Satellite TV Claims 18.9M Subscribers

Satellite television's growth curve continued upward as the industry Thursday
reported serving 18.9 million subscribers as of June 30.

The Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association said growth
occurred in the first six months, with DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Communications
Corp. combined adding 1.2 million subscribers.

The SBCA said the 18.9 million-subscriber total (which includes 700,000
C-band subscribers) equates to about 50 million viewers.

Despite the sector's rapid growth and 20 percent market share, the trade
group recently told federal regulators cable operators remain the dominant
players in the pay TV market.