[Satellite Today 02-12-09] DirecTV has seen impressive subscriber take-up in the U.S. and Latin America. These were two of the highlights of its fourth quarter and full year results to the end of December, the company issued Feb. 10. At the end of December, DirecTV U.S. had 17.62 million subscribers, a close to five percent increase compared to the same stage last year. DirecTV U.S. also saw strong revenue growth. DirecTV U.S. 2008 revenues increased over 11 percent to $17.31 billion. ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) of $83.90 increased 6.1 percent from 2007 principally due to programming package price increases as well as higher HD and DVR service fees partially offset by a decline in upfront equipment fees, more competitive customer promotions, and lower advertising sales.
    In terms of its performance in Latin America, DirecTV Latin America (DTVLA) now has close to 3.9 million subscribers in the region, an increase of close to 20 percent compared to the same stage at the end of 2007. Revenues for DTVLA increased 39 percent to $2.38 billion in 2008. DTVLA said this was down to strong subscriber and ARPU growth. ARPU increased 13.9 percent to $55.07 primarily due to strong growth in the region – particularly in Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil, as well as a favorable exchange rate in Brazil for the first three quarters.