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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission file number 1-34554

DIRECTV
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (310) 964-5000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  ý  No  o

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes  o  No  ý

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  ý  No  o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes  ý  No  o

          Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  o  No  ý

          As of June 30, 2010, the aggregate market value of the registrant's voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates was $29,809,534,476.

          As of February 18, 2011, the registrant had outstanding 790,782,019 shares of Class A common stock.

          Documents incorporated by reference are as follows:

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSE OF THE
"SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONSOF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES
LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

        This Annual Report on Form 10-K may contain certain statements that we believe are, or may be considered to be, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by use of statements that include phrases such as we "believe," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "project" or other similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make related to our business strategy and regarding our outlook for 2011 financial results, liquidity and capital resources.

        Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include economic, business, competitive, national or global political, market and regulatory conditions and other risks, each of which is described in more detail in Item 1A—Risk Factors of this Annual Report.

        Any forward looking statement made by us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may occur and it is not possible for us to predict them all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

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PART I

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

        DIRECTV, which we also refer to as the company, we or us, is a leading provider of digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. We operate two direct-to-home, or DTH, operating segments: DIRECTV U.S. and DIRECTV Latin America, which are differentiated by their geographic location and are engaged in acquiring, promoting, selling and/or distributing digital entertainment programming primarily via satellite to residential and commercial subscribers. In addition, since November 19, 2009, we own and operate three regional sports networks, or RSNs, and own a 65% interest in Game Show Network, LLC, or GSN, a basic television network dedicated to game-related programming and Internet interactive game playing. We account for our investment in GSN using the equity method of accounting.

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DIRECTV U.S.   DIRECTV Holdings LLC and its subsidiaries, which we refer to as DIRECTV U.S., is the largest provider of DTH digital television services and the second largest provider in the multi-channel video programming distribution, or MVPD, industry in the United States. As of December 31, 2010, DIRECTV U.S. had over 19.2 million subscribers.



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DIRECTV Latin America.   DIRECTV Latin America, or DTVLA, is the leading provider of DTH digital television services throughout Latin America. DTVLA is comprised of: PanAmericana, which provides services in Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico and certain other countries in the region; our 93% owned subsidiary, Sky Brasil Servicos Ltda., which we refer to as Sky Brazil; and our 41% equity method investment in Innova, S. de R.L. de C.V., which we refer to as Sky Mexico. As of December 31, 2010, PanAmericana had approximately 3.3 million subscribers, Sky Brazil had approximately 2.5 million subscribers and Sky Mexico had approximately 3.0 million subscribers.



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DIRECTV Sports Networks.   DIRECTV Sports Networks LLC and its subsidiaries, or DSN, is comprised primarily of three RSNs based in Seattle, Washington, Denver, Colorado and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, currently known as FSN Northwest ^TM , FSN Rocky Mountain ^TM and FSN Pittsburgh ^TM , respectively. The operating results of DSN beginning November 19, 2009 are reported as part of the "Sports Networks, Eliminations and Other" operating segment.

        Our vision is to make DIRECTV the best video experience anytime and anywhere for customers in both the United States and Latin America. Our primary strategy for achieving this vision is to combine unique and compelling content along with industry-leading technology and service to make DIRECTV the clear choice among consumers throughout the Americas. We believe that the successful implementation of this operating strategy along with the return of excess cash to shareholders will create significant shareholder value over the long term.

        DIRECTV's Class A common stock trades on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market, or NASDAQ, under the ticker "DTV". DIRECTV was incorporated in Delaware in 2009.

DIRECTV U.S.

        Through DIRECTV U.S., we provide over 19.2 million subscribers with access to hundreds of channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming that we transmit directly to subscribers' homes or businesses via high-powered geosynchronous satellites. We also provide video-on-demand, or VOD, via broadband to our subscribers who have connected their set-top receiver to their broadband service.

        We believe we provide one of the most extensive collections of programming available in the MVPD industry, including over 160 national high-definition, or HD, television channels and four dedicated 3D channels. In addition, we offer VOD service, named DIRECTV CINEMA ^TM, which provides a selection of over 6,000 movie and television programs to our broadband-connected subscribers. As of December 31, 2010, we provided local channel coverage in HD to markets covering over 95% of U.S. television households. In addition, we provided local channel coverage in standard definition to markets representing approximately 98% of U.S. television households.

        We also provide premium professional and collegiate sports programming such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ package, which allows subscribers to view the largest selection of NFL games available each

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Sunday during the regular season. Under our contract with the NFL, we have exclusive rights to provide this service through the 2014 season, including rights to provide related broadband, HD, interactive and mobile services.

        To subscribe to the DIRECTV® service, subscribers sign up for our service through us, our national retailers, independent satellite television retailers or dealers, or regional telephone companies, which we refer to as telcos. We or one of our home service providers or dealers install the receiving equipment. The receiving equipment consists of a small receiving satellite dish antenna, one or more digital set-top receivers, which are typically leased to the subscriber, and remote controls, which we refer to as a DIRECTV® System. After acquiring and installing a DIRECTV System, subscribers activate the DIRECTV service by contacting us and subscribing to one of our programming packages.

Key Strengths

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Large Subscriber Base.   We are the largest provider of DTH digital television services and the second largest MVPD provider in the United States, in each case based on the number of subscribers. We believe that our large subscriber base provides us with the opportunity to obtain programming on favorable terms and secure unique and exclusive programming. We also believe that our large subscriber base contributes to achieving other economies of scale in areas such as DIRECTV System equipment purchasing, customer service, installation and repair service, broadcast operations and general and administrative services.



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Leading Brand Name.   We commissioned a study in 2010 which indicated that 95% of consumers in the United States recognized the DIRECTV brand name. We believe the strength of our brand name is an important factor in our ability to attract new subscribers. In addition, we believe our recognized brand name enhances our ability to secure strategic alliances with programmers, distributors and other technology and service providers.



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Substantial Channel Capacity and Programming Content.   As a result of our significant channel capacity, we believe we are able to deliver to our subscribers one of the widest selections of local and national programming available today in the United States, including exclusive programming such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, international programming and one of the most extensive national HD offerings currently available in the industry.



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High-Quality Digital Picture and Sound, Including HD Programming.   Our video and audio programming is 100% digitally delivered, providing subscribers with digital-quality video and CD-quality sound. We believe this compares favorably with many cable providers that frequently offer popular programming in an analog format and offer a selection of digital channels for an additional fee. In addition, we believe we currently offer one of the nation's most comprehensive selections of HD channels, including a large choice of 1080p movies.



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Sales and Marketing.   We sell DIRECTV through a number of distribution channels, including direct sales, online, telcos, national sales providers, local sales providers and consumer electronics retailers. We believe this variety of distribution alternatives coupled with sophisticated marketing programs, have enabled us to continue to grow our subscriber base in an increasingly competitive and mature business.



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Technology.   We devote considerable resources to improving our set-top receivers, including the middleware for such receivers, as well as developing new services. For example in 2010, we introduced a "Whole-Home" digital video recorder, or DVR, service which allows consumers to view and control content from one DVR to other rooms in the house with the appropriate equipment.



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Strong Customer Satisfaction.   We have attained top rankings in customer satisfaction studies for our industry. For example, we have scored higher among the largest national cable and satellite TV providers in customer satisfaction for ten consecutive years in the American Customer Satisfaction Index™. We believe that providing high-quality customer service is an important element in minimizing subscriber disconnection, or churn, and attracting new subscribers.



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Valuable Orbital Slots and Satellite-Based Technology.   We believe our regulatory authorization to use desirable orbital slots and broadcast spectrum helps sustain our position as one of the leading companies

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in the MVPD industry. The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, has designated three direct broadcast satellite, or DBS, orbital slots in the Ku-Band spectrum that provide full coverage across the 48 contiguous states of the United States, often referred to as CONUS coverage. Within these three orbital slots, there are 96 assigned DBS frequencies. We hold licenses to broadcast our services from 46 of these 96 DBS frequencies. The FCC is currently considering licensing additional DBS slots for satellites that are sometimes referred to as "tweeners" which would provide CONUS coverage. See "Government Regulation—FCC Regulation Under the Communications Act and Related Acts" and "Risk Factors—The ability to maintain FCC licenses and other regulatory approvals is critical to our business" for more information related to these types of slots and satellites.

In addition, we hold licenses in three orbital slots (99° west longitude, or WL, 101° WL, and 103° WL) in the Ka-Band spectrum. The satellites that have been launched into these orbital slots have substantially increased our channel capacity, allowing us to provide one of the most extensive HD channel offerings currently available across the United States. We also have obtained approval from the FCC to transmit our signal in the Ku-Band from one of our satellites that has been stationed at a temporary orbital location at 72.5° WL and from leased capacity on a satellite at 95° WL.

Our satellite-based service provides us with many advantages over ground-based cable television services. We have the ability to distribute hundreds of channels to millions of recipients nationwide with minimal incremental infrastructure cost per additional subscriber. In addition, we have comprehensive coverage to areas with low population density in the United States and the ability to quickly introduce new services to a large number of subscribers.

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Strong Balance Sheet.   We believe our cash position and borrowing capacity combined with our current and expected future cash generation capability provides us with significant financial flexibility to improve shareholder value. We have repurchased approximately $15 billion of our common stock over the last five years, retiring approximately 44% of our outstanding shares, and have announced a new $6 billion share repurchase plan for 2011.

Business Strategy

        Our vision is to provide customers with the best video experience in the United States both inside and outside of the home by offering subscribers unique, differentiated and compelling programming through leadership in content, technology and customer service. Our strategy involves (1) strengthening our core business, (2) delivering the best "anytime, anywhere" experience—both inside and outside of the home, (3) building new revenue streams and (4) enhancing productivity.

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Strengthen the Core Business.   To fulfill our goals, we believe we have to strengthen our core business in several key areas including (1) delighting our customers in all our service interactions, (2) enhancing customer targeting and segmentation and (3) strengthening our bundled offers and capabilities.



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Delight Our Customers in All Service Interactions; Improve our Loyalty and Retention Programs.   Due in part to the higher costs to acquire new subscribers in an increasingly mature industry, it is even more important to focus to delight all of our customers as we strive to reduce churn. We believe an important part of this strategy is to increase customer satisfaction through all service interactions including the initial installation and any subsequent communications, service or upgrade transactions. Another important part of our strategy is to improve our loyalty and retention programs, particularly for our most tenured and valuable customers.



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Enhance Customer Targeting.   As the market for video services becomes increasingly competitive, it is important that we have a better understanding of and focus on our customers' needs and desires. We will use segmentation analysis to better target new customers based on demographic, geographic and customer information to more profitably and effectively provide our customers with the products and services they desire.

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Strengthen Our Bundled Offers and Capabilities.   Bundled video, telephone and broadband services continue to grow in popularity as consumers look for ways to reduce costs in a challenging economy. Currently we have agreements with most of the major telco companies nationwide to offer bundles which include the DIRECTV service. However, in the future, we believe we will need to work more closely with broadband providers to make our bundles more seamless, offer broadband services with higher speeds and improve joint marketing efforts so that a greater percentage of our customers can enjoy the benefits of a bundle.



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Deliver the Best "Anytime, Anywhere" Experience Both Inside and Outside of the Home.   To provide the best video experience both inside and outside of the home, we will be focusing on (1) expanding our Whole-Home DVR and time-shifting capabilities, (2) connecting our subscribers' set-top boxes to broadband service, (3) launching a new user interface to support multi-screen applications and services, (4) enhancing our entertainment portal and (5) providing portable access to DVR content.



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Expand Whole-Home DVR and Time-Shifting Capabilities.   We believe that consumers are looking for more features and functionality in their TV viewing, particularly in terms of place and time shifting. For this reason, in 2011 we expect to expand the availability of our Whole-Home DVR. We plan on continuing to expand our time and place shifting capabilities with new services including the expansion of our pay-per-view and VOD movie offerings, as well as providing the ability for customers to retrieve content that was broadcast at a previous time.



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Connect Customer HD-DVRs to the Internet.   Connecting our customers' receivers to broadband service is strategically important because it greatly enhances the video experience. For example, a connected receiver provides our customers with access to (1) thousands of additional movies and shows, (2) music, video, and pictures stored on their computers and (3) personalized "TV Apps" that provide real-time information such as favorite sports teams, local traffic or weather reports. In the future, broadband-connected receivers will also facilitate access of DIRECTV™ programming services on mobile devices and the ability to search for web-based video such as YouTube® on a customer's television. Another focus for our company will be to provide more social networking applications whereby, for example, customers can interact with friends while watching DIRECTV by accessing their Twitter® or Facebook® account via the television or portable device.



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Launch New User Interface to Support Multi-Screen Applications and Services.   Given the importance of the User Interface, or UI, and guide to our customers to provide a friendly and fun way to navigate through hundreds of channels, in 2011 we will launch a new HD UI which will be significantly faster than our current UI and will be displayed in crisp, easy-to-read HD format using more graphical poster art. In addition, this UI will incorporate our industry-leading Smart Search capabilities as well as improved discovery and personalization features. We are also developing applications for mobile devices and tablets so that our customers will enjoy many DIRECTV features and functionalities both inside and outside of the home.



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Enhance our Entertainment Portal.   In 2010, we launched a new web-based entertainment portal for our customers named MyDIRECTV™. Today, MyDIRECTV offers customers a fun and easy-to-use platform to explore, search and record all of their favorite shows. In the future, we will introduce video streaming capabilities on our entertainment portal so that customers will be able to watch authorized DIRECTV programming from their laptop, tablet, smartphone or computer.



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Provide Portable Access to DVR Content.   We believe our customers increasingly desire the ability to take content with them, due in part to the growing popularity of smart phones and tablets. For this reason, in 2011, we expect to launch a service which will build on our platform as a way to access content stored on a customer's DVR. We will also be building on our entertainment portal as a way to access content through the Internet.

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Create New Revenue Platforms.   In order to continue growing DIRECTV revenues while maintaining strong profit margins, a key strategic objective is to capture incremental revenue streams in key areas including (1) DIRECTV Cinema, (2) addressable and local advertising and (3) the commercial property market.



