EchoStar and Pseudo Programs Announce Interactive Television Broadcast Agreement
Pseudo.com and EchoStar Blend the Best of TV Made for the Internet
with the Internet Made for TV
EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) announced today the addition of Pseudo Programs, Inc., to EchoStar's interactive channel lineup.
Pseudo is a leading provider of original "Net-TV" entertainment
-- television-style programming over the web. Each week, Pseudo.com produces and netcasts over 40 interactive Net-TV shows from its studio facilities in New York City and Los Angeles and will offer its programming for EchoStar's new convergent service. This high speed interactive broadcast -- scheduled to debut summer 1999 -- will provide subscribers with high-speed multimedia information right on their personal computers and televisions.
"Pseudo is an attractive addition to our high-speed, interactive broadcast," said Mark Jackson, EchoStar's senior vice president of Satellite Services. "We are committed to providing a wide variety of choices for our interactive subscribers."
Pseudo's programming targets a hip, web-savvy 15-to-25-year-old demographic and covers niche topics ranging from B-movies to computer games, Hip-Hop music to professional wrestling. Viewers can experience Pseudo through multiple venues, including the Pseudo.com website, Pseudo's individually branded website "channels," and now via EchoStar's satellite broadcast, making Pseudo available with a click of the mouse or remote control. Pseudo can be accessed on the Internet at: www.pseudo.com
"We are extremely excited to work with EchoStar. We are pursuing an aggressive strategy of broadband distribution of our interactive programs," said Michael Teich, Pseudo's director of business development. "As an Internet television provider, Pseudo is uniquely positioned within the convergence space with a core competency in producing interactive entertainment. This knowledge set combined with EchoStar's high-bandwidth distribution capability is a home run."
EchoStar's high bandwidth service will deliver multimedia-rich content to personal computers and televisions through specially designed set-top boxes. In addition to on-demand interactive multimedia, the services will offer the ability to download software, games and electronic publications. Subscribers to the service will use EchoStar's 18-inch satellite dish antenna to receive the broadcasts.
Pseudo, along with many soon-to-be-announced channels, will be priced both individually and in packages, allowing subscribers to customize their own programming services. Content will be delivered to both personal computers and televisions alike -- providing high-quality audio, smooth video images, dynamic graphics and text -- all in digital format.
EchoStar Communications Corp., includes three interrelated
business units:
-- DISH Network™ is EchoStar's state-of-the-art DBS system that
offers customers over 300 channels of digital video and
CD-quality audio programming, fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant
hardware, installation, financing and leasing.
-- EchoStar Technologies Corporation (ETC, formerly HTS™ -
Houston Tracker Systems, Inc.), designs, manufactures and
distributes DBS set-top boxes, antennas and other digital
equipment for DISH Network and various international customers
that include ExpressVu Canada and Telefonica's Via Digital system
in Spain. ETC also provides uplink-center design, construction
oversight and project-integration services for customers
internationally.
-- Satellite Services provides the delivery of video, audio and data
services to business television customers and other satellite
users. These services include satellite uplink, satellite
transponder space-usage and other services. Satellite Services
also administers SKY VISTA, a direct broadcast satellite service
offering up to 27 channels of popular digital satellite
television programming to viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico
and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean.
The DISH Network currently serves over 1.8 million customers.
DISH Network is a trademark of EchoStar Communications Corporation.
HTS is a trademark of Houston Tracker Systems, Inc. DISH Network is
located on the Internet at: www.dishnetwork.com
CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corp. Judianne Atencio Communications Director 303/723-2010 judianne.atencio@echostar.com or Marc Lumpkin Communications Manager 303/723-2020 marc.lumpkin@echostar.com or Pseudo Programs Dan Klores Associates Andy Morris/Mark Hazlin 212/685-4300 amorris@dkanews.com