DIRECTV U.S. up 136,000 subscribers and DTVLA up 162,000 in 3Q09

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTV) today reported that third quarter 2009 revenues increased 10% to $5.47 billion, operating profit before depreciation and amortization1 (OPBDA) increased 8% to $1.35 billion while operating profit increased 4% to $685 million compared to last year’s third quarter. Third quarter net income attributable to The DIRECTV Group increased slightly to $366 million while diluted earnings per share increased 12% to $0.37 compared with the same period last year.

DIRECTV U.S. Segment

Net subscriber additions in the quarter declined to 136,000 as an increase in gross additions was more than offset by higher customer disconnects. The 8% increase in gross additions to 1,086,000 in the third quarter was mainly due to marketing of the AT&T/DIRECTV bundle which began in February 2009, as well as higher demand for HD and DVR services. Customer disconnects were higher in the quarter due to a higher monthly churn rate of 1.72% on a larger subscriber base. The increase in the churn rate was primarily due to stricter retention and upgrade policies, as well as more aggressive competitor promotions.

Subscriber Data (in 000’s except Churn):

                                             Three Months          Nine Months
                                      Ended September 30,  Ended September 30,
                                      -------------------  -------------------
                                          2009       2008      2009       2008
                                      --------   --------  --------   --------
Gross Subscriber Additions               1,086      1,002     3,309      2,860
Average Monthly Subscriber Churn         1.72%      1.64%     1.53%      1.50%
Net Subscriber Additions                   136        156       820        560
Cumulative Subscribers                  18,441     17,320    18,441     17,320

DIRECTV Latin America Segment

The DIRECTV Group owns approximately 74% of Sky Brazil, 41% of Sky Mexico and 100% of PanAmericana, which covers most of the remaining countries in the region. Sky Mexico, whose results are accounted for as an equity method investment and therefore are not consolidated by DTVLA, had approximately 1.82 million subscribers as of September 30, 2009 bringing the total subscribers in the region to 6.15 million.

In the third quarter of 2009, DTVLA’s net subscriber additions more than doubled to 162,000 due to a 22% increase in gross additions to 385,000 and a decline in the average monthly churn rate to 1.75%. Gross additions increased principally due to strong subscriber demand across the region, particularly in Brazil, increased demand for HD and DVR services, as well as more attractive customer promotions. Average monthly churn declined in the quarter primarily due to a 57,000 downward subscriber adjustment made in the third quarter of 2008. Excluding the adjustment, churn increased 16 basis points compared to last year primarily due to the impact from continued growth in DTVLA’s pre-paid business. The total number of DIRECTV subscribers in Latin America as of September 30, 2009 increased 16% to 4.33 million compared to 3.73 million as of September 30, 2008.

Subscriber Data (in 000’s except Churn):

                                             Three Months          Nine Months
                                      Ended September 30,  Ended September 30,
                                      -------------------  -------------------
                                          2009       2008      2009       2008
                                      --------   --------  --------   --------
Gross Subscriber Additions                 385        315     1,115      1,052
Average Monthly Subscriber Churn         1.75%      2.13%     1.84%      1.85%
Net Subscriber Additions                   162         79       438        463
Cumulative Subscribers                   4,330      3,734     4,330      3,734

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