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Enhance DIRECTV Cinema.   We believe we have a significant opportunity to generate incremental VOD revenues mostly by expanding our VOD library and making it easier for customers to watch movies and shows. Last year we made great strides toward this goal by "pushing" top-rated movies onto customers DVRs for instant viewing and by launching an enhanced movie service called DIRECTV CINEMA that provides most of our customers with access to significantly more movies than before. For example, for those customers with HD-DVRs connected to a broadband service, we now offer over 6,000 movie and television titles, and we expect to continue adding more titles in 2011. Other new DIRECTV Cinema enhancements include shorter viewing windows relative to the DVD release and the ability to order movies which are still showing in movie theaters for future viewing. Looking forward, DIRECTV Cinema enhancements will include further expansion of our video library and increasing the number of days a VOD pay-per-view, or PPV, movie can be watched once the movie has been paid for.



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Launch Addressable and Local Advertising.   Our advertising revenue per subscriber trails many of our competitors. This is because, unlike the cable industry, we have not had the ability to target advertising at the local level due to the nature of our national satellite infrastructure. Using new technology, which we expect will be available in 2011, we will have the capability to insert ads into individual DVR set-top receivers to enable advertisers to target customers in local regions and eventually in the individual home. With this new technology, we expect to significantly increase our advertising revenues over the coming years.



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Deliver New Products Focused on Priority Commercial Segments.   Based on our extremely low market penetration rates, we believe commercial properties represent another growth opportunity for DIRECTV. For example, although historically we have competed effectively in the higher-end hotel market, we expect that in the coming years, hotels will be upgrading their television service from standard definition to HD, which should present us with opportunities for growth. We also currently have low market share in the private businesses and smaller bars and restaurants segments and we intend to grow our share in these markets with new technologies such as digital signage, as well as from improved management, targeting, billing, pricing and packaging.



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Enhance Productivity and Manage Costs.   Improving our productivity is a critical element of our goal to maintain strong margins particularly given the competitive nature of our industry and rising programming costs. In particular, we plan to focus our efforts on effectively managing our programming costs and capturing enterprise-wide productivity improvements.



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Strategically Manage Content Cost Growth.   Content costs are DIRECTV's largest expense and as a result, we must manage these costs as effectively as possible particularly considering that we expect programming costs to increase at a faster rate in the future than in prior years primarily due to higher sports costs (including the NFL Sunday Ticket) and higher retransmission fees for the carriage of local channels. Our strategy for minimizing this rate of cost growth is to:



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Leverage our size, growth and attractive subscriber demographics to attain competitive terms and conditions.



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More closely align a channel's ratings with the costs we pay.



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Obtain rights for new value-added video services such as rights to offer our customers 3D, mobile and streaming services.



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Repackage channels to better align the programming that our customers want to watch with what they are willing to pay for.

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Drop less popular channels if we are unable to negotiate fair terms and conditions.



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Capture Enterprise-Wide Productivity Improvements.   Our objective is to deliver the best video experience at the lowest possible cost. We endeavor to manage our costs and in particular to capture productivity improvements which will not only reduce costs, but also improve customer service.

Infrastructure

        Satellites.     We currently have a fleet of twelve geosynchronous satellites, including eleven owned satellites and one leased satellite. We have seven Ku-Band satellites at the following orbital locations: 101° WL (three), 110° WL (one), 119° WL (one), 72.5° WL (one), and 95° WL (one-leased). We also have five Ka-Band satellites at our 99° WL (two) and 103° WL (three) orbital locations. The 72.5° WL orbital location is used pursuant to an arrangement with Telesat Canada and Bell ExpressVu.

        We have contracted for the construction of an additional satellite to provide additional services as well as backup capacity, which we expect to launch and place into service in 2013.

        Satellite Risk Management.     At times, we use launch and in-orbit insurance to mitigate the potential financial impact of satellite fleet launch and in-orbit failures unless the premium costs are considered to be uneconomical relative to the risk of satellite failure. The insurance generally does not compensate for business interruption or loss of future revenues or subscribers. We rely on in-orbit spare satellites and excess transponder capacity at key orbital slots to mitigate the impact of a potential satellite failure on our ability to provide service. However, programming continuity cannot be assured in all instances or in the event of multiple satellite losses.

        Launch insurance typically covers the time frame from ignition of the launch vehicle through separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle. In the past, we have launched satellites without insurance. As of December 31, 2010, the net book value of DIRECTV U.S.' in-orbit satellites was $1,724 million, none of which is insured.

        Digital Broadcast Centers.     To gather programming content, ensure its digital quality, and transmit content to our satellites, we have built two digital broadcast centers, located in Castle Rock, Colorado and Los Angeles, California. These facilities provide the majority of our national and local standard-definition and HD programming. We have also built five uplink facilities which are used to provide HD local channels. Our broadcast centers receive programming from content providers via satellite, fiber optic cable and/or special tape. Most satellite-delivered programming is then digitized, encoded and transmitted to our satellites. We designed each broadcast center and uplink facility with redundant systems to minimize service interruptions.

        Installation Network.     The DIRECTV Home Service Provider, or HSP, network performs customer installation, upgrade, and service call work for us. From 2008 to 2010, we entered into several transactions that brought a significant portion of this HSP network activity in-house. We now directly employ nearly 5,000 technicians and utilize an additional 10,000 technicians from six outsourced companies around the United States. The combined workforce completed approximately 92% of all in-home visits in 2010. We set quality standards for all installation, upgrade, and service work, perform quality control procedures against those standards, manage network inventory levels, and monitor overall network performance for nearly all of the installation and service network.

        Customer Service Centers.     As of December 31, 2010, we utilized 36 customer service centers employing over 17,000 customer service representatives. Most of these customer service centers are operated by Convergys Customer Management Group, Inc., Alorica, Inc., Sitel Operating Corporation, N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc., VXI Global Solutions, Inc. and Teleperformance. We currently own and operate six customer service centers located in: Boise, Idaho; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Huntsville, Alabama; Missoula, Montana; Huntington, West Virginia and Denver, Colorado that employ approximately 5,000 customer service representatives. Potential and existing subscribers can call a single telephone number 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to request assistance for hardware, programming, installation, technical and other support. We continue to increase the functionality of telephone-based and web-based self-care features in order to better manage customer service costs and improve service levels.

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Competition

        We face substantial competition in the MVPD industry and from emerging digital media distribution providers. Our competition includes companies that offer video, audio, interactive programming, telephony, data and other entertainment services, including cable television, other DTH companies, telcos, wireless companies and companies that are developing new technologies, including online video distributors, or OVDs. Many of our competitors have access to substantially greater financial and marketing resources. We believe our brand, the quality and variety of video, audio and interactive programming, quality of picture, access to service, availability of HD and DVR services, customer service and price are the key elements for attaining and retaining subscribers. Our over 19.2 million subscribers represent approximately 19% of MVPD subscribers at December 31, 2010.

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Cable Television.   We encounter substantial competition in the MVPD industry from cable television companies. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's 2008 Industry Overview, 96% of the 128.6 million U.S. housing units are passed by cable. Most cable television operators have a large, established customer base, and many have significant investments in companies that provide programming content. Approximately 100 million households subscribe to an MVPD service and approximately 60% of MVPD subscribers receive their programming from a cable operator. In addition, most cable providers have completed network upgrades that allow for enhanced service offerings such as digital cable, HD channels, broadband Internet access and telephony services. Cable companies bundle these services, offering discounts and providing one bill to the consumer.



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Telephone Companies.   Several telcos have upgraded a significant portion of their infrastructure by replacing their older, copper wire telephone lines with high-speed fiber optic lines. These fiber lines provide the telcos with significantly greater capacity enabling them to offer new and enhanced services, such as broadband Internet access at much greater speeds and digital- quality video. For example, Verizon announced that at the end of 2010, it had the capability to serve approximately 16 million homes with fiber optic lines with the goal of having the capability to serve 18 million homes by the end of 2011. In addition, AT&T is deploying fiber optic lines to neighborhoods and expects to have the capability to serve approximately 30 million of its homes passed by the end of 2011. As of year-end 2010, Verizon had approximately 3.5 million video subscribers and AT&T had approximately 3 million video subscribers. Similar to the cable companies, the telcos expect to offer their customers multiple services at a discount on one bill.



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Other Direct Broadcast Satellite and Direct-To-Home Satellite System Operators.   We also compete with DISH Network Corporation, or DISH Network, which had over 14 million subscribers at the end of 2010, representing approximately 14% of MVPD subscribers. Other domestic and foreign satellite operators also have proposed to offer DTH satellite service to U.S. customers using U.S.-licensed satellite frequencies or foreign-licensed frequencies that have the ability of covering the United States.



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Video via the Internet.   With the large increase in the number of consumers with broadband service, a significant amount of video content has become available on the Internet for users to download and view on their personal computers, televisions and other devices. For example, Apple TV® offers hundreds of television shows and movies for rental, some in high-definition, on the online iTunes® Store. In addition, Hulu™ is an OVD which provides free movies and TV shows from over 225 content providers including FOX, NBC Universal, ABC, Lionsgate, MGM, National Geographic, Paramount, A&E Television Networks, PBS, and Warner Bros. This content can be accessed on demand through its website and those of its partners—AOL, IMDb, MSN, MySpace, and Yahoo!. In addition, several companies, such as Netflix, Blockbuster and Amazon.com, sell and rent movies or other shows via Internet download or streaming media. For example, Netflix has a library of thousands of movies and TV shows available for download to its over 20 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. There are also several similar initiatives by companies such as Intel, Microsoft and Sony to make it easier to view Internet- based video on television and personal computer screens. Many television models, Blu-Ray Disc® players and gaming consoles like Nintendo's Wii®, Sony's PS3® and the Xbox® can be

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directly connected to the Internet and have the capacity to stream video to the television.

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Mobile Video.   Many companies are beginning to offer mobile applications for video allowing consumers to watch video on the go. For example, AT&T offers AT&T mobile TV™ which provides users the ability to watch full length TV shows from ABC, CBS, ESPN and other programmers on their cell phones. Verizon Wireless offers V Cast™ which allows subscribers to watch many of the top TV shows including college football and basketball on their mobile phone for a modest fee. In addition, other mobile applications and services are becoming available. Other cable and satellite distributors are also focused on distributing their content to their customers mobile devices.



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Small and Rural Telephone Companies.   Other telephone companies are also finding ways to deliver video programming services over their wireline facilities or in a bundle with other MVPD providers. For example, DISH Network has agreements with Embarq, Windstream, TDS, and Frontier to bundle their individual DSL and telephony services with DISH Network's video service.



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Local Broadcasters.   Most areas of the United States can receive traditional digital television broadcasts of between three and ten channels. These broadcasters are often low to medium power operators with a limited coverage area and provide local, network and syndicated programming typically free of charge. There are over 2,000 TV broadcast stations in the U.S. split among 210 TV markets.

DIRECTV LATIN AMERICA

        Through DTVLA, we provide DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, which includes Puerto Rico. Under the DIRECTV and SKY brands, we provide a wide selection of digital-quality local and international programming to approximately 3.3 million subscribers in PanAmericana and approximately 2.5 million subscribers in Brazil. Our 41% owned affiliate, Sky Mexico, has more than 3.0 million subscribers in Mexico and certain countries in Central America. Including Sky Mexico, DIRECTV and Sky provide service to 8.9 million subscribers throughout the region.

        We own 100% of PanAmericana (which operates principally in South America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico), 93% of Sky Brazil (which operates in Brazil), and 41% of Sky Mexico (which operates in Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic). Globo Comunicações e Participações S.A., or Globo, owns the other 7% of Sky Brazil and Grupo Televisa, S.A., or Televisa, owns the other 59% of Sky Mexico. The results of PanAmericana and Sky Brazil are consolidated in our results. We account for our 41% interest in Sky Mexico under the equity method of accounting.

Key Strengths

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High Quality Digital Picture and Sound.   Our video and audio programming is 100% digitally delivered, providing subscribers with digital-quality picture and sound, as well as interactive features. We believe that this compares favorably with cable providers in Latin America, which typically continue to broadcast only analog services or a combination of analog and digital services to a large percentage of their subscribers.



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Large Subscriber Base and Pan-Regional Scale of Service.   On a regional basis, we are the largest provider of pay television services in Latin America. We believe that this scale provides us with the opportunity to obtain programming on favorable terms, and contributes to economies of scale in other areas, such as customer service, equipment and technology purchasing and broadcast operations.



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Relationship with DIRECTV U.S.   We believe that our ability to leverage the advanced technologies and best practices developed and followed by DIRECTV U.S. allows us to take advantage of their economies of scale, intellectual property and financial flexibility. PanAmericana, Sky Brazil and Sky Mexico have aligned their set-top box specifications and middleware technologies with DIRECTV US, which allows for the launch of new features and services in advance of competitors in the region.



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Leading Brands.   DIRECTV and SKY continue to position their brands in Latin America as a leader in digital entertainment and the best quality television available. In 2010, this was particularly accentuated by the aggressive positioning of our advanced products,

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such as DVRs and HD DVRs throughout the territory, which translated into pan-regional penetration rates of approximately 25% of our subscriber base.

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Strong Customer Service.   We believe that we generally have a higher level of customer service than our competitors, which is an important element in minimizing subscriber churn and attracting new customers. In addition, our ability to implement best practices in customer service from across the region, as well as those at DIRECTV U.S., allow us to adapt quickly and efficiently to changes that we face.

Business Strategy

        Our strategy is focused on leveraging DTVLA's key strengths in order to differentiate our service from our competitors.

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Offer Unique Content.   We expect that we can leverage our greater scale to offer unique and compelling content to subscribers. For example, in most of the territories in which we operate we were the only provider of television services where subscribers could see all of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ games, and we were the only operator distributing all of the games in high definition. In some cases, we held exclusive rights to 2010 FIFA World Cup games. Similarly, Sky Brazil, PanAmericana and Sky Mexico have licensed exclusive rights through the 2011-2012 season to the Spanish soccer league, which in most countries is the second most popular soccer league behind the local country leagues.



