BURLINGAME, CALIF., July 21, 2005 – DIRECTV, Inc., continuing its aggressive international content expansion, taps the lucrative Filipino-American market by joining forces with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and its U.S. subsidiary, ABS-CBN International (ABS-CBNi), America’s number-one source for Filipino entertainment and services, to migrate more than 80,000 of ABS-CBNi’s TFCDirect!© satellite service subscribers to DIRECTV. The TFCDirect six-channel bundle, which includes The Filipino Channel (TFC), Cinema One, ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Pinoy Central TV, and two audio channels, DZMM and DWRR, is only available to DIRECTV customers throughout the United States.
The deal is further evidence of the DIRECTV strategy to become a leading provider of international programming. It also allows ABS-CBNi to focus on expanding its unique offering of entertainment and other services for the growing and affluent Filipino-American population.
TFCDirect, previously available only through ABS-CBNi’s TFCDirect! satellite service, is now available on DIRECTV for $22.99 per month. Existing TFCDirect! satellite subscribers will be switched to the DIRECTV WorldDirect™ international programming platform, free-of-charge.
“DIRECTV is looking forward to working with ABS-CBNi and is confident that its robust programming lineup and successful track record will help DIRECTV expand its WorldDirect international programming offerings, and provide its Filipino viewers with high-quality, culturally relevant programming,” said Chase Carey, president and CEO of DIRECTV, Inc. “ABS-CBNi has an entrepreneurial spirit we admire and we are excited to add them to our international programming platform.”
“ABS-CBNi was pleased to be approached by DIRECTV and together, we can reach more Filipino-Americans than ever before,” said Eugenio Lopez III, chairman and chief executive officer of ABS-CBN Broadcasting. “This deal creates more value for our appreciated family of subscribers and allows us to focus on our core competency of developing U.S.-based content that caters to a broader Filipino-American audience. We have plans of offering our subscribers movies, sitcoms, dramas and public service programs relevant to first- and second-generation Filipinos residing in America.”
The DIRECTV WorldDirect™ international programming platform delivers a wide variety of new programming in multiple foreign-languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Italian, to underserved ethnic markets throughout the United States. DIRECTV will continue to expand its international programming platform to reach more ethnic audiences.
The TFCDirect package on DIRECTV includes four video channels: The Filipino Channel, Cinema One, ABS-CBN News Channel, Pinoy Central TV, and two audio channels, DZMM and DWRR. These channels offer dramas, sitcoms, game shows, movies, 24-hour news, music, sports and talk radio entertainment in English, Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano and Illonggo.
Customers who want to subscribe to the TFCDirect programming package must first subscribe to the DIRECTV® BASIC ($9.99/mo) or DIRECTV® PREFERRED CHOICE™ ($29.99/mo) international base packages, or to any TOTAL CHOICE® ($41.99/mo. or above) or DIRECTV PARA TODOS® ($29.99/mo. or above) base package. The DIRECTV BASIC package offers up to 50 channels, including local channels (where available), public interest, music and shopping channels. In addition to those channels offered in the BASIC package, the PREFERRED CHOICE package includes a variety of the most popular English-language channels such as ESPN, CNN, The History Channel, Food Network, TNT, MTV and the Fox Movie Channel.
DIRECTV customers will need to use a WorldDirect services satellite dish that is capable of receiving both international and English-language programming. In some markets, customers who subscribe to a local channels package will require a second smaller dish.
About DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV, Inc. is the nation's leading digital multichannel television service provider with more than 14.4 million customers. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV (NYSE: DTV) is a world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment. DIRECTV is approximately 34 percent owned by News Corporation.
About TFC
The Filipino Channel (TFC) is the largest, longest-running Filipino channels in the world and is owned by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation and its U.S. subsidiary ABS-CBNi. TFC is viewed by more than one million Filipinos around the globe every day. TFC continues to be North America’s first and only 24-hour cable and satellite service offering all-Filipino programming. TFC Direct satellite service offers viewers six unique channels: TFC, Cinema One, ANC, Pinoy Central, DZMM and DWRR.
About ABS-CBNi
ABS-CBN International (ABS-CBNi) was created to be of service for all Filipinos 11 years ago. With the launch of TFC, the company became the first and most successful Filipino broadcaster in the U.S. The company offers telecommunication, retail, money remittance and cargo forwarding services along with philanthropic support of Filipinos and the communities they now call home. Based in Burlingame, Calif., ABS-CBNi is a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Broadcasting, the Philippines’ largest entertainment and broadcasting company. For more information, visit www.abs-cbni.com.
For general questions about
ABS-CBN International Products & Services, please call: |
1-866-PINOY-TV
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