Music Legends and Rising Stars Headline DIRECTV's Exclusive South By Southwest Live Broadcast

DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV) gives viewers a front row seat to the legendary South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival with DIRECTV SXSW Live, a live broadcast concert series featuring 24 performances broadcast in HD and 5.1 surround sound direct from Austin, Texas. The special will air on DIRECTV’s original entertainment channel, The 101, from Thursday, March 13 through Saturday, March 15, with special encore viewings following the live broadcasts. DIRECTV SXSW Live will feature the hottest bands the famed festival has to offer including Los Angeles punk rockers X, Nicole Atkins, Augustana, Carbon/Silicon (featuring Mick Jones of The Clash and Tony James of Generation X), Daniel Lanois, Daryl Hall, Deana Carter, Dizzee Rascal, Earlimart, Ferras/Katy Perry, Hanson, Joanna Cotten, Canadian singer/songwriter Justin Nozuka, Monte Negro, Paddy Casey, Ryan Cabrera, Salvador Santana, Sia, Sons & Daughters, The Answer, The Lemonheads, The Noisettes, The Ting Tings, Tift Merritt and Martha Wainwright. Following the success of last year’s show, DIRECTV SXSW Live will feature 24 live concerts, backstage interviews with the industry’s hottest up-and-coming and established artists, behind-the-scenes coverage and commentary by some of today’s foremost music experts including Tamara Conniff, Billboard magazine; Rob Tannenbaum, Blender magazine; Pat McGuire, Filter magazine; Peter Gaston, Spin magazine online and Whitney Matheson, USA Today’s Pop Candy. Hosted by former MTV VJ and music expert Matt Pinfield, DIRECTV SXSW Live will include special appearances by Moby and KCRW’s Nic Harcourt. Each night, DIRECTV’s television coverage will begin at 5 p.m. EDT, and features eight live concerts, with encore performances of DIRECTV SXSW Live airing at 1 a.m. EDT. Throughout the broadcasts, an interactive feature will be available via DIRECTV remote controls providing the performance schedule and essential band information and history. The broadcasts will originate from state-of-the-art venues: The Lone Star Lounge, with a traditional Texas feel, and modern music club, The Bat Bar. Both venues have been constructed from the ground up in the Austin Convention Center to host the exclusive DIRECTV SXSW Live performances. DIRECTV SXSW Live is produced through a partnership with the SXSW Music and Media Conference, Blaze TV (CDUSA, Rock & a Hard Place, Country Concert at Hickory Hills) and DIRECTV and created by Blaze TV's producer/director Conor McAnally. Those without DIRECTV still have time to sign up for the nation’s leading satellite service and catch all the DIRECTV SXSW Live action by visiting www.directv.com or calling 1-800-DIRECTV. For more information on SXSW, please visit: http://2008.sxsw.com/music. For more information on DIRECTV’s SXSW Live, please visit: www.sxswlive.com. About DIRECTV DIRECTV, Inc., the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to 16.8 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with 92 national 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 cable for seven 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. DIRECTV SXSW LIVE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE           WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 TIME ARTIST VENUE 7:00pm Earlimart The Bat Bar 8:00pm Daryl Hall The Lone Star Lounge     THURSDAY, MARCH 13 TIME ARTIST VENUE 1:00pm Augustana The Bat Bar 2:00pm The Noisettes The Lone Star Lounge 4:00pm The Answer The Bat Bar 5:00pm Martha Wainwright The Lone Star Lounge 6:00pm Sia The Bat Bar 8:00pm Hanson The Bat Bar 9:00pm Tift Merritt The Lone Star Lounge     FRIDAY, MARCH 14 TIME ARTIST VENUE 1:00pm Ferras/Katy Perry The Bat Bar 2:00pm Paddy Casey The Lone Star Lounge 4:00pm Dizzee Rascal The Bat Bar 5:00pm Joanna Cotten The Lone Star Lounge 7:00pm Deana Carter The Lone Star Lounge 8:00pm Daniel Lanois The Bat Bar 9:00pm Ryan Cabrera The Lone Star Lounge 10:00pm X The Bat Bar     SATURDAY, MARCH 15 TIME ARTIST VENUE 1:00pm Monte Negro The Lone Star Lounge 2:00pm Justin Nozuka The Bat Bar 4:00pm Salvador Santana The Lone Star Lounge 5:00pm The Ting Tings The Bat Bar 7:00pm Sons and Daughters The Bat Bar 8:00pm Nicole Atkins The Lone Star Lounge 9:00pm The Lemonheads The Bat Bar 10:00pm Carbon/Silicon The Lone Star Lounge       * This schedule is subject to change