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Increase DVR Penetration.   A key aspect of our strategy is to use the availability of high quality, reasonably priced DVRs as a cornerstone to distinguish our service from our competitors' services. We believe that our technology and pan-regional scale, as well as our relationship with DIRECTV U.S., can be leveraged to provide DVRs that are more functional and less costly than those of our competitors. In most countries in which we operate, our competitors either do not offer DVRs or make them available on terms that have significantly limited their penetration. As a result of this leadership position, as of the end of 2010, approximately 25% of our subscribers had DVR service.



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Establish Leadership Position in High-Definition.   PanAmericana and Sky Brazil launched HD services in 2008 and mid-2009, respectively. Other than in Brazil, Chile and Puerto Rico, our competitors have limited or no HD offerings and many face significant network capacity constraints that limit their ability to offer HD services on a significant scale. Although we believe that the HD content offerings will be more limited in Latin America than in the United States for the next several years and the uptake of HD services in Latin America will be much slower than in the United States, we expect that our ability to offer high-quality HD services will provide another opportunity for us to differentiate the quality of our services from those of our competitors. As of year-end 2010, Sky Brazil offered its customers 35 HD channels and PanAmericana offered its customers on average 10 HD channels.



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Enhance Programming Features.   We believe that we can differentiate our service from that of our competitors through the use of enhanced features such as interactivity. For example, we first offered interactive services for soccer matches from the 2006 FIFA World Cup and provided similar features for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We have offered similar interactive services for the U.S. Open™ and Major League Baseball®.



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Tailored Offerings.   Additionally, our strategy includes expanding into the rapidly growing middle class market within the region by tailoring our offers and products accordingly. Typically, these offers and products are similar to our traditional ones except they allow subscribers access to significantly fewer channels and limit the number of set-top boxes a subscriber may have in their home. We believe these offers and products provide affordable access to our service to value-focused subscribers.

Infrastructure

        We provide services in PanAmericana and Brazil from leased transponders on two satellites. Sky Mexico provides its services from leased transponders on a separate satellite. In addition, we lease a backup satellite that serves Sky Brazil and Sky Mexico.

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        Our principal digital broadcast centers are located in the United States and Brazil. We also have several smaller satellite uplink facilities in the region.

        We typically have self-contained customer service centers in each of the countries we operate. In addition, we operate two pan-regional centers located in Colombia that provide primary and backup customer service support to most of the PanAmericana region.

Competition

        The pay television and other emerging broadband video and data markets in Latin America are highly competitive. In each of our markets, we compete primarily with other providers of pay television, which distribute their programming by satellite, cable, terrestrial microwave systems, traditional over-the-air broadcasting or the Internet. In addition, in certain markets we face significant competition from illegal and informal sector pay television operations. We compete primarily on the basis of programming selection, price, technology and quality.

        In most of the markets in which we operate, cable television is our principal competition. Cable operators typically offer analog services for lower monthly fees and with lower upfront installation and connection fees than we do. In addition, the cable operators with which we compete are in various stages of upgrading their networks in order to provide broadband and telephony services, and in some markets the major cable operators are competing with us based principally on their offer of a "triple play" bundle of video, broadband and telephony services. In most cases, they discount the value of their programming services in order to sell broadband and telephony services, which can adversely affect the attractiveness of our offers to subscribers.

        In addition to competition from cable services, we face increasing competition from other providers of DTH services. Telefonica, the Spanish telephone company, provides DTH services in Peru, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. Telmex provides DTH service in Chile and Peru, and in 2009 it launched services in Brazil through its affiliate, Embratel. Oi, the second fixed line incumbent in Brazil (in addition to Telefonica), launched a DTH service in 2009. Also, in Mexico a joint venture of EchoStar Corp. and MVS Comunicaciones launched a new DTH service in 2009, with substantial commercial support and cooperation from Telmex, which, due to regulatory restrictions, is not currently permitted to provide its own video services in Mexico. These competitors have significant resources and have proven their ability to grow their businesses rapidly. They typically seek to focus on offering lower-cost, limited services packages in support of their telephony and broadband offerings, which can increase our churn and put pressure on our margins. Also, the existence of multiple DTH operators in a single market dilutes our ability to market our DTH service as an alternative to cable, traditionally our principal competition.

        In a number of markets, existing wireline telephony operators have announced their intention to upgrade their infrastructure in order to provide new and enhanced services, including video programming. These and other companies have announced plans to build wireless broadband networks that will also be capable of delivering broadband, telephony and video services. However, to date only a very small number of such upgrades and build outs have been actively pursued on other than a test basis.

ACQUISITIONS, STRATEGIC ALLIANCES AND DIVESTITURES

        We review our competitive position on an ongoing basis and, from time to time, consider various acquisitions, strategic alliances and divestitures, including potential wireless broadband investments or alliances, in order to continue to compete effectively, improve our financial results, grow our business and allocate our resources efficiently. We also consider periodically making equity investments in companies with which we can jointly provide services to our subscribers.

        For a further discussion of our mergers and acquisitions, see Part II, Item 8, Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

        We are subject to government regulation in the United States, primarily by the FCC, and similar regulatory agencies in Latin America and, to a certain extent, by the legislative branches, other federal agencies, and state and local authorities in the countries where we operate. We are also subject to the rules and procedures of the International Telecommunications Union, or ITU, a specialized agency of the United Nations within which

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governments and the private sector coordinate global telecommunications networks and services. Depending upon the circumstances, noncompliance with legislation or regulations promulgated by these entities could result in the suspension or revocation of our licenses or registrations, the termination or loss of contracts or the imposition of contractual damages, civil fines or criminal penalties.

        This section sets forth a summary of regulatory issues pertaining to our operations in the United States and is not intended to describe all present and proposed government regulation and legislation affecting the MVPD industry or our business.

        FCC Regulation Under the Communications Act and Related Acts.     The Communications Act and other related acts give the FCC broad authority to regulate the operations of our company.

        The ownership and operation of our DBS/DTH system is regulated by the FCC primarily for:

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the licensing of DBS and DTH satellites, earth stations and ancillary authorizations;



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the assignment of frequencies and orbital slots, the relocation of satellites to different orbital locations or the replacement of an existing satellite with a new satellite;



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compliance with the terms and conditions of assignments and authorizations, including required timetables for construction and operation of satellites;



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avoidance of interference by and to DBS/DTH operations with operations of other entities that make use of the radio spectrum; and



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compliance with the Communications Act and FCC rules governing U.S.-licensed DBS and DTH systems.

        The FCC grants authorizations to satellite operators that meet its legal, technical and financial qualification requirements. The FCC conditions such authorizations on satisfaction of ongoing due diligence, construction, reporting and related obligations.

        All of our satellites and earth stations are or have been licensed by the FCC. Currently, two of our satellites are licensed by the government of Canada. While the FCC generally issues DTH space station licenses for a fifteen-year term, DBS space station and earth station licenses are generally issued for a ten-year term, which is less than the useful life of a healthy direct broadcast satellite. Upon expiration of the initial license term, the FCC has the option to renew a satellite operator's license or authorize an operator to operate for a period of time on special temporary authority, or decline to renew the license. If the FCC declines to renew the operator's license, the operator is required to cease operations and the frequencies it was previously authorized to use would revert to the FCC.

        Currently, we have several applications pending before the FCC, including applications to launch and operate future satellites to support DIRECTV's services. In general, the FCC's approval of these applications is required for us to continue to expand our range of service offerings while increasing the robustness of our satellite fleet. We may not obtain these approvals in a timely fashion or at all.

        As a DBS/DTH licensee and operator we are subject to a variety of Communications Act requirements, FCC regulations and copyright laws that could materially affect our business. They include the following:

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Local-into-Local Service and Limitation on Retransmission of Distant Broadcast Television Signals.   The Satellite Home Viewer Act ("SHVA," which in this document includes progeny legislation (including the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999, or SHVIA; the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004, or SHVERA; and the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010, or STELA) allows satellite carriers to retransmit the signals of local broadcast television stations in the stations' local markets without obtaining authorization from the holders of copyrights in the individual programs carried by those stations. Another portion of SHVA also permits satellite retransmission of distant network stations (those that originate outside of a satellite subscriber's local television market) only to "unserved households." A subscriber qualifies as an "unserved household" if he or she cannot receive, over the air, a signal of sufficient intensity from a local station affiliated with the same network, or falls into one of a few other very limited exceptions. SHVA also prohibits satellite carriers from signing up a new

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subscriber to distant analog or digital signals if that subscriber lives in a local market where the satellite carrier makes available the same-network local signal. SHVA imposes a number of notice and reporting requirements, and also permits satellite retransmission of distant stations in neighboring markets where they are determined by the FCC to be "significantly viewed." In implementing SHVA, the FCC has required satellite carriers to delete certain programming, including sports programming, from the signals of certain distant stations. In addition, the FCC's continuing interpretation, implementation and enforcement of other provisions of this legislation as well as judicial decisions interpreting and enforcing these laws, could hamper our ability to retransmit local and distant network and superstation signals, reduce the number of our existing or future subscribers that can qualify for receipt of these signals, impose costs on us in connection with the process of complying with the rules, or subject us to fines, monetary damages or injunctions. Also, the FCC's sports blackout requirements, which apply to all distant network signals, may require costly upgrades to our system. The distant signal provisions of SHVA are now set to expire in 2014. Congress may decline to renew those provisions, which could severely restrict our ability to retransmit distant signals. Congress could also adopt amendments to SHVA with respect to local or distant signals, including limiting the provision of distant signals.

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Must Carry Requirement.   SHVA also imposes a must carry obligation on satellite carriers. This must carry obligation requires satellite carriers that choose to take advantage of the statutory copyright license in a local market to carry upon request the signals of all qualifying television broadcast stations within that local market, subject to certain limited exceptions. The FCC has implemented SHVA's must carry requirement and adopted further detailed must carry rules covering our carriage of both commercial and non-commercial broadcast television stations. These rules generally require us to carry all of the local broadcast stations requesting carriage in a timely and appropriate manner in markets in which we choose to retransmit the signals of local broadcast stations. We have limited capacity, and the projected number of markets in which we can deliver local broadcast programming will continue to be constrained because of the must carry requirement and may be reduced depending on the FCC's interpretation of its rules in pending and future rulemaking and complaint proceedings, as well as judicial decisions interpreting must carry requirements. For example, the FCC issued an order requiring mandatory carriage of high-definition digital signals in an increasing number of markets each year, requiring so-called "HD carry-one, carry-all" in all local markets served by 2013. We may not be able to comply with these must carry rules, or compliance may mean that we will be required to use capacity that could otherwise be used for new or additional local or national programming services. Moreover, Congress may amend the must carry rules at any time.



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Retransmission Consent.   For those local television broadcast stations that do not elect must carry, SHVA also requires DIRECTV to obtain consent prior to retransmitting their signals to viewers. Television broadcast stations may withhold this consent (subject to a requirement to negotiate for carriage in good faith), and other provisions of SHVA prevent DIRECTV from providing duplicate out-of-market programming in many instances. Thus, where network affiliated television stations withhold consent, DIRECTV subscribers may lose access to popular network programming until such consent is restored.



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Public Interest Requirement.   Under a requirement of the Communications Act, the FCC has imposed certain public interest obligations on DBS operators, including a requirement that such providers set aside four percent of channel capacity exclusively for noncommercial programming of an educational or informational nature, for which we must charge programmers below-market rates and for which we may not impose additional charges on subscribers. FCC rules also require us to comply with a number of political broadcasting requirements to which broadcasters are subject under the Communications Act, as well as limits on the commercialization of children's programming applicable to cable operators. We believe that we are in compliance with all of these requirements, but some of them require our interpretations, which we believe are reasonable and consistent with industry practice. However, if we are challenged, the FCC may not agree with our interpretations. In addition, the

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FCC could, in the future, attempt to impose additional public interest or content requirements on us, for example, by seeking to impose rules on indecent programming.

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Emergency Alert System.   The Emergency Alert System, or EAS, requires participants to interrupt programming during nationally declared emergencies and to pass through emergency related information. The FCC has adopted rules that require satellite carriers to participate in the "national" portion of EAS. It is also considering whether to mandate that satellite carriers also interrupt programming for local emergencies and weather events. We believe that any such requirement would be very difficult to implement, would require costly changes to our DBS/DTH system, and, depending on how it is implemented, could inconvenience or confuse our viewers. The FCC is also considering whether to require that EAS alerts be provided in multiple languages or via text messages, which could also prove difficult and costly to implement depending upon the nature of any such requirement adopted.



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Spectrum Allocation and License Assignment Rules.   We depend upon the FCC's allocation of sufficient DBS frequencies and assignment of DBS licenses in order to operate our business. DBS frequencies and available DBS orbital locations capable of supporting our business have become increasingly scarce. While we have obtained additional DTH service capacity and continue to explore new sources of DBS/DTH capacity, there can be no assurance that we will obtain further capacity. In addition, the FCC had adopted a system of competitive bidding to assign licenses for additional DBS frequencies. On June 21, 2005, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that such an auction process was not authorized by statute. The FCC subsequently voided the previous auction and implemented a freeze on applications for authority to provide DBS service in the United States using new frequencies or new orbital locations not assigned to the United States in the ITU Region 2 Broadcasting Satellite Service, or BSS, Plan. On August 18, 2006, the FCC began a proceeding to identify a new system for assigning DBS authorizations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional DBS capacity under whatever system the FCC implements in the future.

In 2007, the FCC adopted new service and licensing rules for the BSS in the 17.3-17.8 GHz and 24.75-25.25 GHz bands, or ¹⁷ / 24 GHz BSS. This spectrum, also known as the "reverse band" (in that transmissions from these satellites to consumers would occur in spectrum currently used for uplinking programming to traditional DBS satellites), could provide a new source of additional DTH capacity. DIRECTV currently holds authorizations for satellites in this band at three orbital locations. However, foreign operators who may have international priority have indicated an interest in using slots that may conflict with some or all of these licenses. One foreign licensed operator, Spectrum Five LLC, has filed a petition seeking reconsideration of one of DIRECTV's licenses at an orbital location where Spectrum Five also proposes to operate, and that petition remains pending.

