Cincinnati Bell enters the home entertainment industry with DIRECTV and USSB; the first Ohio-based company to combine telecommunications, entertainment, voice, video, data and Internet access services.

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 1996--Marking another first in its history, Cincinnati Bell is taking the lead in the burgeoning communications and entertainment industry.

Today it announced agreements with DIRECTV(R) Inc. and U.S. Satellite Broadcasting(SM) (USSB(R)) to market the DIRECTV(R) and USSB satellite television entertainment services and DSS(R) (Digital Satellite System) equipment to customers in greater Cincinnati.

The company's offering -- from Cincinnati Bell's new entertainment business called CBTV -- represents the first time that an Ohio-based telecommunications company will offer a comprehensive range of diverse communications and home entertainment services to consumers.

The package features more than 200 channels of DIRECTV and USSB programming including movies, sports, news and pay-per-view events. The company immediately will begin marketing the services and equipment to the more than 650,000 households in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana.

"Cincinnati Bell is rapidly building on its heritage as a leading telecommunications company," said David Gergacz, Cincinnati Bell Telephone's president and chief executive officer. "Our objective is to be the premier source for advanced telecommunications, information, Internet access and entertainment services."

Consumers receive DSS equipment consisting of an 18-inch satellite dish, set-top box and a remote control. DIRECTV delivers more than 175 channels and features popular services such as ESPN, ESPN2, The Disney Channel, Discovery Channel and Music Choice with 31 commercial-free, CD-quality audio channels. All DIRECTV customers have access to Direct Ticket(TM) Pay-Per-View, which features up to 55 pay-per-view movies every day, and a wide array of sports programming packages that deliver thousands of professional and collegiate games.

The USSB Entertainment Plus(R) package features all of the networks offered by USSB including popular entertainment services such as Multichannel HBO(R), Multichannel Showtime(R), Nickelodeon(R) and MTV(R). All new DSS owners are offered one free month of USSB Entertainment Plus.

Installation of the DSS system can be provided by Cincinnati Bell's staff of trained professionals. Interested Cincinnati-area residential consumers should call 566-CBTV. Further information can be found on Cincinnati Bell's website, www.cinbelltel.com.

The DSS systems are available for as little as $249 after a $200.00 cash-back offer from DIRECTV. Cincinnati Bell also will offer installation of an antenna to receive programming from local affiliates.

"Our partnership with Cincinnati Bell provides its customers with the opportunity to bring the nation's leading digital entertainment service into their homes via the area's foremost telecommunications service," said Eddy Hartenstein, president of DIRECTV. "This alliance opens a base of potential customers for DIRECTV and provides a new avenue of distribution to complement the authorized consumer electronics retailers and satellite dealers that will continue to sell DIRECTV programming and DSS equipment in the Cincinnati area."

"We're delighted that Cincinnati Bell, with its reputation and track record for quality service, has chosen to market DSS and our programming to its customers," said Stanley E. Hubbard, president and chief executive officer of U.S. Satellite Broadcasting. "With this agreement, families in the Cincinnati area who love movies and entertainment have another trusted resource for DSS and USSB programming."

DIRECTV and USSB launched their services in June 1994. The DSS system already has become the fastest selling new consumer electronics product to ever enter the market. Programming is delivered to the DIRECTV and USSB broadcast centers via domestic satellites, fiber optic cable and/or special digital video tape. Most satellite-delivered programming is immediately digitized, encrypted, and uplinked to three orbiting satellites. The direct broadcast satellites then retransmit the signal to homes and businesses equipped with DSS receiving equipment.

Matrixx Marketing, a subsidiary of Cincinnati Bell Inc., provides residential customer service for all DIRECTV subscribers.

"The affiliation with DIRECTV and USSB represents Cincinnati Bell's commitment to actively seek new avenues to serve, inform and entertain our customers," said Gergacz. "We'll continue monitoring the needs of our customers and provide a choice of services that rival those of national competitors."

DIRECTV Inc. is the world's leading provider of DBS service. U.S. Satellite Broadcasting is the DBS licensee of longest standing in the United States.

USSB Entertainment Plus is a registered trademark and U.S. Satellite Broadcasting is a service mark of United States Satellite Broadcasting Company Inc., which is a Minnesota corporation and is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market's National Market under the symbol "USSB."

Cincinnati Bell provides telecommunications and entertainment services as well as advanced voice, video and data services to business and residential customers in a three-state area, including portions of Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. The company has more than 927,000 access lines and employs 2,600 greater Cincinnati residents. This year, Cincinnati Bell introduced an Internet access service, FUSE(R), and launched a home page on the World Wide Web: www.cinbelltel.com

DIRECTV, DSS and Direct Ticket are official trademarks of DIRECTV Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp.

CONTACT: Cincinnati Bell

Erik Kirkhorn, 513/397-1237

or

DIRECTV

Bob Marsocci, 310/726-4656

or

U.S. Satellite Broadcasting

Debra Cottone, 612/659-7095