Washington, D.C. (February 9, 2009) -- DIRECTV has announced that it will raise monthly programming rates on March 4, including High-Definition packages.

That's according to an article by Multichannel News.

The satcaster said monthly programming packages (for both HD and standard-def) will rise an average of four percent. For instance, DIRECTV's Plus HD DVR package will jump 4.8 percent from $72.99 to $75.99.

DIRECTV's 'Select' package will rise 6.5 percent, from $45.99 to $48.99.

DIRECTV spokesman Robert Mercer told Multichannel News that the new prices reflect the "significant investments we've made to enhance our customers' viewing experience."

Craig Moffett, a Wall Street analyst, noted today in a research note that other TV providers are also raising rates. But the Sanford Bernstein analyst suggested that DIRECTV may be taking a bigger risk because subscribers may opt to eliminate premium channels from their lineups. The satcaster is more dependent on premium channel revenue than its cable counterparts.

"Weighing on the pay TV stocks has been a generalized fear that investors will downgrade their service packages," he said. "On this score, DIRECTV may, over the long run, be more vulnerable to recession-related service downgrades than its competitors given DIRECTV's  more significant reliance on 'discretionary' services.'"

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