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Rules Governing Co-Existence With Other Satellite and Terrestrial Services and Service Providers in the MVPD Industry.   The FCC has adopted rules to allow non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite services to operate on a co-primary basis in the same frequency band as the one used by direct broadcast satellite and Ku-Band-based fixed satellite services. In the same proceeding, the FCC concluded that multi-channel video and data distribution services, or MVDDS, can share spectrum with DBS operators on a non-interference basis, and adopted rules and a method for assigning licenses in that service, as well. While the FCC has established service and technical rules to govern the non-geostationary orbit and MVDDS services to protect DBS operations from harmful interference, these rules may not be sufficient to prevent such interference, and the introduction of such services into spectrum used by us for DBS service may have a material adverse impact on our operations. In addition, one MVDDS operator recently received a conditional waiver of the applicable rules so that it could operate its system in Albuquerque, New Mexico at substantially higher power levels, which may have a material adverse impact on our operations in that market. Although we have opposed that waiver request, there can be no assurance that the FCC will deny it.

On August 18, 2006, the FCC released a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the possible operation of "tweener" or "short

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spaced" satellites—satellites that would operate in the same DBS uplink and downlink frequency bands as us, from orbital positions located in between those now assigned to the DBS service. This rulemaking follows applications by SES and Spectrum Five LLC to operate tweener satellites. Under rules that the FCC is considering, a provider could, by complying with certain technical restrictions, operate a satellite in between two orbital locations where we have already positioned our satellites without completing coordination of its operations with us and without demonstrating that such operations would not "affect" us as that term is defined by the ITU. We have opposed this proposal, and believe that tweener satellites as proposed by applicants would cause interference to our current and planned operations and impose a significant constraint on the further growth of our DIRECTV U.S. DBS service. We cannot predict what if any action the FCC may take or the effect of such a proceeding on our business.

On November 29, 2006, despite the pendency of the tweener satellite rulemaking and over our opposition, the FCC's International Bureau granted Spectrum Five's application to operate a tweener satellite at the 114.5 ^o WL orbital location, only 4.5 ^o away from our DBS satellites operating at the 110 ^o  WL and 119 ^o  WL orbital locations. While the Bureau limited Spectrum Five's operations to levels below those at which the ITU deems one DBS system to "affect" another in the absence of agreement from all affected DBS operators (including us), the Bureau's grant of Spectrum Five's application prior to coordination could ultimately permit Spectrum Five to operate at levels that would cause interference to our operations. On February 1, 2008, the full FCC denied reconsideration of the International Bureau's order, but clarified that, if Spectrum Five is unable to coordinate its tweener satellite, it must file for a modification of its authorization and demonstrate that its proposed operational parameters would not exceed the ITU trigger for coordination. To date, Spectrum Five has neither engaged in negotiations to coordinate its tweener system nor filed for modification of its authorization as directed by the FCC. Instead, it recently sought extension of the November 29, 2010 deadline for completion of its first satellite.

The FCC has also adopted rules that require satellite operators to take certain measures to mitigate the dangers of collision and orbital debris. Among other things, these rules impose certain requirements for satellite design and end-of-life disposal maneuvers for all satellites launched after March 18, 2002, which apply to eight of our in-orbit satellites. We believe that we are in compliance with all of these requirements and expect that we will continue to be able to comply with them going forward, but the requirements for end-of-life disposal could result in a slight reduction in the operational life of each new satellite.

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Geographic Service Rules.   The FCC requires DBS licensees to comply with certain geographic service obligations intended to foster the provision of DBS service to subscribers residing in the states of Alaska and Hawaii. We believe that we are in compliance with these rules although, in the past, some have argued otherwise to the FCC. The FCC has not acted on petitions filed several years ago by the State of Hawaii and an Alaska satellite television dealer. We cannot be sure that the FCC will agree with our view that we are in compliance with the agency's geographic services rules, or that the FCC will not require us to make potentially cumbersome and costly changes to our offerings. The FCC has also adopted similar rules for the ¹⁷ / 24 GHz BSS service.



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FCC Conditions Imposed In Connection With the Liberty and News Corporation Transactions.   In approving Liberty's 2008 acquisition of News Corporation's equity investment in us, the FCC imposed a number of regulatory conditions on us and Liberty, some of which directly or indirectly affected our business. In granting authority for subsequent transactions in 2009 and 2010, the FCC conditioned its approval on continued compliance with those conditions. Accordingly, the FCC has imposed on us program carriage conditions intended to prevent discrimination against all forms of unaffiliated programming; and certain program access conditions intended to ensure non-discriminatory access to much of the programming carried on the DIRECTV service. In particular, we may be required to submit to "baseball style" arbitration if we cannot arrive at terms for carriage of our regional sports network programming with an MVPD.

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We cannot predict what effect our compliance with or the FCC's enforcement of these conditions will have on our business.

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Potential Regulation of Set-Top Boxes.   Cable operators are subject to a wide variety of regulation of their set-top boxes, including a prohibition on so-called "integrated" security and non-security functions. The FCC has exempted DTH satellite operators from such rules, but has been urged to eliminate that exemption. Were it to do so, DIRECTV may be required to redesign its set-top boxes and, conceivably, replace existing boxes on a schedule not of its own devising. The FCC is also considering a new regime under which all multichannel video providers, including DIRECTV, would be required to offer so-called "All Vid interfaces" instead of its existing set-top box arrangements. Such interfaces would be designed according to government specifications to deliver DIRECTV's programming stream and related data for manipulation by third-party electronic equipment. DIRECTV believes such a requirement would significantly hinder its ability to offer new and innovative services, and could complicate its customer service efforts.

        International Telecommunications Union Rules.     We are required by international rules to coordinate the use of the frequencies on our satellites with other satellite operators who may interfere with us or who may suffer interference from our operations.

        Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements.     DBS/DTH providers are subject to other federal and state regulatory requirements, such as Federal Trade Commission, FCC and state telemarketing and advertising rules, and subscriber privacy rules similar to those governing other MVPDs. We have agreed with the Federal Trade Commission to (1) review and monitor compliance with telemarketing laws by any companies we authorize to do telemarketing as well as by independent retailers, (2) investigate and respond to complaints about alleged improper telemarketing and (3) terminate our relationship with marketers or retailers found in violation. Similarly, we have agreed with certain state attorneys general to comply with advertising disclosure requirements and monitor compliance by independent retailers.

        In addition, although Congress has granted the FCC exclusive jurisdiction over the provision of DTH satellite services, aspects of DBS/DTH service remain regulated at the state and local level. For example, the FCC has promulgated rules prohibiting restrictions by local government agencies, such as zoning commissions and private organizations, such as homeowners associations, on the placement of DBS receiving antennas. Local governments and homeowners associations, however, may continue to regulate the placement of such antennas if necessary to accomplish a clearly defined public safety objective or to preserve a recognized historic district, and may also apply to the FCC for a waiver of FCC rules if there are other local concerns of a special or unusual nature. In addition, a number of state and local governments have attempted to impose consumer protection, customer service and other types of regulation on DBS operators. Also, while Congress has prohibited local taxation of the provision of DBS service, taxation at the state level is permissible, and many states have imposed such taxes, and additional states have attempted to do so recently. Incident to conducting a consumer directed business, we occasionally receive inquiries or complaints from authorities such as state attorneys general and state consumer protection offices. These matters are generally resolved in the ordinary course of business, and DIRECTV recently agreed to implement a restitution program for consumers who send eligible complaints related to consumer protection practices.

        In Latin America, DTVLA and its subsidiaries are subject to laws and regulations in each country in which they operate that govern many of the same aspects of our operations as in the United States, such as landing rights for satellites; spectrum, earth station and other licenses; must carry and other requirements with respect to the channels we carry; and regulations governing telemarketing and customer service. Regulatory regimes in Latin America are generally less developed than in the United States, and the application of existing laws and regulations to DBS providers is at times uncertain. In addition, there are certain areas where regulations in Latin America are stricter than in the United States, such as regarding labor and consumer protection laws. Foreign exchange laws in some countries can have a material impact on our ability to repatriate funds to the United States. Also, several countries such as Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil have passed or proposed laws imposing certain "national" content requirements, advertising limitations and other requirements on the content we distribute which could, depending on the substance of the requirements

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and how they are applied, have a material impact on our subsidiaries operating in those countries.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

        All DIRECTV companies maintain active programs for identifying and protecting our important intellectual property. With the exception of certain patents and trademarks held by certain subsidiaries of DIRECTV Group and various intellectual property licensed from third parties, DIRECTV Group owns all of our intellectual property for the benefit of our company and subsidiaries.

        We believe that our growing portfolio of pending and issued patents are important assets. We presently hold over 2,000 issued patents worldwide relating to our past and present businesses, including over 500 patents developed by, or otherwise relating to, the businesses of DIRECTV U.S. We hold a worldwide portfolio of over 1,150 trademarks related to the DIRECTV brand, the Cyclone Design and DIRECTV products and services. In particular, DIRECTV U.S. holds trademark registrations relating to its business, including registrations of the primary "DIRECTV" and the DIRECTV Cyclone Design trademarks. In many instances, these trademarks are licensed royalty-free to third parties for use in support of the DIRECTV U.S. business. We actively protect our important patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights against unauthorized or improper use by third parties.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION

        We are subject to the requirements of federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations. These include laws regulating air emissions, water discharge and universal and hazardous waste management activities. We have an environmental management function designed to track, facilitate and support our compliance with these requirements and attempt to maintain compliance with all such requirements. We have made and will continue to make, as necessary, capital and other expenditures to comply with environmental requirements. We do not, however, expect capital or other expenditures for environmental compliance to be material in 2011. In addition, we periodically review environmental stewardship concepts (such as green initiatives and energy conservation strategies) and implement these whenever feasible. Environmental requirements are complex, change frequently and have become more stringent over time. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that these requirements will not change or become more stringent in the future in a manner that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

        We are also subject to environmental laws requiring the investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination at facilities we formerly owned or operated or currently own or operate or to which we sent hazardous wastes, including specified universal wastes, for treatment, service, disposal or recycling. We are aware of contamination at one of our former sites. We are in the process of complying with the requirements stipulated by the government agency overseeing the site cleanup and have allocated the funds to achieve the decontamination goals.

SEGMENT REPORTING DATA

        Operating segment and principal geographic area data for 2010, 2009 and 2008 are summarized in Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, Part II of this Annual Report, which we incorporate herein by reference.

EMPLOYEES

        As of December 31, 2010, DIRECTV U.S. had approximately 16,000 full-time and 300 part-time employees, DIRECTV Latin America had approximately 7,000 full-time and 1,600 part-time employees and Sports Networks and Other had approximately 200 full-time employees.

ACCESS TO COMPANY REPORTS

        Our website address is www.directv.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished, if any, pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. We are not incorporating by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K any information on our website.

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        In addition, our DIRECTV U.S. subsidiary, DIRECTV Holdings LLC, is a separate registrant with the SEC. You can access DIRECTV Holdings LLC's Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished, if any, pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 free of charge through our website at www.directv.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

***

        DIRECTV, DIRECTV Cinema and the DIRECTV Cyclone Design are trademarks of The DIRECTV Group, Inc. and/or its related entities. Other trademarks, service marks and trade names appearing in this Annual Report are the property of their respective holders.

ITEM 1A.    RISK FACTORS

        You should carefully consider the following risk factors. The risks described below are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business, financial conditions or results of operations.

        Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by the following:

We compete with other MVPDs, some of whom have greater resources than we do and levels of competition are increasing.

        We compete in the MVPD industry against cable television, telcos and wireless companies and other land-based and satellite-based system operators with service offerings including video, audio and interactive programming, data and other entertainment services and telephony service. Some of these competitors have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do.

        Some cable television operators have large, established customer bases and many cable operators have significant investments in, and access to, programming. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's 2008 Industry Overview, 96% of the 128.6 million U.S. housing units are passed by cable. Of the 128.6 million U.S. housing units, approximately 97.6 million subscribe to an MVPD service and approximately 62% of MVPD subscribers receive their programming from a cable operator. Cable television operators have advantages relative to us, including or as a result of:

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being the incumbent MVPD operator with an established subscriber base in the territories in which we compete;



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bundling their video service with efficient two-way high-speed Internet access or telephone service on upgraded cable systems;



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having the ability to provide certain local and other programming, including HD programming, in geographic areas where we do not currently provide local or local HD programming; and



•

having legacy arrangements for exclusivity in certain multiple dwelling units and planned communities.

        In addition, cable television operators have grown their subscriber bases through mergers and acquisitions. Moreover, mergers, joint ventures and alliances among franchise, wireless or private cable television operators, telcos, broadband service providers and others may result in providers capable of offering bundled television, data and telecommunications services in competition with our services.

        We do not currently offer local channel coverage to markets covering approximately three percent of U.S. television households, which places us at a competitive disadvantage in those markets. We also have been unable to secure certain international programming, due to exclusive arrangements of programming providers with certain competitors, which has constrained our ability to compete for subscribers who wish to obtain such programming. And as discussed below, certain cable-affiliated programmers have withheld their programming from us in certain markets, which has further constrained our ability to compete for subscribers in those markets.

        In the United States, various telcos and broadband service providers have deployed fiber optic lines directly to customers' homes or neighborhoods to deliver video services, which compete with the DIRECTV service. It is uncertain whether we will be able to increase our satellite capacity, offer a significant level of new services in existing markets in which

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we compete or expand to additional markets as may be necessary to compete effectively. Some of these various telcos and broadband service providers also sell the DIRECTV service as part of a bundle with their voice and data services. A new broadly-deployed network with the capability of providing video, voice and data services could present a significant competitive challenge and, in the case of the telcos currently selling the DIRECTV service, could result in such companies focusing less effort and resources selling the DIRECTV service or declining to sell it at all. We may be unable to develop other distribution methods to make up for lost sales through the telcos.

        As a result of these and other factors, we may not be able to continue to expand our subscriber base or compete effectively against cable television or other MVPD operators in the future.

Emerging digital media competition could materially adversely affect us.

        Our business is focused on television, and we face emerging competition from other providers of digital media, some of which have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. In particular, programming offered over the Internet has become more prevalent as the speed and quality of broadband networks have improved. OVDs and providers such as Hulu, Roku, Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon and Google TV are aggressively working to establish themselves as an alternative provider of video services. Such services and the growing availability of online content, coupled with an expanding market for connected devices and internet-connected televisions, poses a potential competitive challenge to traditional MVPDs, as a number of consumers may decide to drop their traditional MVPD subscription package.

