DIRECTV Strengthens Commitment to TV Everywhere Platform Through New Partnership with FreeWheel

DIRECTV and FreeWheel To Offer Seamless Video Advertising for Programmers on DIRECTV Everywhere Platform Creating New Revenue Opportunity for the Industry

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DIRECTV continues to make great strides toward evolving its DIRECTV Everywhere service, with a new digital video ad insertion solution developed in partnership with FreeWheel, the industry's leading video advertising technology provider.

“Our work with DIRECTV allows us to continue our efforts to connect the largest content owners with the broadest distributors to increase video syndication.”

Through the new partnership, DIRECTV is investing in a core component of the TV everywhere ecosystem, creating a new revenue stream for the platform, which allows customers to access the most popular TV shows and movies anytime, anywhere and on any device.

DIRECTV, its programming partners and advertisers will now be able to reach customers through the big screen and on mobile devices to create a sustainable advertising model on digital platforms. FreeWheel, which helps companies profitably manage advertising and operations across multiple devices, will play a key role in DIRECTV's design and implementation of their digital ad insertion service scheduled to launch later this year.

"We are constantly looking for new ways to grow our DIRECTV Everywhere platform with the best and most recent content available from top programmers," said Tony Goncalves, senior vice president, Digital Entertainment Products, DIRECTV. "Being able to offer our programming partners seamless digital advertising will help us secure top content and provide our customers with the most robust ‘everywhere’ product available. FreeWheel is a leader in the industry with an expert management team and is widely used by many programmers, making it a perfect match for DIRECTV."

“We are proud to welcome DIRECTV to our customer set, which includes over 70 percent of brands found in the standard cable television line-up,” said Doug Knopper, co-founder and co-CEO of FreeWheel. “Our work with DIRECTV allows us to continue our efforts to connect the largest content owners with the broadest distributors to increase video syndication.”

In addition to the commercial agreement, DIRECTV has also taken an equity position in FreeWheel. The investment will enable DIRECTV to have insight into the product roadmap and industry evolution, as well as develop deeper relationships with industry leaders and key partners.

For more information on DIRECTV Everywhere please visit www.directv.com/everywhere.

About DIRECTV

DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) is one of the world’s leading providers of digital television entertainment services delivering a premium video experience through state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming and industry leading customer service to more than 35 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its over 20 million customers access to more than 185 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound, access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, Emmy- award winning technology and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for 11 years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to more than 15 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 42 percent interest in Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit www.directv.com.

About FreeWheel

FreeWheel manages the economics of content for the enterprise-class world of entertainment, offering technical infrastructure for revenue rights management and business operations, wrapped in advisory services. Founded and led by a team of executives from the world’s leading technology companies, FreeWheel’s solutions have already armed companies like AOL, ESPN, FOX, NBCUniversal, Sky, Turner, and VEVO with the technology and services they need to profitably scale their professional content across devices and revenue models. For more information, visit www.freewheel.tv. Follow the company @FreeWheel.