Moffett Mocks DirecTV's HDTV Claims
Wall Street Analyst Takes Look at DirecTV's 150-Channel Lineup
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 6/8/2007 10:31:00 AM
Noting that “litigation and hyperbole are running hot,” media analyst
Friday offered his analysis of what
DirecTV’s promised 150-channel HDTV lineup
may look like.
In a somewhat cheeky report, Sanford C. Bernstein’s Moffett agreed that DirecTV, the nation’s largest direct-broadcast satellite provider, is “winning the HD PR war,” citing the company’s latest TV ad with Pamela Anderson. But he suggested that there may be less there than meets the eye when DirecTV talks about 150 HD channels.
Moffett calculated that sports will make up more than 50% of DirecTV’s HD lineup. He believes the DBS providedr will count each of its 22 regional sports networks as an HDTV service, even if a subscriber has to be living in the market “of the RSN in order to receive most of these channels ... no matter. They all count.”
In his report, Moffett also suggested that DirecTV will count the MLB Extra Innings package as an additional 15 “channels.”
He added, “It’s not just sports where this liberal interpretation of a ‘channel’ is employed.” Moffett noted that in a recent announcement, the satellite provider counted Starz HD as five channels, which included Starz East and Starz West, the same programming airing three hours apart.
Moffett poked fun at DirecTV’s high-profile ad campaign, which is the subject of a pending lawsuit by Time Warner Cable.
“We know DirecTV is the best because of the panel of experts that DirecTV has assembled to weigh in on the matter,” Moffett wrote. “Authoritative figures such as Jessica Simpson, Shannon Elizabeth, the crew of the Starship Enterprise and [yes] Pamela Anderson [nice ensemble; we wonder what DTV’s target market is] have in a series of commercials over the last year been confirming what we all think to be true about HDTV.”
Moffett also took a swipe at cable and its HDTV promotion.
“No slouches themselves at obfuscation and bewilderment, Comcast recently announced a target of 800 HD ‘choices,’ clearly and meticulously counting every lame HD stream that a consumer could conceivably order up,” he wrote.
Moffett claimed that Time Warner Cable, emboldened by its switched-digital-video deployment, has “out-hyperboled everyone, promising ‘unlimited HD channels.’”
In summation, Moffett wrote, “Inflated claims aside, HD demand is going to revolve around the availability of --at most -- a few-dozen key channels for some time ... The rest is just noise -- noise with great picture clarity.”
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PR goes a long way. I used to work for DirecTV and they always had all the new channels first. As far as number of channels, Cable and DTV have done this for years and I would still never drop DirecTV for cable. Counting channels you''ll never watch to make it sound like more sparks interest, the consumer has to check for themselves what they''re getting. DirecTV has better menus, better guides, and still much clearer digital content than cable. If and whenever they get On-Demand will certainly level the playing field. A few years from now, it''ll all be comparable. You''ll only have to decide if you want to buy satellite boxes, or rent them from Cable.
Chad Hoover - 6/13/2007 2:17:00 PM EDT -
Moffett is very correct. I am a Direct HD person. They add FSN HIgh Def as one of their HD Channels, and unless you paid them another ($9.00 Plus, over MLB, which is $39,00 EVERY Month for 3 Months, plus $10.00 a Month, just to get High Def, they will not let you see the game in High Def. They are screwing people all over the country, and getting away with it.
George G spellman - 6/11/2007 5:12:00 PM EDT
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