        Significant changes in consumer behavior with regard to the means by which they obtain video entertainment and information in response to this emerging digital media competition could materially adversely affect our revenues and earnings or otherwise disrupt our business.

We depend on others to produce programming and programming costs are increasing.

        Almost all of our programming is provided by unaffiliated third parties. Typically our programming agreements are multiple-year agreements and contain annual price increases. When negotiating to acquire rights to new programming, or for renewal of expiring contracts, programming suppliers have historically increased the rates they charge us for programming, increasing our costs. Often these increases are greater than the rate of inflation for the same period. We expect this practice to continue and the negotiations over such increases to become more difficult and potentially disruptive. Increases in programming costs, including retransmission costs for broadcast programming, could cause us to increase the rates that we charge our subscribers, which could in turn, especially in a difficult economic environment, cause subscribers to terminate their subscriptions or potential new subscribers to refrain from subscribing to our service. Furthermore, due to the economy and other factors, we may be unable to pass programming cost increases on to our subscribers. Alternatively, in order to attempt to mitigate the effect of proposed programming price increases, we may refuse to carry certain channels, which could adversely affect subscriber growth or result in higher churn.

        In addition, a limited number of cable-affiliated programmers have in the past denied us access to their programming. Our ability to compete successfully will depend on our ability to continue to obtain desirable programming and deliver it to our subscribers at competitive prices. We may not be able to renew these agreements on favorable terms, or at all, or these agreements may be canceled prior to expiration of their original terms. If we are unable to renew any of these agreements or the other parties cancel the agreements, we may not be able to obtain substitute programming, or if we are able to obtain such substitute programming, it may not be comparable in quality or cost to our existing programming.

        If we are unable to obtain rights to programming or are unable to pass additional costs on to subscribers, the potential loss of subscribers and the need to absorb some or all of the additional costs could have a material adverse effect on our earnings or cash flow.

A National Football League strike or lockout in 2011 could materially adversely affect our cash flows.

        DIRECTV U.S. has a contract with the National Football League for the exclusive rights to distribute the NFL Sunday Ticket Package to DIRECTV U.S. subscribers. The NFL's collective bargaining agreement

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with its players expires before the beginning of the 2011-2012 NFL season. If there is a players' strike or an owners' lockout and no games are played or a reduced schedule is played, DIRECTV U.S. would still be obligated to make certain contractual payments to the NFL for such season. DIRECTV U.S. subscriber revenues would decrease if NFL games are not played or a full season is lost and cash flows from operating activities would decrease from lower revenues as well as our continuing obligation to make certain contractual payments to the NFL. DIRECTV U.S. will be able to partially offset these payments through provisions such as credits in the following year, reimbursements for games not played and its rights to an extra season if the entire season is cancelled, but in the near term a strike or lockout could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows from operating activities primarily due to payments we may have to make to the NFL, including minimum contractual obligations, an optional advance payment that may be requested by the NFL and the loss of subscriber revenue, as well as possibly resulting in reduced subscriber additions and higher churn.

Increased subscriber churn or subscriber upgrade and retention costs could materially adversely affect our financial performance.

        Turnover of subscribers in the form of subscriber service cancellations, or churn, has a significant financial impact on the results of operations of any subscription television provider, including us, as does the cost of upgrading and retaining subscribers. Any increase in our upgrade and retention costs for our existing subscribers or increased retransmission fees paid to broadcasters may adversely affect our financial performance or cause us to increase our subscription rates, which could increase churn. Churn may also increase due to factors beyond our control, including churn by subscribers who are unable to pay their monthly subscription fees, a slowing economy, significant signal theft, consumer fraud, a maturing subscriber base and competitive offers. Any of the risks described in this Annual Report that could potentially have a material adverse impact on our cost or service quality or that could result in higher prices for our subscribers could also, in turn, cause an increase in churn and consequently have a material adverse effect on our earnings and financial performance.

Our subscriber acquisition costs could materially increase.

        We incur costs relating to subscribers acquired by us and subscribers acquired through third parties. These costs are known as subscriber acquisition costs. For instance, we provide installation incentives to our retailers to enable them to offer standard professional installation as part of the subscriber's purchase or lease of a DIRECTV System. In addition, we pay commissions to retailers for their efforts in offering a DIRECTV System at a lower cost to consumers. Our subscriber acquisition costs may materially increase to the extent we offer more costly advanced equipment or services, including connecting our receivers to the customers' broadband service, continue or expand current sales promotion activities or introduce other more aggressive promotions, or due to increased competition. Any material increase in subscriber acquisition costs from current levels would negatively impact our earnings and could materially adversely affect our financial performance.

Results are impacted by the effect of, and changes in, United States economic conditions and weakening economic conditions may reduce subscriber spending and our rate of growth of subscriber additions and may increase subscriber churn.

        Our business may be affected by factors in the United States that are beyond our control, such as downturns in economic activity, or in the MVPD industry. Factors such as interest rates and the health of the housing market may impact our business. A substantial portion of our revenues comes from residential customers whose spending patterns may be affected by prevailing economic conditions. Our market share in multiple dwelling units such as apartment buildings is lower than that of many of our competitors. If unemployment and foreclosures of single family residences increase, our earnings and financial performance could be negatively affected more than those of our competitors. In addition, if our customers seek alternative means to obtain video entertainment, they may choose to purchase fewer services from us. Due to the economic and competitive environment, we may need to spend more, or we may provide greater discounts or credits, to acquire and retain customers who in turn spend less on our services. If our ARPU decreases or does not increase commensurate with increases in programming or other costs, our margins could become compressed and the long term value of a customer would then decrease.

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The weak economy may affect our net subscriber additions and reduce subscriber spending and, if these economic conditions continue or deteriorate further, our subscriber growth could decline and our churn rate could increase which would have a material adverse effect on our earnings and financial performance.

DTVLA is subject to various additional risks associated with doing business internationally, which include political instability, economic instability, and foreign currency exchange rate volatility.

        All of DTVLA's operating companies are located outside the continental United States. DTVLA operates and has subscribers located throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, which makes it vulnerable to risks of conducting business in foreign markets, including:

•

difficulties and costs associated with complying with a wide variety of complex laws, treaties and regulations;



•

unexpected changes in political or regulatory environments;



•

earnings and cash flows that may be subject to tax withholding requirements or the imposition of tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions;



•

difficulties and costs associated with the repatriation of cash from foreign countries to the United States;



•

political and economic instability;



•

import and export restrictions and other trade barriers;



•

difficulties in maintaining overseas subsidiaries and international operations;



•

difficulties in obtaining approval for significant transactions;



•

government takeover or nationalization of business; and



•

government mandated price controls.

        In the past, the countries that constitute some of DTVLA's largest markets, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela have experienced economic crises, caused by external and internal factors, and characterized by exchange rate instability, high inflation, high domestic interest rates, economic contraction, a reduction or cessation of international capital flows, a reduction of liquidity in the banking sector and high unemployment. These economic conditions have often been related to political instability, including political violence. If these economic conditions recur, they could substantially reduce the purchasing power of the population in our markets, including the middle-markets which we are targeting, and materially adversely affect our business.

        Because DTVLA offers premium pay television programming, its business may be particularly vulnerable to economic downturns. DTVLA has experienced, and may in the future experience, decreases or instability in consumer demand for its programming, as well as subscriber credit problems. DTVLA's inability to adjust its business and operations to adequately address these issues could materially adversely affect its revenues and ability to sustain profitable operations.

Our ability to keep pace with technological developments is uncertain.

        In the video industry, changes occur rapidly as new technologies are developed, which could cause our services and products that deliver our services to become obsolete. We may not be able to keep pace with technological developments. If the new technologies on which we intend to focus our investments fail to achieve acceptance in the marketplace or our technology does not work and requires significant cost to replace or fix, we could suffer a material adverse effect on our future competitive position, which could cause a reduction in our revenues and earnings. For example, our competitors could be the first to obtain proprietary technologies that are perceived by the market as being superior. Further, after incurring substantial costs, one or more of the technologies under development by us or any of our strategic partners could become obsolete prior to its introduction.

        In addition, technological innovation depends, to a significant extent, on the work of technically skilled employees. Competition for the services of these employees has been vigorous. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to attract and retain these employees.

        To access technologies and provide products that are necessary for us to remain competitive, particularly in the area of broadband services, we may make future acquisitions and investments and may enter into strategic

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partnerships with other companies. Such investments may require a commitment of significant capital and human and other resources. The value of such acquisitions, investments and partnerships and the technology accessed may be highly speculative. Arrangements with third parties can lead to contractual and other disputes and dependence on the development and delivery of necessary technology on third parties that we may not be able to control or influence. These relationships may commit us to technologies that are rendered obsolete by other developments or preclude the pursuit of other technologies which may prove to be superior.

Our business relies on intellectual property, some of which is owned by third parties, and we may inadvertently infringe patents and proprietary rights of others.

        Many entities, including some of our competitors, have or may in the future obtain patents and other intellectual property rights that cover or affect products or services related to those that we currently offer or may offer in the future. In general, if a court determines that one or more of our services or the products used to transmit or receive our services infringes on intellectual property owned by others, we and the applicable manufacturers or vendors may be required to cease developing or marketing those services and products, to obtain licenses from the owners of the intellectual property or to redesign those services and products in such a way as to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights. If a third party holds intellectual property rights, it may not allow us or the applicable manufacturers to use its intellectual property at any price, which could materially adversely affect our competitive position.

        We may not be aware of all intellectual property rights that our services or the products used to transmit or receive our services may potentially infringe. In addition, patent applications in the United States are generally confidential until the Patent and Trademark Office issues a patent. Therefore, we cannot evaluate the extent to which our services or the products used to transmit or receive our services may infringe claims contained in pending patent applications. Further, without lengthy litigation, it is often not possible to determine definitively whether a claim of infringement is valid.

        We cannot estimate the extent to which we may be required in the future to obtain intellectual property licenses or the availability and cost of any such licenses. Those costs, and their impact on our earnings, could be material. Damages in patent infringement cases may also include treble damages in certain circumstances. To the extent that we are required to pay royalties to third parties to whom we are not currently making payments, these increased costs of doing business could materially adversely affect our operating results. We are currently being sued in patent infringement actions related to use of technologies in our DTH business. There can be no assurance that the courts will conclude that our services or the products used to transmit or receive our services do not infringe on the rights of third parties, that we or the manufacturers would be able to obtain licenses from these persons on commercially reasonable terms or, if we were unable to obtain such licenses, that we or the manufacturers would be able to redesign our services or the products used to transmit or receive our services to avoid infringement. The final disposition of these claims is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, but could possibly be material to our consolidated results of operations for any one period. Further, no assurance can be given that any adverse outcome would not be material to our consolidated financial position. See "Legal Proceedings—Intellectual Property Litigation" in Part I, Item 3 which is incorporated by reference herein.

We rely on key personnel.

        We believe that our future success will depend to a significant extent upon the performance of certain of our key executives. The loss of certain of our key executives could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Construction or launch delays on satellites could materially adversely affect our revenues and earnings.

        A key component of our business strategy is our ability to expand our offering of new programming and services, including increased local and HD programming. In order to accomplish this goal, we need to construct and launch new satellites. The construction and launch of satellites are often subject to delays, including satellite and launch vehicle construction delays, periodic unavailability of reliable launch opportunities due to

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competition for launch slots, weather and also due to general delays that result when a launch provider experiences a launch failure, and delays in obtaining regulatory approvals. A significant delay in the future delivery of any satellite would materially adversely affect the use of the satellite and thus could materially adversely affect our anticipated revenues and earnings. If satellite construction schedules are not met, there can be no assurance that a launch opportunity will be available at the time a satellite is ready to be launched. Certain delays in satellite construction could also jeopardize a satellite authorization that is conditioned on timely construction and launch of the satellite.

Our satellites are subject to significant launch and operational risks.

        Satellites are subject to significant operational risks relating to launch and while in orbit. Launch and operational risks include launch failure, incorrect orbital placement or improper commercial operation. Launch failures result in significant delays in the deployment of satellites because of the need both to construct replacement satellites, which can take up to 36 months, and obtain other launch opportunities. We estimate the overall historical loss rate for all launches of commercial satellites in the last seven years to be approximately five percent but it may be higher. Any significant delays or failures in successfully launching and deploying our satellites could materially adversely affect our ability to generate revenues. While we have traditionally purchased insurance covering the launch and, in limited cases, operation of our satellites, such policies typically cover the loss of the satellite itself or a portion thereof, and not the business interruption or other associated direct and indirect costs. For example, we purchased launch insurance covering a portion of our DIRECTV 12 satellite, which we launched at the end of 2009, and launch vehicle costs in the event of a total loss of the satellite prior to separation from the launch vehicle, but did not purchase in-orbit insurance for it.

        In-orbit risks include malfunctions, commonly referred to as anomalies, and collisions with meteoroids, other spacecraft or other space debris. Anomalies occur as a result of various factors, such as satellite manufacturing errors, problems with the power systems or control systems of the satellites and general failures resulting from operating satellites in the harsh space environment. We work closely with our satellite manufacturers to determine and eliminate the potential causes of anomalies in new satellites and provide for redundancies of critical components in the satellites as well as having backup satellite capacity. However, we cannot assure you that we will not experience anomalies in the future, nor can we assure you that our backup satellite capacity will be sufficient for our business purposes.

        Any single anomaly or series of anomalies could materially adversely affect our operations and revenues and our relationships with our subscribers, as well as our ability to attract new subscribers for our services. Anomalies may also reduce the expected useful life of a satellite, thereby creating additional expenses due to the need to provide replacement or backup satellites and potentially reducing revenues if service is interrupted. Finally, the occurrence of anomalies may materially adversely affect our ability to insure our satellites at commercially reasonable premiums, if at all. While some anomalies are currently covered by existing insurance policies, others are not now covered or may not be covered in the future.

        Our ability to earn revenue also depends on the usefulness of our satellites. Each satellite has a limited useful life. A number of factors affect the useful life of a satellite, including, among other things:

•

the design;



•

the quality of its construction;



•

the durability of its component parts;



•

the launch vehicle's insertion of the satellite into orbit;



•

any required movement, temporary or permanent, of the satellite;



•

the ability to continue to maintain proper orbit and control over the satellite's functions; and



•

the remaining on-board fuel following orbit insertion.

