DIRECTV Gets Interactive With Maria Sharapova

DVR owners can watch several angles of the U.S. Open action at the same time.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (August 14, 2006) -- Venus or Maria? Federer or Nadal? If you're not sure which tennis star to follow during this month's U.S. Open, DIRECTV is serving up a solution.

The satcaster will air several different angles of the USA Network's coverage of the tournament on one screen. For instance, one mini-screen might include Maria Sharapova's match while another would feature Roger Federer.

Owners of DIRECTV's DVR Plus recorder will be able to highlight a screen and listen to its audio. DVR viewers also can click on the mini-screen and see it full-screen.

In addition, DIRECTV will provide five different channels of tournament action, which runs from August 28 to September 1. The five channels will be available to all subscribers.

DIRECTV Plus owners will also be able to access the results of matches from that day and the previous day.

Swanni Sez:
Interactive TV continues to struggle in the United States as viewers show little interest in interacting with the tube. But DIRECTV is aggressively pushing several ITV features, including this latest for the U.S. Open. (DIRECTV is also offer several new ITV features for National Football League games.)

I predict that few viewers will actually take advantage of the feature, but those who do will appreciate it. This will increase their loyalty to DIRECTV at at time when the satcaster is having trouble generating new subs and keeping old ones.

Go to TVPredictions.com to see the rest of today's Swanni Sez.

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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