Wednesday, 15 September 2011

DirecTV  struck a deal with Arianespace to launch two new satellites, and said it has the option to launch two additional birds under terms of the contract.

Arianespace launched DirecTV's 9S satellite in 2006. (Image source: Arianespace)

Arienespace said the satellites, each of which will weigh more than 6 metric tons, will be used by DirecTV to expand HDTV channel capacity, launch additional 3D channels, and to expand the number of movies available on its DirecTV Cinema pay-per-view offering.

The additional satellite capacity will help DirecTV compete with cable rivals such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable , which are converting systems to all-digital programming lineups in order to expand HD channel capacity. It could also help DirecTV lure more customers from Dish Network , which suffered an outage from one of its satellites this week.

Arianespace said the satellites will be launched in 2014 from a facility in Kourou, French Guiana. Space Systems Loral is building DirecTV-14, which is the first satellite to be launched under the contract, while the contract for the second satellite hasn't been awarded yet.