DISH Network Expands High-Def Offerings; HD Leader Packages Four Channels, Prepares Rollout of Receivers.

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 2003

EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) announced today that the company's DISH Network(TM), America's fastest growing satellite subscription television service, will begin offering four channels of high-definition entertainment in a single, low-priced package Sept. 16.

Further establishing itself as the leader in high-definition initiatives, DISH Network will offer ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies in a new package for $9.99 per month or $109.89 annually, the lowest prices in the industry.

DISH Network also offers high-definition channels such as CBS-HD, HBO-HD, Showtime HD, and DISH-On-Demand pay-per-view HD movies.

DISH Network's entry-level DISH 811, designed as the first affordable high-definition receiver/decoder, will be available this fall at an MSRP of only $399.

DISH Network will further strengthen a high-definition product line that currently includes the popular model 6000 with the release of the DISH Player-DVR 921, available by the end of October. The first-of-its-kind high-definition digital video recorder (DVR) will carry an MSRP of $999. It will feature a 250-gigabyte hard drive capable of recording up to 25 hours of high-definition video or up to 180 hours of standard-definition content, or some combination of both.

The state-of-the-art DISH Player-DVR 921 contains all the features of DISH Network's complete line of DVRs, plus a dual tuner that allows the user to record two different shows while viewing a third pre-recorded show. The DISH Player-DVR 921 also includes a picture-in-picture feature on any TV. No other pay TV company offers the innovative combination of HD and DVR features -- including rewind, fast-forward, pause, and 30-second skip-ahead -- as the DISH Player-DVR 921.

Winner of the Best of Show in the Innovations Design and Engineering category at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the DISH Player-DVR 921 also offers:

-- DISHWire connection for future downloading and storage of

content

-- Electronic program guide with computerized search function

-- Throughput of 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i resolutions

-- Slow motion and frame-by-frame replay

-- All DISH Video-On-Demand functionality.

With the DISH Player-DVR 921, DISH Network customers will enhance their enjoyment of sports programming on the new ESPN HD and HDNet and the exciting variety of movies and general entertainment on HDNet Movies and Discovery HD Theater.

For information on DISH Network and its products or services call 1-800-333-DISH (3474), visit www.dishnetwork.com or contact your local DISH Network retailer.

About EchoStar Communications Corporation

EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is the owner of DISH Network(TM), the fastest growing U.S. provider of satellite television entertainment services with 9 million customers. DISH Network delivers advanced digital satellite television services, including hundreds of video and audio channels, Interactive TV, digital video recording, HDTV, sports and international programming, professional installation and 24-hour customer service. Visit EchoStar's DISH Network at www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).