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1999 Consumer Electronics Show READ ALL ABOUT IT! Court Order Heightens Focus on Antennas at CES Off-air antenna exhibits and events at this year’s show could get an attendance boost from a recent court ruling against PrimeTime 24. Just as the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association and at least half a dozen exhibitors were preparing demonstrations of off-air antennas and mapping programs to make it easier for retailers to sell them to dish owners, the U.S. District Court in Miami ordered that all illegal PrimeTime 24 subscribers will lose access to CBS and Fox service via satellite April 30. The decision was PrimeTime 24’s second defeat at the hands of the broadcasters, who successfully argued in separate trials in Miami and Raleigh, N.C., that PrimeTime 24 signed up hundreds of thousands of dish owners for network service even though they could receive Grade B off-air signals from their local affiliates. While several in the satellite TV industry expressed concern that as many as 3 million dish owners could be affected by the Miami court’s decision, many are looking to the Federal Communications Commission for relief before the cutoff date. FCC sources say the commission remains on target to release rules by Feb. 1 regarding the definition of an eligible network superstation subscriber, how to predict eligibility before authorizing service, and how to measure off-air signal strength for those who dispute the predictions. Though Judge Lenore Nesbitt agreed to revisit her PrimeTime 24 decision after the FCC releases its new rules, FCC sources have said they do not expect the rules to provide relief for dish owners already determined to be illegal subscribers. DirecTv Revises Primestar Buyout Offer DirecTv has revised its offer to buy Primestar in recent days, according to industry sources. As reported, DirecTv has talked with Primestar frequently in recent weeks and made several offers, some more informal than others, to buy Primestar, none of which have been accepted. Details on the latest offer were not immediately known, though DirecTv is believed to remain highly interested in buying the DBS company. However, there are indications DirecTv’s latest proposal is unlikely to meet with any more success than its previous offers, sources said. In an interview last night with Satellite Business News, which is part of the “CES Today” video program airing today, DirecTv President Eddy Hartenstein declined to comment on any discussions with Primestar. Primestar could not be reached for comment last night. “CES Today” will be shown throughout the Consumer Electronics Show at the convention center and in most CES hotels. TURN THE PAGE OTHER ISSUES TO LOOK FOR: Friday, Jan. 8, 1999 Saturday, Jan. 9, 1999 Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999   Please direct questions about this site to general.mail@satbiznews.com q 2000 Satellite Business News Inc. All rights reserved.