EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - (Business Wire) DIRECTV Interactive is becoming as prevalent as a 130-mph service ace among TV viewers of Grand Slam tennis events as it teams with ESPN2 to debut its Wimbledon Interactive service on June 23.
Following up on its successful French Open Interactive broadcast last month, DIRECTV is once again partnering with ESPN2 to provide nearly 200 hours of live interactive coverage of the first five days of the 2008 Wimbledon Championship on the grass courts of the All England Club.
“With DIRECTV’s coverage of the French Open last month, Wimbledon next week and the US Open later this summer, we are securing our role as the preeminent provider of interactive TV services for Grand Slam events and the destination for tennis fans who want to get the most out of their viewing experience,” said Eric Shanks, executive vice president, DIRECTV Entertainment. "We are pleased to work with ESPN2 because with matches being played simultaneously on as many as nine televised courts, DIRECTV Interactive viewers can stay on top of all the action while tracking their favorite players as they make their way through the early rounds and watch the top seeds battle upset-minded opponents.”
Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president, Programming & Acquisitions, added, "At the heart of ESPN's newly extended relationship with Wimbledon is our pledge to reach tennis fans wherever and however they consume this Grand Slam event. Our expanded relationship with DIRECTV does just that."
Wimbledon Interactive will offer many of the same popular features available in other DIRECTV Interactive tennis services, including the Mix channel that will display six channels on one screen, among them the live ESPN2 coverage; a “Wimbledon Extra” channel that features look-ins on key matches, highlights and interviews; and action on four other courts from ESPN2, all of which can be expanded to full screen at the touch of the remote button.
Other features include “Matches On Now,” that displays, on the lower third of the screen, scores from each of the matches currently on the court channels, with the ability to tune directly to the match; and “Results,” an instant look at real-time scores of in-progress and completed matches, and schedule info for matches ahead – all without leaving the match the viewer is watching.
Usage data from DIRECTV’s French Open Interactive service confirms that interactive viewers watch longer than non-interactive viewers and with greater frequency during the course of the programming event. More than a third of all interactive-capable viewers used the interactive application and those who did, watched the French Open 44 percent longer than those who didn’t. Time spent using the application each day grew 69 percent from the first day to the last day the service was available.
Last year, DIRECTV broadcast more than 5,000 hours of live interactive sports programming, with nearly 2 million homes using one or more DIRECTV Interactive sports applications. DIRECTV is on track to deliver more than 6,000 hours of interactive programming in 2008.
About DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTV - News), the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 17 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with 95 national HD channels – more quality HD channels than any other television provider. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 265 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed cable for eight years running) and superior technologies that include advanced DVR and HD-DVR services and the most state-of-the-art interactive sports packages available anywhere. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit directv.com.
DIRECTV, Inc.
Jade Ekstedt, 310-964-3429
