EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--()--Fans of DIRECTV’s interactive golf coverage will make the cut this year at the 2009 U.S. Open Championship as DIRECTV extends its four-in-one screen HD Mix channel and interactive service beyond the first two rounds of the championship for a full weekend of coverage.
“We are happy to be back again working with ESPN and NBC Sports to add a new dimension to the entire championship.”
DIRECTV’s “U.S. Open Experience” will be available all four days (June 18-21) of the prestigious USGA event for the first time, and only DIRECTV will offer TV viewers three extra channels in addition to ESPN’s coverage on Thursday and Friday and NBC Sports' broadcast on Saturday and Sunday – all available in HD.
The U.S. Open, to be held this year at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., is one of four major golf events, including the Masters, PGA Championship and the British Open, at which DIRECTV will showcase its expanded, interactive coverage.
“The U.S. Open Experience provides the most in-depth TV coverage for DIRECTV customers and golf fans,” said Eric Shanks, executive vice president, Entertainment for DIRECTV. “We are happy to be back again working with ESPN and NBC Sports to add a new dimension to the entire championship.”
Mix Channel viewers will see the home network channel and three feature channels that will follow a group of golfers around the 7,426-yard course, focus on particular area of the course and provide an “in-depth” channel with live updates, highlights and interviews. Each of the extra channels will be offered in both standard- and high-definition and are fully produced with their own production crew and announcers. Customers with interactive receivers can view all four channels in the Mix and use their remote to listen to any channel’s audio or tune directly to the full-screen channel. The Mix also features a real-time leader board to keep tabs on all the action.
The interactive services, available by pressing the red button on the remote, include a look at the top five leaders; the full leader board, with the ability to select any golfer for in-depth, hole-by-hole stats; a five-question, daily trivia contest on the history of the event; and a “Tune To” menu item that allows the viewer to tune directly to the Mix Channel (701) and any one of the four channels (702-705), including the main network feed.
About DIRECTV
DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTV), the nation’s No. 1 satellite television service, presents the finest television experience available to more than 18 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with more than 130 HD channels – more quality HD channels than any other television provider. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 265 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed all national cable companies for nine years running) and superior technologies that include advanced DVR and HD-DVR services and the most state-of-the-art interactive sports packages available anywhere. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit directv.com.
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