        Generally, the minimum design life of the satellites in our fleet is between 12 and 16 years. The actual useful lives of the satellites may be shorter or longer, in some cases significantly. Our operating results could be adversely affected if the useful life of any of our satellites were significantly shorter than 12 years from the date of launch.

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        In the event of a failure or loss of any of DIRECTV U.S.' satellites, DIRECTV U.S. may relocate another satellite and use it as a replacement for the failed or lost satellite. In the event of a complete satellite failure, DIRECTV U.S.' services provided via that satellite could be unavailable for several days or longer while backup in-orbit satellites are repositioned and services are moved. DIRECTV U.S. is not insured for any resultant lost revenues. The use of backup satellite capacity for DIRECTV U.S. programming may require DIRECTV U.S. to discontinue some programming services due to potentially reduced capacity on the backup satellite. Any relocation of DIRECTV U.S.' satellites would require prior FCC approval and, among other things, a demonstration to the FCC that the replacement satellite would not cause additional interference compared to the failed or lost satellite. Such FCC approval may not be obtained. DIRECTV U.S. believes they have or will have in 2011, in-orbit satellite capacity to expeditiously recover transmission of most our programming in the event one of our in-orbit satellites fails. However, programming continuity cannot be assured in the event of multiple satellite losses.

        DTVLA provides its services in PanAmericana and Brazil using leased transponders on two satellites. Sky Mexico provides its services from leased transponders on a separate satellite. Backup satellite capacity is available to serve Sky Brazil and Sky Mexico. In the event of a failure of a satellite used to provide services to Sky Brazil or Sky Mexico, we believe DTVLA has sufficient in orbit back-up capacity to recover transmission of most of its programming distributed in those markets. However, in PanAmericana, DTVLA has no designated back up satellite capacity for the region and, therefore, programming continuity cannot be assured in the event of a satellite loss.

The loss of a satellite that is not insured could materially adversely affect our earnings.

        Any launch vehicle failure, or loss or destruction of any of our satellites, even if insured, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, our ability to comply with FCC regulatory obligations and our ability to fund the construction or acquisition of replacement satellites in a timely fashion, or at all. At December 31, 2010, the net book value of in-orbit satellites was $2,165 million, none of which was insured.

We depend on the Communications Act for access to cable-affiliated programming and changes impacting that access could materially adversely affect us.

        We purchase a substantial percentage of our programming from programmers that are affiliated with cable system operators, including key regional sports networks, or RSNs. Currently, under certain provisions of the Communications Act governing access to programming, cable-affiliated programmers generally must sell and deliver their programming services to all MVPDs on non-discriminatory terms and conditions. The Communications Act and the FCC rules also prohibit certain types of exclusive programming contracts involving programming from cable-affiliated programmers.

        Any change in the Communications Act or the FCC's rules that would permit programmers that are affiliated with cable system operators to refuse to provide such programming or to impose discriminatory terms or conditions could materially adversely affect our ability to acquire programming on a cost-effective basis, or at all. The Communications Act prohibitions on certain cable industry exclusive contracting practices with cable-affiliated programmers were extended by the FCC through October 2012, though it is currently considering proposals that could shorten the term of this extension if a cable operator could show that competition from new entrant MVPDs had reached a sufficient penetration level in the relevant marketing area.

        In addition, certain cable providers have denied us and other MVPDs access to a limited number of channels created by programmers with which the cable providers are affiliated. In other cases, such programmers have denied MVPDs high definition feeds of such programming. The cable providers have asserted that they are not required to provide such programming (or resolution) due to the manner in which that programming is distributed, which they argue is not covered by the program access provisions of the Communications Act. The FCC recently adopted new rules under which such programming would also be subject to certain non-exclusivity and non-discrimination requirements. These rules have been challenged in court, however. In addition, they will require a further evidentiary showing by an MVPD seeking access to such programming. If these new rules are successfully challenged in court or we cannot make the

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required evidentiary showing, we may continue to be precluded from obtaining such programming, which in turn could materially adversely affect our ability to compete in regions serviced by those cable providers. Although the FCC also addressed some of these issues in a limited fashion by placing access conditions on certain regional sports networks affiliated with Time Warner Cable, Inc. and Comcast Corporation, as well as placing various program access conditions relating to Comcast Corporation's acquisition of control of NBC Universal, it is not clear that we will be able to assure continued access to this programming on fair and nondiscriminatory terms.

        DIRECTV itself is subject to similar restrictions with respect to certain programmers affiliated with us. The FCC imposed a number of conditions on its approval of Liberty Media's acquisition of News Corporation's interest in DIRECTV in 2007 which continues to apply. Among other things, those conditions require DIRECTV to offer national and regional programming services it controls to all MVPDs on non-exclusive and non-discriminatory terms and conditions, and prohibits DIRECTV from entering into exclusive arrangements with affiliated programmers or unduly influencing such programmers in their dealings with other MVPDs. The conditions also require DIRECTV to engage in "baseball style" arbitration if elected by an MVPD where the parties cannot agree on terms and conditions for carriage of RSN programming owned, managed or controlled by DIRECTV. This condition continues to apply to the three RSNs DIRECTV acquired from Liberty Media in 2009.

Changes to and implementation of statutory copyright license requirements may negatively affect our ability to deliver local and distant broadcast stations, as well as other aspects of our business.

        We carry the signals of distant broadcast stations pursuant to statutory copyright licenses contained in SHVA.

        SHVA, related laws, and FCC implementing rules also govern our provision of local broadcast signals. STELA itself directed a number of federal agencies and bodies to conduct proceedings to evaluate the possibility of significant changes to these laws. Such changes could limit our ability to deliver local broadcast signals. More generally, we have limited capacity, and the projected number of markets in which we can deliver local broadcast programming will continue to be constrained because of the statutory "carry-one, carry-all" requirement and may be reduced depending on changes to that requirement, the FCC's interpretation of its rules in pending and future rulemaking and complaint proceedings, as well as judicial decisions interpreting must carry requirements. We may not be able to comply with these must carry rules, or compliance may mean that we are not able to use capacity that could otherwise be used for new or additional local or national programming services. In addition, the FCC has issued an increasing obligation for carriage of local digital broadcast transmissions in HD format. We may be unable to comply with this requirement in markets where we currently carry such signals without ceasing HD local service entirely in some markets, and would be precluded from launching additional markets currently planned.

        In addition, the FCC has adopted rules requiring us to negotiate in good faith with broadcast stations seeking carriage outside of the mandatory carriage regime described elsewhere. The rules for "retransmission consent" negotiations, which are similar to those that have applied to broadcast stations for years, require us to comply with certain indicia of good faith negotiation, as well as to demonstrate good faith under a "totality of the circumstances" test. Failure to comply with these rules could subject us to administrative sanctions and other penalties. Moreover, the FCC is considering changes to these and other rules related to retransmission consent, some of which could make negotiations more difficult, increase fees charged by broadcasters for carriage, or result in the increased withholding of broadcast signals.

Satellite programming signals have been stolen and may be stolen in the future, which could result in lost revenues and would cause us to incur incremental operating costs that do not result in subscriber acquisition.

        The delivery of subscription programming requires the use of conditional access technology to limit access to programming to only those who subscribe and are authorized to view it. The conditional access system uses, among other things, encryption technology to protect the transmitted signal from unauthorized access. It is illegal to create, sell or otherwise distribute software or devices to circumvent that conditional access technology. However, theft of cable and satellite programming has been widely reported, and the access cards used in our conditional access system

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have been compromised in the past and could be compromised in the future.

        We have undertaken various initiatives with respect to our conditional access system to further enhance the security of the DIRECTV signal. To help combat signal theft, we provide our subscribers with more advanced access cards that we believe significantly enhance the security of our signal. Currently, we believe these access cards have not been compromised. However, we cannot guarantee that those advanced access cards will prevent the theft of our satellite programming signals in the future. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we will succeed in developing the technology we need to effectively restrict or eliminate signal theft. If our current access cards are compromised, our revenue and our ability to contract for video and audio services provided by programmers could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our operating costs could increase if we attempt to implement additional measures to combat signal theft.

The ability to maintain FCC licenses and other regulatory approvals is critical to our business.

        If we do not obtain all requisite U.S. regulatory approvals for the construction, launch and operation of any of our existing or future satellites for the use of frequencies at the orbital locations planned for these satellites or for the provision of service, or the licenses obtained impose operational restrictions on us, our ability to generate revenue and profits could be materially adversely affected. In addition, under certain circumstances, existing licenses are subject to revocation or modification and upon expiration, renewal may not be granted. If existing licenses are not renewed, or are revoked or materially modified, our ability to generate revenue could be materially adversely affected.

        In certain cases, satellite system operators are obligated by governmental regulation and procedures of the International Telecommunications Union to coordinate the operation of their systems with other users of the radio spectrum in order to avoid causing interference to those other users. Coordination may require a satellite system operator to reduce power, avoid operating on certain frequencies, relocate its satellite to another orbital location and/or otherwise modify planned or existing operations. For example, the FCC has conditionally granted Spectrum Five authority to provide direct broadcast satellite service using frequencies assigned to it by the Government of the Netherlands from an orbital slot located halfway between slots at which we currently operate. Other operators have filed similar requests. We believe this closer proximity, if ultimately implemented, would significantly increase the risk of interference which could adversely affect the quality of service provided to our subscribers. We may not be able to successfully coordinate our satellites to the extent we are required to do so, and any modifications we make in the course of coordination, or any inability to successfully coordinate, may materially adversely affect our ability to generate revenue. In addition, the FCC is currently conducting a rulemaking proceeding to consider, among other things, the adoption of operating parameters under which such "tweener" systems would be automatically deemed coordinated.

        Other regulatory risks include, among others:

•

the relocation of satellites to different orbital locations if the FCC determines that relocation is in the public interest;



•

the denial by the FCC of an application to replace an existing satellite with a new satellite, or to operate a satellite beyond the term of its current authorization, or to operate an earth station to communicate with such satellite;



•

the loss of authorizations to operate satellites on certain frequencies at certain locations if we do not construct, launch and operate satellites for those locations by certain dates; and



•

the authorization by the United States or foreign governments of the use of frequencies by third party satellite or terrestrial facilities that have the potential to interfere with communication to or from our satellites, which could interfere with our contractual obligations or services to subscribers or other business operations.

        All of our FCC satellite authorizations are subject to conditions imposed by the FCC in addition to the FCC's general authority to modify, cancel or revoke those authorizations. Use of FCC licenses and other authorizations are often subject to conditions, including technical requirements and implementation deadlines. Failure to comply with such requirements, or comply in a timely manner, could lead to the loss of authorizations and could have a material adverse effect on our ability to

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generate revenue. For example, loss of an authorization could potentially reduce the amount of programming and other services available to our subscribers. The materiality of such a loss of authorization would vary based upon, among other things, the orbital location at which the frequencies may be used.

        Moreover, some of our authorizations and future applications may be subject to petitions and oppositions, and there can be no assurance that our authorizations will not be canceled, revoked or modified or that our applications will not be denied. Moreover, the FCC has adopted new rules for licensing satellites that may limit our ability to file applications and secure licenses in the future.

        Congress has continued to shape the scope of the FCC's regulatory authority and enact legislation that affects our business. In addition, FCC proceedings to implement legislation and enact additional regulations are ongoing. The outcomes of these legislative or regulatory proceedings or their effect on our business cannot be predicted.

We have significant debt.

        We have debt totaling $10,510 million as of December 31, 2010. If we do not have sufficient income or other sources of cash, it could affect our ability to service debt and pay other obligations.

We may not be able to obtain or retain certain foreign regulatory approvals.

        There can be no assurance that any current regulatory approvals held by us are, or will remain, sufficient in the view of foreign regulatory authorities, or that any additional necessary approvals will be granted on a timely basis or at all, in all jurisdictions in which we operate, or that applicable restrictions in those jurisdictions will not be unduly burdensome. The failure to obtain the authorizations necessary to operate satellites or provide satellite service internationally could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue and our overall competitive position.

We may have a significant indemnity obligation to Liberty Media, which is not limited in amount or subject to any cap, if parts of the Liberty Transaction or Liberty's 2008 Transaction with News Corporation are treated as a taxable transaction.

        Despite obtaining a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") and an opinion of legal counsel to the effect that parts of the Liberty Transaction qualified as a tax-free distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the continuing validity of such ruling and opinion is subject to the accuracy of factual representations and certain assumptions. Any inaccuracy in such representations could invalidate the ruling, and failure to comply with any undertakings made in connection with such tax opinion could alter the conclusions reached in such opinion. Even if parts of the Liberty Transaction otherwise qualify for tax-free treatment, it would result in a significant U.S. federal income tax liability to Liberty Media if one or more persons acquire a 50% or greater interest in the DIRECTV common stock as part of a plan or series of related transactions that includes the Liberty Transaction. The process for determining whether an acquisition is part of a plan under these rules is complex, inherently factual and subject to interpretation of the facts and circumstances of a particular case. Liberty Media or DIRECTV might inadvertently cause or permit a prohibited change in the ownership of DIRECTV to occur, thereby triggering a tax liability to Liberty Media.

        In addition, Liberty Media entered into a tax matters agreement with News Corporation in connection with its 2008 transaction with News Corporation, pursuant to which Liberty Media agreed, among other things, to indemnify News Corporation and certain related persons for taxes resulting from actions taken by Liberty Media or its affiliates that cause such transaction (or related restructuring transactions) not to qualify as tax-free transactions. Liberty Media's indemnification obligations to News Corporation and certain related persons are not limited in amount or subject to any cap.

        Under a Tax Sharing Agreement between Liberty Media and DIRECTV, in certain circumstances DIRECTV is obligated to indemnify Liberty Media and certain related persons for any losses and taxes resulting from the failure of the Liberty Transaction to be tax-free transactions and from any losses resulting from Liberty Media's indemnity obligations to

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News Corporation under the tax matters agreement between News Corporation and Liberty Media. If DIRECTV is required to indemnify Liberty Media or certain related persons under the circumstances set forth in the Tax Sharing Agreement, we may be subject to substantial liabilities not limited in amount or subject to any cap. In such a circumstance, we may be required to make payments or dividends to satisfy such liabilities that could either breach covenants in our credit facilities and bond indentures or require additional or accelerated payments, which could materially adversely affect our financial position and short term operating results.

