Satellite Exec: 63 New HD Channels in 2008

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Satellite Exec: 63 New HD Channels in 2008
More programmers are looking to launch high-def broadcasts.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (December 2, 2007) -- Bryan McGuirk, president of satellite distributor SES Americom, says there will be 63 new HD channel launches in the next nine months.

McGuirk should know. SES Americom operates the commercial satellites which transmit HD and SD programming to Earth. (Programmers lease space on SES' satellites.)

The satellite executive tells Multichannel News that SES now delivers 64 different high-def feeds. But McGuirk says his company knows of at least 63 more channels planned in the coming months.

He did not reveal the names of the new channels.

However, he said DIRECTV's recent high-def expansion has accelerated programmers' interest in launching high-def versions of their channels.

The satcaster recently increased its national HD lineup from nine to more than 80 channels. Additionally, McGuirk noted the rise in high-def set sales over the last year.

“We’re going through another wave of adoption with the DIRECTV launches and all the new HDs,” McGuirk said.

Becky Powhatan, The Weather Channel’s executive vice president of distribution, echoed McGuirk's comments. TWC recently launched a high-def channel, although studio segments are not scheduled for HD until early next year..

“We thought we’d launch an upconverted HD simulcast in 2009 and do native HD in 2010,” she told Multichannel News. “But we changed plans. I think the pace of HDTV sales surprised everyone.”

The list of new HD channels cited by McGuirk will undoubtedly include high-def simulcasts of existing basic cable networks. Several prominent cable networks, such as E!, have yet to launch HD feeds. But it also could include dedicated HD channels from new start-up companies.

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Swanni (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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