Commentary
200 HD Channels: Why Did DIRECTV Lie?
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (July 14, 2011) -- On July 28, 2008, DIRECTV issued a press release to announce that it was launching a new satellite to expand its HD programming. The release stated:  "With the launch of the DIRECTV 12 satellite next year, DIRECTV will have the capacity to deliver 200 national HD channels."

In December 2009, DIRECTV executive vice president Derek Chang was asked by Multichannel News about that 200 HD channel satellite, which had yet to produce 200 HD channels.

"That (DIRECTV 12 satellite) will give us 50 percent more capacity. We will be able to do up to 200 channels, when other guys are struggling to get to 100," Chang said.

Then in March 2010, DIRECTV issued a press release that sounded like it already offered 200 HD channels. The release said: "DIRECTV offers its 18.56 million customers the capacity for more than 200 HD channels."


Is that a DIRECTV executive?

Now in July 2011 -- some three years after that first press release -- DIRECTV offers roughly 130 HD channels, not 200, although it tries to claim that it has 160 by including PPV channels and other part-time channels.

We also know now that DIRECTV's statements over the last three years were part of a orchestrated effort to deceive and manipulate its subscribers into thinking that 200 HD channels were coming soon. We know that because the aformentioned Mr. Chang told us this week in yet another interview with Multichannel News.

"To be honest, I think right now, everyone’s got most of the important stuff in HD,” said Chang. "Once we got to 100 channels, it became about delivering the overall experience.”

There’s less benefit in trying to hit 200 HDs because those by their nature will be less-watched networks, he noted, writes Multichannel News.

(Chang apparently was referring to such channels as E!, AMC, BBC America, National Geographic HD and several other basic cable channels that the satcaster has not added in HD. You know, channels that are among the top rated in the basic cable category, not the 'less-watched' category.)

So, despite the press statements, despite the massive TV advertising campaign that promoted DIRECTV's '200 HD Channel Capacity,' the satcaster had no intention of actually offering 200 HD channels, according to Chang.

From this view, it looks like it was just a ploy to fool people into not canceling their subscriptions -- or signing up with DIRECTV thinking that 200 HD channels were just around the corner.

Mr. Chang and his fellow DIRECTV executives should be ashamed (although I suppose they should get some credit now for fessin' up about their ruse.) They purposely tricked people and one now has to wonder how they are tying to fool people on other issues such as the state of the TiVo HD DVR, the $30 VOD service, the 3D channels, etc. etc. When a company lies so boldly on one issue, you have to wonder if they are lying about everything.

DIRECTV clearly has no respect for their customers -- nor the concept of corporate integrity.

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