Here! TV Extends DirecTV Deal

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

Here! TV will extend its distribution on DirecTV Inc. from a pay-per-view service to a pay television channel beginning Dec. 1.

DirecTV will offer the gay- and lesbian-targeted channel daily for 12 hours for a flat fee of $9.99 per month, or in a three-hour PPV block for $5.99 per block, network representatives said. Here! TV programming is currently offered only on a PPV basis.

“We are thrilled that DirecTV will be expanding its carriage of Here! TV,” president and chief operating officer Andrew Tow said in a prepared statement.

“DirecTV made an early commitment to Here! TV, and its innovative programming packages and broad subscriber base afford us the opportunity to serve an ever-widening television audience that wants full access to the best in gay and lesbian programming,” Tow added.
The deal comes on the heels of a recent agreement with Time Warner Cable, which now offers up to 30 hours of Here! TV programming as part of its “Movies On Demand” package in its New York DMA systems.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.