STATEMENT OF ROBERT SACHS, NCTA PRESIDENT & CEO REGARDING FCC APPROVAL OF THE NEWS CORPORATION ACQUISITION OF DIRECTV

Statement of Robert Sachs, President & CEO

National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)

Regarding FCC Approval of the News Corporation Acquisition of DirecTV
 

Washington, DC - The FCC's approval of NewsCorp's acquisition of DirecTV should put to rest any remaining questions about the robustness of competition in the multi-channel video marketplace. Rupert Murdoch is a tough competitor, so adding his global media assets to DirecTV makes DirecTV a very formidable competitor. However, cable operators are also very well positioned to compete with satellite by offering consumers an attractive array of services such as video-on-demand, high-speed Internet and cable phone service that satellite doesn’t offer.

NCTA is the principal trade association of the cable television industry in the United States. NCTA represents cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks, as well as equipment suppliers and providers of other services to the cable industry.