DIRECTV to Launch Local Channels in Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson Customers Can Now Receive Their Local Channels in Digital-Quality Format

El Segundo, CA May 12, 2003 Strengthening its competitive position as the nation's leading digital multichannel television service provider, DIRECTV, Inc. announced today that it will launch local broadcast channel service in Jackson, Miss., beginning Tuesday, May 13. With the addition of Jackson, DIRECTV will offer local channels in 54 markets representing more than 68 percent of U.S. television households.

The following local channels will be available to customers in the Jackson designated market area (DMA):

Jackson DMA New Local Channels Package

WLBT (NBC)/Channel 3

WJTV (CBS)/Channel 12

WAPT (ABC)/Channel 16

WMPN (PBS)/Channel 29

WDBD (WB)/Channel 40

FOX (National Feed)/ Channel 48

DIRECTV will offer the FOX national feed on DIRECTV channel 48 to Jackson customers until a local FOX affiliate channel is available. DIRECTV will soon add WXMS (UPN)/Channel 27 to the Jackson local channel lineup.

Jackson and its home-grown consumer electronics retailer, Cowboy Maloney's, became a part of digital satellite television history when the store sold the first DIRECTV® System units in the country. The product that featured the inimitable 18-inch dish and a multitude of digital channels became the fastest selling product in consumer electronics history.

"It is great to be back home in Jackson where DIRECTV and Cowboy Maloney's launched the digital satellite television revolution nearly nine years ago," said Roxanne Austin, president and COO of DIRECTV, Inc. "Since then, DIRECTV has grown into the largest digital multichannel television service provider with more than 11.4 million customers nationwide. Delivering local channels in cities like Jackson, while adding more value to our programming service, has proven to be a winning formula that we intend to continue exploiting aggressively this year."

"We had the honor of selling the first DIRECTV System in the world, and we're proud to be part of another big event in the history of DIRECTV and the City of Jackson," said Con Maloney, chairman of the board, Cowboy Maloney's. "For the first time, the people of Jackson and central Mississippi can watch their local television stations in digital-quality picture and sound from DIRECTV. As far as we're concerned, now there's no reason to watch television any other way but the DIRECTV way."

Jackson local channels will be available through a single 18-by-20-inch Multi-Satellite dish. Customers in Jackson can purchase a DIRECTV Multi-Satellite System at Cowboy Maloney's Electric City, as well as through national retail locations such as Best Buy, Blockbuster and Circuit City.

DIRECTV currently offers local broadcast channels in 53 markets. With the successful launch of the DIRECTV 7S spot beam satellite in the fourth quarter, and using advanced digital compression technology, DIRECTV will provide local broadcast channel service in approximately 100 markets by year-end, representing roughly 84 percent of U.S. television households. As with all existing local channels markets, DIRECTV will deliver all local broadcast channels in the new markets to a single, small satellite dish.

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