Directv Company

"Passions" is heading for outer space. OK, not quite outer space. Just that Earth orbit where satellites live. NBC's "Passions" becomes DirecTV's "Passions" this September when the satellite service rescues the daytime drama the peacock network is cutting loose. Can "Days of Our Lives" be far behind?

DirecTV Group Inc. said first-quarter profit rose less than analysts estimated on costs to upgrade subscribers to high-definition programs. Net income rose 43% to $336.4 million, or 27 cents a share, from $235.2 million, or 17 cents, a year earlier, the El Segundo-based company said. Sales rose 15% to $3.91 billion, topping analysts' estimates.

A lawsuit by DirecTV Group Inc., the El Segundo-based satellite television provider, against cable network Lifetime Entertainment Services has been settled. Terms are confidential. DirecTV claimed in its suit that Lifetime reneged on a deal to lure customers from rival satellite TV provider EchoStar Communications Corp.

The Los Angeles Complexity couldn't overcome an opening 5-0 loss in the men's "Dead or Alive" competition Monday night in "Championship Gaming Series" play and ended up losing 24-17 to archrival New York 3D. Huh? DirecTV's inaugural broadcast of a made-for-television e-gaming league at times seemed to be as much game show as athletic event.

Wait a second. Isn't that Sigourney Weaver in her signature role as Lt. Ripley in the movie "Aliens," kicking alien butt while talking about . . . satellite TV service . . . in a new TV commercial? Yep: "All I want to do is kick back and enjoy the DirecTV we just hooked up," Weaver/Ripley says to the camera during a particularly intense woman-vs.-monster action scene. "This," she adds before knocking out the creature, "is going to feel almost as good as when I got rid of cable."

Satellite broadcaster DirecTV Group Inc. said second-quarter earnings fell 2% on a sharp rise in operating costs, although demand for its high-definition services increased. Net income for the El Segundo-based company slipped to $448 million, or 37 cents a share, from $459 million, or 36 cents, a year earlier. Per-share profit rose because of a reduction in the number of shares outstanding during the latest period.

Satellite television provider DirecTV Group Inc. said Wednesday that it reached a deal to offer subscribers high-speed Internet and voice services carried by Current Group over electric power lines. DirecTV will be able to offer its customers the services as early as the end of this year, with initial coverage extending to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for 1.8 million homes and businesses.

Banking on the future of high-definition television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is launching a movie channel next month on the DirecTV satellite service that will be the studio's first channel in the United States. MGM HD will offer movies from its own 4,100-title library, initially screening such films as "West Side Story," "Robocop" and "Leaving Las Vegas."

Satellite broadcaster DirecTV Group Inc. said its third-quarter earnings slipped on higher costs, but revenue rose 18% from more customers and demand for high-definition and digital video recorder services. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, the El Segundo-based company reported that net income fell 14% to $319 million, or 27 cents a share, from $370 million, or 30 cents, a year earlier. Revenue surged to $4.33 billion from $3.67 billion in the quarter a year earlier.

In the latest twist in the ever-shifting digital video recording industry, satellite broadcaster DirecTV has purchased most of the assets of ReplayTV, a DVR pioneer that was crushed years ago after a court battle with Hollywood. El Segundo-based DirecTV Group Inc. acquired the ReplayTV brand and other assets from Tokyo-based D&M Holdings Inc. It's unclear what DirecTV's plans for ReplayTV are, but the purchase could be construed as preemptive protection against patent disputes.