But some direct-broadcast satellite subscribers have found that "digital" cannot necessarily be equated with "good."

He said that currently, about 30 to 40 percent of satellite subscribers also subscribed to cable television, mainly to get local channels.

Most satellite subscribers, however, are in urban areas.

Until now, satellite subscribers also needed a traditional television antenna or cable service to receive their local news, sports and weather.

There are some 10 million cable and satellite subscribers in Germany, compared with only 900,000 in France.

Unlike cable viewers, satellite subscribers must also pay several hundred dollars to install an 18-inch dish receiver.

Q. Do your satellite subscribers have more value than cable subscribers?

Syndex is often unpopular with satellite subscribers and companies who would rather not afford local broadcast stations program rights protection.

It also runs Venus, an adult pay-per-view service, to its satellite subscribers for $9.99 per movie.

Hughes is paying $1.3 billion for 2.3 million medium-power satellite subscribers, or $579 a subscriber.