DirecTV Adds 14 New Channels

DirecTV will air 14 new channels in its 175-channel-strong programming lineup beginning April 10.

Channels being added to the service's lineup are TV Food Network, Superstation WGN, Animal Planet, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Romance Classics, Channel Earth, two additional STARZ! premium movie channels, an additional Encore movie channel, Fox Sports Midwest, Sports Channel Florida and Fox Sports Arizona. Also, QVC and Fox Sports West 2 will be added to the DirecTV lineup on March 10 and March 28 respectively.

"We listened to requests from our subscribers and have responded by adding a wide array of distinct programming services that will enhance their viewing experience and the overall quality, diversity and value of our lineup," said Eddy Hartenstein, DirecTV president.

Total Choice - the most popular DirecTV programming package - will receive six new channels: TV Food Network, WGN, Animal Planet, QVC, Trinity Broadcasting Network and Channel Earth. Total Choice is available for $29.99 a month.

All DirecTV customers will receive a free preview of the new Total Choice programming services from March 28 through April 9.

Total Choice Plus Encore subscribers will continue to receive the Encore channel and the Westerns, Mystery, Action, and True Stories channels. Subscribers also will receive an additional Encore channel, WAM! and Love Stories channels will become available 24 hours a day. Total Choice Plus Encore will be available for $33.99 per month.

Two Canadian Firms Merge DTH Operations

Consolidation in the DTH satellite business, like the deal between EchoStar and News Corp.'s American Sky Broadcasting, has taken charge north of the border.

Star Choice and HomeStar, the proposed DTH service from Calgary-based Shaw Communications, will merge satellite television operations through the merger of Star, an alliance both say will become a strong Canadian competitor.

"This alliance is great news for Canadians," said Brian Neill, Star Choice Communications chairman and CEO. "Our team is now stronger and able to offer the most comprehensive, high quality DTH service available to Canadians. Our partnership with Shaw will allow us to build on the momentum we have already established and will ensure that we launch the best possible service for Canadians."

The combined operations of Star Choice and HomeStar have an approximate value of $110 million. HomeStar will contribute up to $55 million in cash, satellite space and uplink facilities to Star Choice so that upon completion of the transaction, Shaw will own approximately 50 percent of the common shares of Star Choice Communications on a fully diluted basis.

"This is a very powerful combination," said Jim Shaw, Jr., president and chief operating officer of Shaw Communications. "Our experience in delivering programming services to Canadians combined with the operational and marketing capability of Star Choice will make this an unbeatable team. Shaw Communications is totally committed to the development of a competitive direct-to-home satellite business in Canada and this partnership will strengthen our ability to do this."

Sony Introduces HDTV Broadcast Equipment

Sony, taking advantage of the growing digital TV wave, introduced a line of broadcast equipment for high-definition video programming and production earlier this week.

Company officials said the equipment is the first set of systems unveiled in the United States since industry wide standards for digital broadcasts were approved late last year. Products include high-definition cameras for studios, portable cameras for mobile news crews and a line of studio monitors, storage and networking equipment used in video editing and distribution.

The electronics company's High Definition Video System vary in pricing, with cameras, for example, starting at about $70,000. Some of the equipment will be available as early as this spring and other HDVT products ready by the end of the year.

The transition to HDTV - often compared to the switch made to color from black-and-white decades ago - is expected to wow audiences and usher in a new era of TV viewing.

AlphaStar Tags Real Estate Network

The RE/MAX Satellite Network (RSN) will join the roster of business-to-business networks available via the AlphaStar Television Network.

The pact was orchestrated by Broadcast International, which has provided service and support to RSN's subscribers since the channel began broadcasting over two years ago.

"RSN had been using the Telstar 401 satellite until it went dark in mid-January. But out of adversity has come a tremendous opportunity for our members," said Daryl Jesperson, president of RE/MAX International. "Our search for a replacement led us to AlphaStar and the new digital technology which wasn't available when we launched our network in 1994.

"This new relationship means additional RE/MAX offices can begin receiving RSN at lower costs than before. We're enthusiastic about the growth prospects this offers the RSN network."

RSN provides daily educational programming, panel discussions, talk shows with live call-ins, special events, corporate news and "meetings with the chairman." In addition to programming produced internally, NBC Desktop Video provides RSN with a customized business news show called "Real Estate Weekly." The program covers real estate market trends, mortgage rate information, housing starts, regional market conditions and breaking news related to the industry.

RSN also provides an advertising vehicle to companies offering products and services to the real estate industry.