We may be required to forgo certain transactions in order to avoid the risk of incurring significant tax-related liabilities.

        We might be required to forgo certain transactions that might have otherwise been advantageous in order to preserve the tax-free treatment of the Liberty Transaction. In particular, we might be required to forgo certain transactions, including asset dispositions or other strategic transactions for some period of time following the Liberty Transaction so as not to trigger any liability under the tax indemnification obligations.

We rely on network and information systems and other technology, and a disruption or failure of such networks, systems or technology as a result of, misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, accidental releases of information or similar events, may disrupt our business.

        Because network and information systems and other technologies are critical to our operating activities, network or information system shutdowns caused by events such as computer hacking, dissemination of computer viruses, worms and other destructive or disruptive software, and other malicious activity, as well as power outages, natural disasters such as earthquakes, terrorist attacks and similar events, pose increasing risks. Such an event could have an adverse impact on us and our customers, including degradation of service, service disruption, excessive call volume to call centers and damage to our broadcast centers, other properties, equipment and data. Such an event also could result in large expenditures necessary to repair or replace such networks or information systems or to protect them from similar events in the future. Significant incidents could result in a disruption of our operations, customer dissatisfaction, or a loss of customers or revenues.

        Furthermore, our operating activities could be subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification and accidental release or loss of information maintained in our information technology systems and networks, including customer, personnel and vendor data. We could be exposed to significant costs if such risks were to materialize, and such events could damage our reputation and credibility and have a negative impact on our revenues. We also could be required to expend significant capital and other resources to remedy any such security breach. As a result of the increasing awareness concerning the importance of safeguarding personal information, the potential misuse of such information and legislation that has been adopted or is being considered regarding the protection, privacy and security of personal information, information-related risks are increasing, particularly for businesses like ours that handle a large amount of personal customer data.

We face risks arising from the outcome of various legal proceedings.

        We are involved in various legal proceedings, including those arising in the ordinary course of business, such as consumer class actions and those described under the caption "Legal Proceedings" in Part I, Item 3 incorporated by reference herein. Such matters include investigations and legal actions by the Federal Trade Commission where regulators may seek monetary damages and may also seek to require or prohibit certain actions by us with regard to our current or potential customers. While we do not believe that any of these proceedings alone or in the aggregate will have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters or the imposition of conditions by regulators on the conduct of our business could be material to our consolidated results of operations and cash flows for any one period. Further, no assurance can be given that any adverse outcome would not be material to our consolidated financial position.

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We may face other risks described from time to time in periodic reports filed by us with the SEC.

        We urge you to consider the above risk factors carefully in evaluating forward- looking statements contained in this Annual Report. The forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report are made only as of the date of this Annual Report and we undertake no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

ITEM 1B.    UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

        None.

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

        As of December 31, 2010, we had approximately 250 owned and leased locations operating in the United States and Latin America. The major locations of the DIRECTV U.S. segment include eight administrative offices; two broadcast centers and six call centers. The major locations of the DIRECTV Latin America segment include 10 administrative offices, four broadcast centers and eight call centers. We consider our properties adequate for our present needs.

ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

        (a)   Material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, to which we became or were a party during the year ended December 31, 2010 or subsequent thereto, but before the filing of the report, are summarized below:

        Intellectual Property Litigation.     We are a defendant in several unrelated lawsuits claiming infringement of various patents relating to various aspects of our businesses. In certain of these cases other industry participants are also defendants, and also in certain of these cases we expect that any potential liability would be the responsibility of our equipment vendors pursuant to applicable contractual indemnification provisions. To the extent that the allegations in these lawsuits can be analyzed by us at this stage of their proceedings, we believe the claims are without merit and intend to defend the actions vigorously. The final disposition of these claims is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, but could possibly be material to our consolidated results of operations of any one period. No assurance can be given that any adverse outcome would not be material to our consolidated financial position.

        Liberty Media Corporation Litigation.     As previously reported, a purported class action complaint was filed on February 9, 2010 and amended on April 23, 2010 in Delaware Chancery Court against certain past and present directors of Liberty Media Corporation alleging, among other things, that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties as Liberty board members in connection with the business terms and approval process by Liberty stockholders of the merger of Liberty Entertainment, Inc. with a subsidiary of DIRECTV as part of the Liberty Transaction. The plaintiff purports to represent approximately 85 former Liberty Media Corporation stockholders (other than the defendants) that allegedly held approximately 1.8 million Liberty Media Corporation shares prior to the consummation of the Liberty Transaction. The complaint alleges, among other things, that John Malone and certain other Liberty Media Corporation stockholders received disparate allocation of consideration in the Liberty Transaction. The complaint seeks equitable reallocation and disgorgement of the improper consideration received by the defendants and other relief. The defendants have requested indemnification and have tendered defense of this litigation to DIRECTV pursuant to agreements executed as part of the Liberty Transaction and DIRECTV has elected to take control of the defense.

        Early Cancellation Fees.     In 2008, a number of plaintiffs filed putative class action lawsuits in state and federal courts challenging the early cancellation fees we assess our customers when they do not fulfill their programming commitments. Several of these lawsuits are pending—some in California state court purporting to represent statewide classes, and some in federal courts purporting to represent nationwide classes. The lawsuits seek both monetary and injunctive relief. While the theories of liability vary, the lawsuits generally challenge these fees under state consumer protection laws as both unfair and inadequately disclosed to customers. Each of the lawsuits is at an early stage. Where possible, we are moving to compel these cases to arbitration in accordance with our Customer Agreement, but in states such as California where the enforceability of the arbitration provision is limited, we intend to defend against these allegations in court. We believe that our

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early cancellation fees are adequately disclosed, and represent reasonable estimates of the costs we incur when customers cancel service before fulfilling their programming commitments.

        From time to time, we receive investigative inquiries or subpoenas from state and federal authorities with respect to alleged violations of state and federal statutes. These inquiries may lead to legal proceedings in some cases. DIRECTV U.S. has received a request for information from the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, on issues similar to those resolved with the multistate group of state attorneys general discussed in (b) below. We are cooperating with the FTC by providing information about our sales and marketing practices and customer complaints.

        Other.     We are subject to other legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business. The amount of ultimate liability with respect to such actions is not expected to materially affect our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

        (b)   The following previously reported legal proceedings were terminated during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010:

        In December 2010, DIRECTV U.S. entered into a settlement agreement with a multistate group of state attorneys general to resolve concerns regarding alleged violations of their respective state consumer protection statutes. The state of Washington, originally a part of the multistate group, filed an action in Washington state court in December 2009, and that litigation was settled on the same substantive terms as reached with the multistate group. DIRECTV U.S. did not admit any wrongdoing in entering into the settlement. We agreed to formalize many business improvements made in the last few years and to further improve other practices. DIRECTV U.S. paid a total of $14.25 million to the states as costs of investigation and attorneys fees, and has agreed to implement a restitution program for consumers who send eligible complaints.

ITEM 4.    (Removed and Reserved)

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PART II

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Common Stock Price

        Our Class A common stock is publicly traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "DTV." The following table sets forth for the quarters indicated the high and low sales prices for our Class A common stock, as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Amounts reported from January 1, 2009 through November 18, 2009, are based on the stock of our predecessor, The DIRECTV Group, Inc. On November 19, 2009, we completed our merger with Liberty Entertainment Inc., and from that date, the stock traded on the NASDAQ is the Class A common stock of DIRECTV.

        As of the close of business on February 18, 2011, there were 55,257 holders of record of our Class A common stock. Our Class B common stock is not registered and there were no shares outstanding as of December 31, 2010.

Dividend Rights and Other Stockholder Matters

        Holders of our common stock are entitled to such dividends and other distributions in cash, stock or property as may be declared by our Board of Directors in its sole discretion, subject to the preferential and other dividend rights of any outstanding series of our preferred stock. There were no shares of our preferred stock outstanding at December 31, 2010.

        No dividends on our common stock have been declared by our Board of Directors for more than five years. We have no current plans to pay any dividends on our common stock. We currently expect to use our future earnings, if any, for the development of our businesses or other corporate purposes, which may include share repurchases.

        Information regarding compensation plans under which our equity securities may be issued is included in Item 12 through incorporation by reference to our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on April 28, 2011.

Share Repurchase Programs

        During 2010, our Board of Directors approved up to $5.2 billion to repurchase shares of our DIRECTV Class A common stock, which has been completed. During the first quarter of 2011, our Board of Directors authorized repurchases of up to $6 billion of DIRECTV Class A common stock. The authorizations allow us to repurchase our Class A common stock from time to time through open market purchases and negotiated transactions or otherwise. The timing, nature and amount of such transactions will depend on a variety of factors, including market conditions and the program may be suspended, discontinued or accelerated at any time. The sources of funds for the purchases are our existing cash on hand, cash from operations and potential additional borrowings. Purchases are made on the open market, through block trades and other negotiated transactions. Repurchased shares are retired but remain authorized for registration and issuance in the future.

        All purchases were made in accordance with Rule 10b-18 of Securities Exchange Act of 1934. A summary of the repurchase activity for the three months ended December 31, 2010 is as follows:

        For additional information regarding our share repurchases see Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.

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ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

See the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for additional information regarding significant transactions during each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010.

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ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSE OF THE
"SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES
LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

        This Annual Report on Form 10-K may contain certain statements that we believe are, or may be considered to be, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by use of statements that include phrases such as we "believe," "expect," "estimate," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "project" or other similar references to future periods. Examples of forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make related to our business strategy and regarding our outlook for 2011 financial results, liquidity and capital resources.

        Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. They are neither statements of historical fact nor guarantees or assurances of future performance. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include economic, business, competitive, national or global political, market and regulatory conditions and other risks, each of which is described in more detail in Item 1A—Risk Factors of this Annual Report.

        Any forward looking statement made by us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may occur and it is not possible for us to predict them all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTENTS

        The following is a discussion of our results of operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Information in this section is organized as follows:

•

Summary Results of Operations and Financial Condition



•

Significant Transactions Affecting the Comparability of the Results of Operations



•

Key Terminology



•

Executive Overview and Outlook



•

Results of Operations



•

Liquidity and Capital Resources



•

Contractual Obligations



•

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements



•

Contingencies



•

Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions



•

Critical Accounting Estimates



•

Accounting Changes and New Accounting Pronouncements

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SUMMARY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION

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SUMMARY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION—(continued)

Reference should be made to the notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

(1)

Operating profit before depreciation and amortization, which is a financial measure that is not determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, can be calculated by adding amounts under the caption "Depreciation and amortization expense" to "Operating profit." This measure should be used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures and is not presented as an alternative measure of operating results, as determined in accordance with GAAP. Our management and our Board of Directors use operating profit before depreciation and amortization to evaluate the operating performance of our company and our business segments and to allocate resources and capital to business segments. This metric is also used as a measure of performance for incentive

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SUMMARY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION—(continued)

compensation purposes and to measure income generated from operations that could be used to fund capital expenditures, service debt or pay taxes. Depreciation and amortization expense primarily represents an allocation to current expense of the cost of historical capital expenditures and for acquired intangible assets resulting from prior business acquisitions. To compensate for the exclusion of depreciation and amortization expense from operating profit, our management and our Board of Directors separately measure and budget for capital expenditures and business acquisitions.

We believe this measure is useful to investors, along with GAAP measures (such as revenues, operating profit and net income), to compare our operating performance to other communications, entertainment and media service providers. We believe that investors use current and projected operating profit before depreciation and amortization and similar measures to estimate our current or prospective enterprise value and make investment decisions. This metric provides investors with a means to compare operating results exclusive of depreciation and amortization expense. Our management believes this is useful given the significant variation in depreciation and amortization expense that can result from the timing of capital expenditures, the capitalization of intangible assets, potential variations in expected useful lives when compared to other companies and periodic changes to estimated useful lives.

Operating profit before depreciation and amortization margin is calculated by dividing operating profit before depreciation and amortization by Revenues.

(2)

Free cash flow, which is a financial measure that is not determined in accordance with GAAP, can be calculated by deducting amounts under the captions "Cash paid for property and equipment" and "Cash paid for satellites" from "Net cash provided by operating activities" from the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. This financial measure should be used in conjunction with other GAAP financial measures and is not presented as an alternative measure of cash flows from operating activities, as determined in accordance with GAAP. Our management and our Board of Directors use free cash flow to evaluate the cash generated by our current subscriber base, net of capital expenditures, for the purpose of allocating resources to activities such as adding new subscribers, retaining and upgrading existing subscribers, for additional capital expenditures and other capital investments or transactions and as a measure of performance for incentive compensation purposes. We believe this measure is useful to investors, along with other GAAP measures (such as cash flows from operating and investing activities), to compare our operating performance to other communications, entertainment and media companies. We believe that investors also use current and projected free cash flow to determine the ability of revenues from our current and projected subscriber base to fund required and discretionary spending and to help determine our financial value.

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SUMMARY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION—(concluded)

Selected Segment Data

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SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTIONS AFFECTING THE COMPARABILITY OF THE RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Malone Transaction

        In order to resolve a condition imposed by the FCC on Liberty Media's acquisition of an ownership interest in us from News Corporation in 2008, which we refer to as the "Puerto Rico Condition", on April 6, 2010, we entered into an agreement with Dr. John C. Malone which severed all attributable interests in satisfaction of the requirements of the FCC order. Under the terms of the agreement, the Malones exchanged 21.8 million shares of high-vote DIRECTV Class B common stock, which were all of the outstanding DIRECTV Class B shares, for 26.5 million shares of DIRECTV Class A common stock, resulting in the reduction of the Malone's voting interest in DIRECTV from approximately 24.3% to approximately 3%.

        We accounted for the exchange of DIRECTV Class B common stock into DIRECTV Class A common stock pursuant to accounting standards for induced conversions, whereby the $160 million in incremental DIRECTV Class A common stock issued to the former DIRECTV Class B stockholders has been deducted from earnings attributable to DIRECTV Class A stockholders for purposes of calculating earnings per share in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. This adjustment had the effect of reducing diluted earnings per DIRECTV Class A common share by $0.18 for the year ended December 31, 2010. See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, Part II of this Annual Report for additional information.

