HDTV: Showdown in September

Washington, D.C. (July 10, 2007) -- DIRECTV plans to add dozens of High-Definition channels starting this September with the goal of reaching 100 by year's end.

Despite the prevailing wisdom, the cable TV industry will be ready with a response. Cable TV operators have been quietly taking steps to create more bandwidth to expand their high-def lineups in the third and fourth quarters of this year as well.

In some cases, cable services are eliminating analog channels to make room; in others, they are installing a new technology called Switched Digital Video that adds system space. And some cable operators such as Comcast and Time Warner are doing both.

Bottom line: You can expect the major cable TV operators to double their current high-def lineups by year's end, perhaps offering as many as 50 channels. Cablevision is already providing 40 HD channels with the recent addition of the 15-channel Voom lineup.

While the cable operators won't offer the exact number of HD channels as DIRECTV, they will be able to soften the blow of the satcaster's high-def expansion.

So come September, look for DIRECTV and the cable operators to begin a new battle over who offers the most HDTV channels.

In advertisements and TV commercials, the satcaster will point to the exact number of high-def channels it offers while the cable operators will say they have the most "quality" HD networks.

The design will be to convince high-def owners that each one has the strongest HDTV programming lineup. Cable operators will try to buttress their claim by alleging that their HD picture quality is better than satellite.

And the September showdown will be just the beginning. We're in for a long fight over high-def issues as both industries develop new ways to please the HD viewer.

And look for EchoStar to join in at year's end with its own marketing campaign to promote the launch of new HD-designated satellites next year. (See: EchoStar Adds 7 National HDTV Channels.)

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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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