E gets investor

E got a 10% investor, that will translate o a 5% share of the merged company. This has been in the works for quite awhile...

Forgot the name sorry.

Here's the story from SkyReport
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BREAKING NEWS: DISH Gets Boost from Vivendi Universal

Both EchoStar and Vivendi Universal announced an eight-year strategic alliance in which Vivendi will develop and provide EchoStar's satellite TV customers with programming and interactive television services.

Vivendi Universal will also make a $1.5 billion equity investment in EchoStar, providing a portion of the funding for the pending merger between Hughes Electronics, parent of DirecTV, and EchoStar.

As part of the agreement, Vivendi Universal will provide EchoStar's DISH Network with five new channels of basic and niche programming content including action, suspense, music, youth-oriented channels and interactive game channels, with one channel in DISH Network's "Americas Top 100" programming package and two in "America's Top 150" programming package. Vivendi Universal will also offer expanded pay-per-view and video-on-demand movies from current Vivendi Universal films, as well as certain library films and events.

These services are expected to begin in fall 2002. EchoStar will pay customary fees per subscriber to Vivendi Universal once the channels become available, the companies said.

Vivendi Universal and EchoStar will also work together on a new programming initiative to develop satellite-delivered broadband channels featuring interactive games, movies, sports, education and music, which will be launched within a 3-year period following consummation of the agreement.

Also as part of the agreement, EchoStar will integrate Vivendi Universal's advanced, interactive middleware technology, MediaHighway, a Canal-Plus Technology, as a non-exclusive middleware solution that will provide DISH Network customers using personal video recorders unique interactive TV services, such as movies from Vivendi Universal and music from Universal Music Group.

Assuming the pending merger of EchoStar and Hughes Electronics is completed, DirecTV customers will also receive these offerings.