Interactive TV: DirecTV and DISH Network Provide More Interactivity

by Jim Mikles
Winter 2003/Spring 2004

DirecTV and DISH Network are leading the charge to offer interactive and enhanced viewing features to the television. Most interactive services are free and most new receivers come equipped to receive it. DirecTV interactive is available on models from Hughes, Philips, RCA, Samsung and Sony. DISH Home Interactive TV is available on models 3900, 4900, Dish301 and select DishPVR receivers.

DirecTV
DirecTV's newest interactive offerings center on the NFL Sunday Ticket feature. DirecTV customers who subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket will have the ability to follow minute-by-minute developments of nearly every NFL game each week, receive alerts when teams are in scoring position, or when significant plays have just taken place, along with streaming statistical information. For example, the new Enhanced Games feature provides four additional game channels where customers can watch one game and see scores and stats from other games - all on one screen. The Highlights on Demand feature allows customers equipped with a DirecTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to view Monday morning highlights of NFL Sunday Ticket games, automatically delivered to their DirecTV DVR. Another new enhancement is the GameTracker, which is available through DirecTV.com during game time, and provides customers with alerts when games - other than the one they are watching - heat up.

Along with the NFL features, DirecTV also offers a variety of different flavors of interactivity powered by Wink technology. Through Wink's relationships with more than 30 programming networks and more than 50 national advertisers, the DirecTV Interactive service enables viewers watching Bloomberg, CBS, CNBC, CNN, Discovery, E!, ESPN, Lifetime, NBC, Oxygen, Showtime, ShopNBC.com, TBS, TechTV, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT and other channels to interact with programs and commercials. With just a few clicks of their remote control on the Wink-enabled "i" icon, viewers can shop and request additional information such as local weather forecasts, sports scores, stock quotes, product information and coupons directly from their TVs.

DirecTV subscribers also have access to dedicated interactive channels that utilize full-screen graphics and text to deliver additional information, entertainment, and e-commerce shopping services. Instant Weather from The Weather Channel provides up-to-the-minute weather information for more than 1,200 cities, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ESPN Today from ESPN provides customers with sports-related information, including news stories, scores, statistics, league standings and schedules. The Music Choice Interactive channel enables customers to browse through a variety of different artists and albums from their favorite genres, and to purchase multiple music CD titles 24 hours a day, seven days a week using their television remotes. The Barnesand-Noble.com channel allows consumers to purchase from the top 100 best-selling books at any time using their remote controls.

DirecTV also offers a dedicated channel to assist customers with their interactive service, including tips on using the service. There is also a list of the channels with enhanced programming, and a tool that allows viewers to create their own shopping accounts with credit card information, which can be accessed through a personal PIN number.

DISH Network
DISH Network interactivity provides viewers with an enhanced experience in a number of different areas.

Kids Wise is one of the latest interactive offerings from DISH Network. Created in conjunction with Pixel Software Technologies from Tel Aviv, Israel, Kids Wise is the nation's first fully interactive channel exclusively for three- to seven-year-olds. Many of the activities are rotated weekly to keep the content fresh and were designed to help children explore their thinking and reading skills. The channel is $2.99 per month to Dish home customers.

Showtime Interactive provides viewers with details on ten channels of Showtime Unlimited. Viewers can find out what's playing, go behind the scenes of select shows, check out the stats on Showtime sporting events, get personality profiles of actors appearing in Showtime moves and add Showtime to their channel options.

Zap2it and TVMag offer TV and movie information through the remote control, including the latest reviews, updates and local movie theater listings in select areas.

The DISH Network interactive sports scoreboard allows viewers to create a free personalized scoreboard highlighting their favorite teams and sports. On-demand results are available for college and professional sports including baseball, auto racing, basketball, golf and football, among others.

Gaming enthusiasts can use their remote controls to play different games every week with a $4.99 per month subscription to Playin' TV.

Bloomberg Interactive will soon allow DISH Network interactive users to set up personal portfolios to access over free quotes, market news and graphs for NYSE and NASDAQ stocks, as well as the current Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard and Poor's 500 index results.

Headlines and breaking news are available via DISH Network interactive from News by Reuters. Weather forecasts including current conditions and 5-day outlooks for nearly 1,400 U.S. cities and destination locations are available in a customizable list format.

DISH Network interactive also offers customer support services, including programming changes and bill payment.

More to Come
Representatives from both DirecTV and DISH Network indicate that even more interactive programming options are on the horizon. For discerning viewers interested in getting the most interactivity with their programs, an interactive DBS system is clearly a leading option.

To find out if your satellite receiver is interactive-capable, visit:
DirecTV at http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/imagine/DTVinteractive.jsp
DISH Network at http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/products/index.shtml