Acquisitions

        Globo Transaction.     In connection with our acquisition of Sky Brazil in 2006, Globo was granted the right, until January 2014, to require us to purchase all or a portion (but not less than half) of its 25.9% interest in Sky Brazil. In June 2010, Globo notified us that it was exercising its right to exchange 178,830,000 shares representing approximately 19% of the ownership interests in Sky Brazil. The fair value of the approximate 19% interest was determined to be $605 million by an independent investment bank according to a process specified by Globo and us in the related agreement. During the fourth quarter of 2010, we paid cash for the approximate 19% ownership interest, which was recorded as a reduction to "Redeemable noncontrolling interest" in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. We and our subsidiaries now own approximately 93% of Sky Brazil and Globo retains the right to sell its remaining 7% interest to us until January 2014 as discussed in Note 19 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, Part II of this Annual Report.

        Liberty Transaction.     On November 19, 2009, The DIRECTV Group, Inc., or DIRECTV Group, and Liberty Media Corporation, which we refer to as Liberty or Liberty Media, obtained shareholder approval of and closed a series of related transactions which we refer to collectively as the Liberty Transaction. The Liberty Transaction included the split-off of certain of the assets of the Liberty Entertainment group into Liberty Entertainment, Inc., or LEI, which was then split-off from Liberty. Following the split-off, DIRECTV Group and LEI merged with subsidiaries of DIRECTV. As a result of Liberty Transaction, DIRECTV Group, which is comprised of the DIRECTV U.S. and DIRECTV Latin America businesses, and LEI, which held Liberty's 57% interest in DIRECTV Group, a 100% interest in three regional sports networks, a 65% interest in Game Show Network, LLC, approximately $120 million in cash and cash equivalents and approximately $2.1 billion of indebtedness and a series of related equity collars became wholly-owned subsidiaries of DIRECTV. The assets, liabilities and results of operations of LEI have been consolidated beginning on the acquisition date, November 19, 2009.

        As part of the Liberty Transaction, we assumed a credit facility with a principal balance of $1,878 million, which we refer to as the Collar Loan, and a series of related equity collars which were in a liability position with an estimated acquisition date fair value of $369 million. During 2009, we repaid a total of $751 million, including $676 million in principal payments and $75 million in payments to settle a portion of the equity collars. During 2010, we repaid $1,537 million, including $1,202 million of remaining principal payments and $335 million to settle the equity collars.

        Cash paid, net of cash acquired in connection with the transaction was $97 million and includes a $226 million repayment of LEI's existing loan from Liberty at the close of the transaction and $43 million of cash paid for transaction costs, partially offset by $120 million in cash at LEI, and $56 million of cash at the regional sports networks.

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        As a result of the Liberty Transaction, we recorded $491 million in charges to "Liberty transaction and related gains (charges)" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2009, which is comprised of: a $337 million charge related to a premium paid to LEI shareholders to complete the merger in the form of an equity interest that exceeded the fair value of net assets acquired by DIRECTV; $43 million of costs incurred to complete the transaction, including legal, accounting, financial printing, investment banking and other costs; and $111 million in net losses recorded for the partial settlement of the equity collars and stock options and stock appreciation rights held by Liberty employees subsequent to the acquisition date, and adjustments of the equity collars and stock options and stock appreciation rights carried as liabilities to fair value as of December 31, 2009. We recorded a $67 million net gain in "Liberty transaction and related gains (charges)" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the final settlement of the equity collars during 2010.

        See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, which we incorporate herein by reference.

        180 Connect.     In July 2008, we acquired 100% of 180 Connect's outstanding common stock and exchangeable shares. Simultaneously, in a separate transaction, UniTek USA, LLC acquired 100% of 180 Connect's cable service operating unit and operations in certain of our installation services markets in exchange for satellite installation operations in certain markets and $7 million in cash. These transactions provide us with ownership and control over a significant portion of DIRECTV U.S.' home service provider network. We paid $91 million in cash, net of the $7 million we received from UniTek USA, for the acquisition, including the equity purchase price, repayment of assumed debt and related transaction costs.

Financing Transactions

        In 2010, DIRECTV U.S. issued $6.0 billion of senior notes resulting in $5,978 million of proceeds, net of discount, and repaid the $2,205 million of remaining principal on the Term Loans of its senior secured credit facility. The repayment of the Term Loans resulted in a 2010 pre-tax charge recorded in "Other, net" in our Consolidated Statements of Operations of $16 million, $10 million after tax, resulting from the write-off of deferred debt issuance and other transaction costs.

        In 2009, DIRECTV U.S. issued $2.0 billion of senior notes resulting in $1,990 million of proceeds, net of discount. Also in 2009, DIRECTV U.S. purchased and redeemed its then outstanding $910 million 8.375% senior notes, resulting in a 2009 pre-tax charge of $34 million, $21 million after tax, of which $29 million resulted from a premium paid for the redemption and $5 million resulted from the write-off of deferred debt issuance costs and other transaction costs. The charge was recorded in "Other, net" in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

        In 2008, DIRECTV U.S. issued $1.5 billion in senior notes, and borrowed $1 billion under a new Term Loan of its senior secured credit facility, resulting in proceeds, net of discount, of $2,490 million.

Venezuela Exchange Controls

        In January 2010, the Venezuelan government announced the creation of a dual exchange rate system, including an exchange rate of 4.3 bolivars fuerte per U.S. dollar for most of the activities of our Venezuelan operations compared to an exchange rate of 2.15 Venezuelan bolivars fuerte prior to the announcement. As a result of this devaluation, we recorded a $6 million charge to net income in the year ended December 31, 2010 related to the adjustment of net bolivars fuerte denominated monetary assets to the new official exchange rate. We began reporting the operating results of our Venezuelan subsidiary in the first quarter of 2010 using the devalued rate of 4.3 bolivars fuerte per U.S. dollar. In December 2010, the Venezuelan government announced the elimination of the dual exchange rate system, eliminating the 2.6 bolivars fuerte per U.S. dollar preferential rate which was available for certain activities.

        Companies operating in Venezuela are required to obtain Venezuelan government approval to exchange bolivars fuerte into U.S. dollars at the official rate. We have not been able to consistently exchange Venezuelan bolivars fuerte into U.S. dollars at the official rate and as a result, we have relied on a parallel exchange process to settle U.S. dollar obligations and to repatriate accumulated cash balances prior to its close. The rates implied by transactions in the parallel market, which was closed in May, 2010, were significantly higher than the official rate (6 to 7 bolivars fuerte per U.S.

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dollar). As a result, we recorded a $22 million charge in 2010, a $213 million charge in 2009 and a $29 million charge in 2008 in "General and administrative expenses" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in connection with the exchange of accumulated Venezuelan cash balances to U.S. dollars using the parallel exchange process.

        As a result of the closing of the parallel exchange process in May 2010, we have been unable to repatriate excess cash balances and we therefore realized lower charges for the repatriation of cash in 2010 and our Venezuelan subsidiary had Venezuelan bolivar fuerte denominated cash of $169 million at December 31, 2010, as compared to $33 million at December 31, 2009, based on the official exchange rate.

        See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" below for additional information.

Sky Brazil Functional Currency

        Based on cumulatively significant changes in economic facts and circumstances, we determined that the local Brazilian currency should be the functional currency of Sky Brazil for purposes of financial statement translation beginning in the second quarter of 2009. As a result of this change in functional currency, changes in exchange rates result in gain or losses, which we record in "Other, net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations related to the revaluation of U.S. dollar denominated monetary assets and liabilities, such as cash deposits, notes payable and capital lease obligations held by Sky Brazil.

Other Than Temporary Impairment

        In 2009, we recognized a $45 million charge for the other than temporary impairment of certain of our investments in "Other, net" in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Share Repurchase Program

        Since 2006 our Board of Directors approved multiple authorizations for the repurchase of our common stock. The following table sets forth information regarding shares repurchased and retired for the years ended December 31:

KEY TERMINOLOGY

        Revenues.     We earn revenues mostly from monthly fees we charge subscribers for subscriptions to basic and premium channel programming, HD programming and access fees, pay-per-view programming, and seasonal and live sporting events. We also earn revenues from monthly fees that we charge subscribers with multiple non-leased set-top receivers (which we refer to as mirroring fees), monthly fees we charge subscribers for leased set-top receivers, monthly fees we charge subscribers for digital video recorder, or DVR, service, hardware revenues from subscribers who lease or purchase set-top receivers from us, our published programming guide, warranty service fees and advertising services. Revenues are reported net of customer credits and discounted promotions.

        Broadcast Programming and Other.     These costs primarily include license fees for subscription service programming, pay-per-view programming, live sports and other events. Other costs include expenses associated with the publication and distribution of our programming guide, continuing service fees paid to third parties for active subscribers, warranty service costs and production costs for on-air advertisements we sell to third parties.

        Subscriber Service Expenses.     Subscriber service expenses include the costs of customer call centers, billing, remittance processing and certain home services expenses, such as in-home repair costs.

        Broadcast Operations Expenses.     These expenses include broadcast center operating costs, signal transmission expenses (including costs of collecting signals for our local channel offerings), and costs of monitoring,

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maintaining and insuring our satellites. Also included are engineering expenses associated with deterring theft of our signal.

        Subscriber Acquisition Costs.     These costs include the cost of set-top receivers and other equipment, commissions we pay to national retailers, independent satellite television retailers, dealers and telcos, and the cost of installation, advertising, marketing and customer call center expenses associated with the acquisition of new subscribers. Set-top receivers leased to new subscribers are capitalized in "Property and equipment, net" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and depreciated over their useful lives. The amount of set-top receivers capitalized each period for subscriber acquisitions is included in "Cash paid for property and equipment" in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

        Upgrade and Retention Costs.     Upgrade and retention costs are associated with upgrade efforts for existing subscribers that we believe will result in higher average monthly revenue per subscriber, or ARPU, and lower churn. Our upgrade efforts include subscriber equipment upgrade programs for DVR, HD and HD DVR receivers and local channels, our multiple set-top receiver offer and similar initiatives. Retention costs also include the costs of installing and providing hardware under our movers program for subscribers relocating to a new residence. Set-top receivers leased to existing subscribers under upgrade and retention programs are capitalized in "Property and equipment, net" in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and depreciated over their useful lives. The amount of set-top receivers capitalized each period for upgrade and retention programs is included in "Cash paid for property and equipment" in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

        General and Administrative Expenses.     General and administrative expenses include departmental costs for legal, administrative services, finance, marketing and information technology. These costs also include expenses for bad debt and other operating expenses, such as legal settlements, and gains or losses from the sale or disposal of fixed assets.

        Average Monthly Revenue Per Subscriber.     We calculate ARPU by dividing average monthly revenues for the period (total revenues during the period divided by the number of months in the period) by average subscribers for the period. We calculate average subscribers for the period by adding the number of subscribers as of the beginning of the period and for each quarter end in the current year or period and dividing by the sum of the number of quarters in the period plus one.

        Average Monthly Subscriber Churn.     Average monthly subscriber churn represents the number of subscribers whose service is disconnected, expressed as a percentage of the average total number of subscribers. We calculate average monthly subscriber churn by dividing the average monthly number of disconnected subscribers for the period (total subscribers disconnected, net of reconnects, during the period divided by the number of months in the period) by average subscribers for the period.

        Subscriber Count.     The total number of subscribers represents the total number of subscribers actively subscribing to our service, including seasonal subscribers, subscribers who are in the process of relocating and commercial equivalent viewing units. In March 2008, we implemented a change in DIRECTV U.S.' commercial pricing and packaging to increase our competitiveness. As a result, during the first quarter of 2008, DIRECTV U.S. made a one-time downward adjustment to the subscriber count of approximately 71,000 subscribers related to commercial equivalent viewing units.

        SAC.     We calculate SAC, which represents total subscriber acquisition costs stated on a per subscriber basis, by dividing total subscriber acquisition costs for the period by the number of gross new subscribers acquired during the period. We calculate total subscriber acquisition costs for the period by adding together "Subscriber acquisition costs" expensed during the period and the amount of cash paid for equipment leased to new subscribers during the period.

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW AND OUTLOOK

        The United States and the other countries in which we operate are continuing to undergo a period of economic uncertainty. As discussed in "Competition" in Item 1, in addition to cable and satellite system operators, we are experiencing increasing competition from telcos and other emerging digital media distribution providers. Please refer to "Risk Factors" in Item 1A for a further discussion of risks which may affect forecasted results or our business generally.

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DIRECTV

        DIRECTV U.S.     Our revenue growth is generated by both increases in the average monthly rates we earn from subscribers, or ARPU, and increases in the total number of subscribers. In 2011, we expect revenue growth in the mid to high single digit percentage range.

        In 2011, we expect that the anticipated growth in revenues will be partially offset by higher programming costs, including the costs associated with our contract with the NFL, resulting in operating profit before depreciation and amortization growth in the low to mid single digit percentage range.

        In 2011, we expect capital expenditures to be slightly higher than in 2010.

        DIRECTV Latin America.     In 2011, we expect revenue and operating profit before depreciation and amortization growth of approximately 20%.

        In 2011, we expect capital expenditures in Latin America to exceed 2010 capital expenditures due to higher gross subscriber additions, increased sales of advanced products and other infrastructure projects.

        DIRECTV.     At the consolidated DIRECTV level, we anticipate 2011 free cash flow, or cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to be lower than in 2010. The anticipated improvement in operating profit before depreciation and amortization is expected to be offset by an increase in cash paid for income taxes, higher capital expenditures and higher expected interest expense.

        Diluted earnings per common share is expected to grow in 2011 as a result of the anticipated growth in income from continuing operations resulting from higher operating profit before depreciation and amortization, lower depreciation and amortization and a continued decline in weighted average common shares outstanding due to anticipated share repurchases, partially offset by increased income tax and interest expense.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 2010 Compared with the Year Ended December 31, 2009

Consolidated Results of Operations

        We discuss changes for each of our segments in more detail below.

        Revenues.     The following table presents our revenues by segment: