DIRECTV Delivers Worldwide Event Access to Sold-Out BlizzCon

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DIRECTV Delivers Worldwide Event Access to Sold-Out BlizzCon® 2009

Now Blizzard Entertainment® Gamers Can Watch 18 Hours of BlizzCon Coverage, Including Live Performance by Ozzy Osbourne, in Crystal-Clear HD on DIRECTV and Through New Internet Stream


EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BlizzCon® 2009, Blizzard Entertainment's sold-out gaming convention celebrating the global player communities that surround its Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes, will be televised live in crystal-clear HD on Aug. 21– 22 as a pay per view event available exclusively to DIRECTV customers nationwide. In addition, DIRECTV is also providing gamers from around the world with access to BlizzCon 2009 via a new live internet streaming option.

This DIRECTV-produced event, hosted by Geoff Keighley, will deliver 18 hours of live, crystal-clear HD coverage from the show floor, including the highly-anticipated closing concert headlined by the “Prince of Darkness,” Ozzy Osbourne. Additional coverage will include exclusive interviews and commentary, main stage presentations, tournament coverage and team highlights, and more. DIRECTV customers who purchase the two-day event, which is available for $39.95, will receive:

* 18 hours of live HD event coverage
* The BlizzCon 2009 exclusive World of Warcraft in-game pet, Grunty the Murloc Marine
* Free access to the internet stream on both Friday and Saturday of the event
* Fifty percent off customizable, limited edition BlizzCon 2009 t-shirts available at http://www.swagdog.com/exclusive

“We had tremendous success with last year’s coverage of BlizzCon and anticipate even better results from this year’s show, which sold out in minutes after tickets went on sale,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, New Media and Business Development, DIRECTV, Inc. “The player base that Blizzard Entertainment has attracted with its portfolio of award-winning games has an enormous reach and we have already received purchases for the internet stream from all over the world. DIRECTV’s exclusive coverage from the show floor offers gamers the next best thing to being there and we look forward to once again delivering one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year to enthusiasts around the world.”

Streaming coverage of BlizzCon 2009 is available for $39.95 and free to DIRECTV customers who purchase the pay per view event. Customers who purchase the stream at http://blizzcon.rayv.com will also be eligible to receive the BlizzCon exclusive World of Warcraft in-game pet, Grunty the Murloc Marine.

The live coverage, broadcast from the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., will air on DIRECTV channels 122 (HD) and 121 (SD) and run from 11a.m. PT to 8 p.m. PT each day. For more information on how to order the BlizzCon 2009 event please visit directv.com/blizzcon.

About DIRECTV

DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTV - News), the nation’s No. 1 satellite television service, presents the finest television experience available to 18.3 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with more than 130 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 all national cable companies for nine 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.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (http://www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes eleven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.