EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – -DIRECTV Group and DISH Network L.L.C., the leading digital television service providers in the United States, announced the launch of the Advanced Satellite Advertising Platform (ASAP), a new interactive advertising platform giving national television advertisers unprecedented reach to nearly 30 million U.S. households.

The acronym ASAP is both a play on advertisers’ current needs for a more efficient, nationally-scaled interactive television platform and the platform’s immediate ability to deliver this interactive opportunity to the marketplace.

Advertisers will benefit from a turn-key, one-stop-shop approach with respect to the process of creating, planning, buying and implementing a national interactive advertising campaign. ASAP’s core opportunity will offer advertisers the ability to showcase long-form advertorial content on an exclusive, dedicated channel coupled with interactive opportunities to further engage the consumer. These interactive opportunities include additional product information, photo galleries, simple gaming, regional locators and requests-for-information (RFIs). RFIs enable consumers at home to enter a sweepstakes or request a product sample, informational brochure or coupon directly from the television using their remote control.

“Separately, our satellite companies already bring advanced media functionality to every DMA in the country; together, we bring the scale, ease of use and analytics that we believe will power interactive TV into the mainstream among clients,” said Michael Finn, Vice President of Advertising Sales for DISH Network.

“Both DIRECTV and DISH Network have offered advertisers a proven and mature interactive platform that dates back to 2004,” said Bob Riordan, Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales for DIRECTV. “Our combined advanced television efforts will bring the marketplace unmatched expertise and an unrivaled nationally scaled experience.”

ASAP will be a fully measured advertising platform utilizing third-party research services. Advertisers will receive in-depth post report metrics upon the completion of a campaign.

About DISH Network

DISH Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH), provides more than 14.1 million satellite TV customers, as of Dec. 31, 2009, with the highest quality programming and technology at the best value, including the lowest all-digital price nationwide. Customers have access to hundreds of video and audio channels, the most HD channels, the most international channels, state-of-the-art interactive TV applications, and award-winning HD and DVR technology including 1080p Video on Demand and the ViP® 722 HD DVR, a CNET and PC Magazine “Editors’ Choice.” DISH Network Corporation is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com, follow on Twitter, @dishnetwork (www.twitter.com/dishnetwork), or become a Fan on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dishnetwork.

About DIRECTV

DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV) is the world’s most popular video service delivering state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming, the most comprehensive sports packages available and industry leading customer service to its more than 25 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 18.56 million customers more than 130 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound (when available), access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, award winning technology like its DIRECTV® DVR Scheduler and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for nine 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 6.5 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 65 percent interest in Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please call 1-800-DIRECTV or visit www.directv.com.

SAN FRANCISCO – As consumers spend more time playing in immersive gaming environments, marketers and game publishers have been struggling to compare campaign results because different measurement methodologies are used by different platforms. To establish a common methodology for counting impressions and to simplify the process of buying and selling in-game advertising, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced the release of In-Game Advertising Measurement Guidelines, the first of their kind.

The public comment period for these guidelines was formally opened at the premier IAB Marketplace: Games event, taking place in San Francisco and focused on educating marketers and agencies about the increasing brand opportunities in PC and console-game advertising.

In order to encourage market growth, the IAB Games Committee worked with key industry stakeholders to develop a single methodology for in-game advertising measurement. The IAB’s proposed new guidelines cover dynamic, in-game advertisements that appear in PC or console-based games and:

* Establish a common methodology for counting impressions, thus making it easier to buy and sell in-game advertising
* Provide key measurement definitions to help marketers better understand and quantify the value of advertising exposure within the gaming environment

“Because the in-game environment is unique in advertising with regard to its level of consumer engagement and the way advertising is experienced within those environments, it requires specific methodology for counting impressions,” said Jeremy Fain, Vice President of Industry Services of the IAB. “When these guidelines are widely adopted by game publishers and ad servers, it will be easier for marketers and agencies to justify larger investments as consumers spend more time playing immersive games.”

“This is an important step in clarifying and simplifying the process of buying advertising within the in-game environment,” said David Sturman, IAB Games Committee Co-Chair and Principal Architect for Microsoft’s in-game ad company Massive. “Clear standards and methodologies help to demystify a new and exciting form of advertising which will only bring more marketers into games.”

“The IAB’s work in providing measurement guidelines across the interactive advertising ecosystem has supplied critical tools to the industry, and these guidelines are another component of this important work,” said George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the Media Rating Council (MRC). “In-game advertising is an emerging medium with lots of opportunity for growth. These guidelines help build the foundation for a strong future.”

Members of the industry—advertising agencies, advertisers, online publishers and technology vendors—are encouraged to read the proposed guidelines and submit comments on the IAB site at: www.iab.net/in-game

After the comment period closes on July 17, 2009, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and released.

About the IAB Games Committee:

The mission of this committee is to articulate the value of gaming as an advertising platform.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.