Direct Broadcast Satellite
While cable operators were talking about digital TV, direct broadcast satellite (DBS) companies were doing it, taking the cable industry by surprise. Early entrants were Primestar, DirecTV, and United States Satellite Broadcasting (USSB), all launched in 1994. Echostar launched in March 1996, and recently Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation launched DBS services BSkyB and JSkyB, for Britain and Japan Sky Broadcasting, respectively.
In the United States, DBS is viewed as a commercial success. Some of the key statistics are listed here:
DBS has 9 million customers (as of mid-1999). Subscribership is particularly strong considering that customers initially paid up to $800 for a home satellite dish and installation. ...
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