on September 12 at 8PM ET/PT and the second episode will be broadcast on September 19th at 8PM ET/PT.

The 101 Network entertains its viewers with exclusive, quality programming that includes acclaimed shows, previews of the season’s newest hits, and commercial-free entertainment, all in crystal clear HD.

Patty Ishimoto, vice president and General Manager of The 101 Network said,” DIRECTV is very pleased to bring back early sneak previews of ‘Crash’ to The 101 Network. Last year’s sneak preview on The 101 Network was a tremendous success and we are very much looking forward to offering it again to our viewers. Virtually all DIRECTV customers enjoy unprecedented value and entertainment via The 101 Network and we keep looking to make the channel a destination for exciting original programming.”

Bill Giorgio, Starz Entertainment Senior Vice President, Affiliate Sales and Marketing said, “The 101 Network continues to provide a compelling opportunity to showcase and preview Starz to the more than 18 million DIRECTV customers nationwide. Starz is very happy for the opportunity to bring back ‘Crash’ to DIRECTV’s The 101 Network for early, full-length sneak previews and to showcase the compelling series for its large subscriber base.”

DirecTV Launches Local HD Channels in Shreveport, Louisiana

admin — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:41:58 +0000

DirecTV has launched local high-definition programming to subscribers in the Shreveport, Louisiana. The leading satellite provider in the country now offers local HD broadcast channels in 128 markets, representing more than 89 percent of U.S. TV households. Following local HD channels are available:

KLTS/PBS

KMSS/FOX

KPXJ/CW

KSHV/MNT

KSLA/CBS

KTAL/NBC and

KTBS/ABC

To receive local HD channels, DirecTV subscribers must have an H20 or H21 HD receiver or an HR20 or HR21 DIRECTV Plus HD DVR and a Ka/Ku band dish.

DirecTV To Offer Local HD Channels in Seven New Markets

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:25:50 +0000

DirecTV has announced that it will start adding local high-definition channels in seven new markets providing local HD channels in 133 cities, representing more than 91 percent of U.S. TV households. The new markets that will receive local HD channels this summer include:

Charleston-Huntington, West Virginia

Columbia, South Carolina

Huntsville-Decatur, Alabama

Jackson, Mississippi

Lexington, Kentucky

Roanoke-Lynchburg, Virginia and

Shreveport, Louisiana

DirecTV has stated that it will offer HD programming from the primary broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC – where available and authorized to CHOICE programming package subscribers.

Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV, Inc said “Offering our customers the most compelling HD programming lineup available continues to be a top priority for us, we understand the importance local programming in HD plays in the overall television viewing experience for our customers and we will continue to extend our HD leadership with more national and local HD channels next year.”

DirecTV To Increase Rates From March 4

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 01:51:57 +0000

DirecTV will increase the programming prices from March 4 and the cost of high-definition channel packages will also increase. The satcaster is expected to increase the price by 4%. Industrial analysts feel that the satcaster will find it tough to market the premium channel packages in the recession period. Following are the price hike expected:
DIRECTV’s Plus HD DVR package will cost $75.99 from $72.99

The Basic tier will be $12.99 per month from $9.99

DirecTV won’t change the price of Family package and it will remain at $29.99

Sanford Bernstein senior analyst Craig Moffett said “”Weighing on the pay TV stocks has been a generalized fear that investors will downgrade their service packages, on this score, DirecTV may, over the long run, be more vulnerable to recession-related service downgrades than its competitors given DirecTV’s more significant reliance on ‘discretionary’ services.”

DirecTV Signs Deal With Willow TV To Bring ICC and IPL Cricket Tournaments

admin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:06:55 +0000

DirecTV is the leader in providing sports programming with many exclusive packages available for fans to watch different sports. Now, the satcaster has turned its focus on Cricket and has entered a multi-year deal with the Internet’s largest portal for cricket streaming video Willow TV. DirecTV has secured broadcast rights of the following tournaments :

International Cricket Council (ICC)
Indian Premier League (IPL)
Champions League Twenty20
Australian cricket
South African cricket
New Zealand cricket

DirecTV after securing the rights will bring following matches to its subscribers in the U.S.
2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England
The 2009/10 IPL tournaments
The 2009 India tour of New Zealand
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

The satcaster is launching DIRECTV CricketTicket 2009 and its part of the WorldDirect programming platform. Following are the fixtures of the tournaments covered:
February/March – India Tour of New Zealand
February/March – Australia Tour of South Africa
April/May – Indian Premier League
June – ICC World Twenty20
April/June – IPL and ICC World Twenty20
September – England Tour of South Africa
October – Champion League T20
November – ICC Champion Trophy
December – Bangladesh Tour New Zealand
December – Pakistan Tours of Australia

John de Armas, vice president, WorldDirect, Inc said “DIRECTV is proud to partner with Willow TV and the world’s top cricket tournaments to offer U.S. cricket fans this exclusive lineup of exciting cricket events and the new Twenty 20 format, which is revolutionizing the sport, now cricket fans in the U.S. can turn to DIRECTV exclusively to satisfy their hunger for this exciting international sport and watch the thrill of the game in 100% digital image and sound.”

DirecTV Brings ‘Sleeper Cell’ on The 101 Network

admin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:31:58 +0000

DirecTV is bringing one-hour action thriller ‘Sleeper Cell’ starting Wed. Jan.28 at 9:00 PM ET on The 101. Sleeper Cell created and executive produced by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris broadcast on Showtime network in 2005 will be available on DIRECTV’s Wednesday night line-up for 18 episodes.

Sleeper Cell starring Michael Ealy and Oded Fehr, the series takes viewers underneath the veil of a terrorist network and unfolds the harrowing challenges faced by an agent determined to uncover its dark, twisted intentions. Sleeper Cell involves current events and pertinent political developments into its storylines as it explores the personal and professional side of committed agents combating the greatest and most concealed threat in the nation’s history. In 2006, the mini-series received an Emmy Award nomination, Golden Globe nomination and Television Critics Association Award Nomination. Additionally, Michael Ealy earned a Golden Globe nod for his role in the second season.

Eric Shanks, executive vice president of Entertainment at DIRECTV said “I am thrilled to bring Sleeper Cell to The 101Network, it is one of the most gripping dramas ever made for television and our viewers will definitely be glued to the screen. With the addition of Sleeper Cell to our Wednesday night line-up, airing right before Wonderland, our audiences are in for one heart-pounding night of TV.”